My 60th birthday Day

Started out early today, reluctantly leaving Samos. It would be one of my favourite places so far. I am on my own again, so nobody knows it’s my birthday, which is fine with me.  I don’t want a fuss! By the time I get home, it will be long gone and everyone will have forgotten that I aged whilst in Spain. 

I’m staying in a place with no internet, so I had to walk to the next town to check messages etc. normally, I wouldn’t have bothered, but it is my birthday and I wanted to see who loves me. Also had to check with my travel agent as there is a bit of a glitch with something. 

Anyway, what a stunning, beautiful walk today! I still clomp along listening to the sparrows and the cuckoos. I will miss the morning walk when I get home, but I won’t miss the sweet smelling cow poo! It is truly wonderful to just throw on the backpack and boots, and just walk….no pain or blisters anymore, so it is enjoyable. Gerard showed me the fireman’s way to put on a backpack. People stop and stare at me a I toss it over my head and quickly clip it on in one swoop. So quick and efficient! The walk today was through shady, dappled paths, over streams and alongside the greenest paddocks ever. Wild flowers such as holyhocks etc grow all along the side of the path, and the cows are large and lazy. Every house seems to have a German shepherd and chooks.  

       
I was accosted by Ahmed (not his real name as I can’t remember what it was). He had a little shop in the middle of nowhere and chased me up the road asking if I had a job for him in Australia. He came from Morocco and was really sweet actually…very happy!  

I love seeing all the little old ladies around . They work so hard in the fields etc and seem to do the men’s jobs, but I only seem to see the men driving the farm machinery. I laugh to myself every time I see a tractor roaring down the main street of town. So random.

Oh, and it seems I missed an exhibition about australian aborigines! 

Came across another little stall this morning. The locals are so kind. They just leave a bucket for a donation, and everyone just puts money in without question. Today’s stall had different lemonade, water, fruit and cakes.  

 And I reached the 100 km to go mark as well! 

Then I was piped in to Morgade by a random piper. I have to say, it was lovely wandering along the path with the sound of bagpipes playing. I hadn’t realized how much I have been missing music. 

So, it has been a lovely birthday. Usually it rains, but not here in sunny spain. Instead I have a suntan. Feeling great and certainly not feeling or acting my age!!! 

PS:      Just had dinner with a lovely Dutch girl, Wilhelmina,and two Italian men, Jiacomino and mario!  Such a great community spirit and we had a really lively discussion even though the Italians don’t speak much English and I not much Italian. Wilhelmina spent 5 months in Australia and travelled everywhere, even Tasmania. The funniest thing is that our waiter, the guy that owns the place, is 7 foot tall. The doorways are tiny and he walks around stooped the whole time. He acts like Basil Faulty and I couldn’t stop laughing!!!

What a great birthday!