Sept 4 Seara to Rubaies - or elsewhere (Dave)

Laura has already written about the traumatic day this was for her in her "Day ... I have no idea".

but what about my perspective and experience as her accompanying walker on that day...

I knew she was in some pain and dogging it as up to that point I suspect she was going on the basis of younger, stronger, better... and likely having a hard time lightly acknowledging her surprise at the old man generally keeping up, tagging slightly behind, moving ahead - a real tortoise and hare event!

I was thankful she decided to call it a day when she did as the remaining path took us generally straight up a 300 metre incline over old Roman roads - or at least over roads that were stabilized by cobblestones on uneven ground, uneven placing, uneven spacing, followed by the inevitable going down again - it would have been quite difficult for her in the going down especially, adding friction to surfaces that would really have objected.

When the offer for a ride popped out of the air and she took it, I continued on up the mountain myself.  There were a few pilgrims ahead but they were younger and more intent and so lost sight of them.  On the other hand, without Laura alongside I found my thoughts and attention wandering nowhere and anywhere - except on looking for the yellow signs of the path. 

And how long was it before I recalled I hadn't seen any signs for perhaps 15 minutes, nor any people other than 2 cars that passed me (as I had unwittingly turned out on the road leading over the pass). 

What to do when the signs hitherto relied on for pointing the way, confirming that you are still on the right road, eliminating the need for paying attention and effectively letting go of the map, seem to disappear, your phone battery is running thin so needs to be conserved in the event you really do need to call for help, virtually no one available to ask for direction even if it was possible to communicate in another language...

Back or forward, how far back do I need to go, carrying this pack, before I find my markers, remembering that I had been moving at a very respectable pace so meant likely retracing 2 km back and 2 forward again;  or take a chance going forward into the great unknown (and in the absence of any actual road signs thus far) and maybe ending up in a different town altogether.  Decided to go forward knowing the up had to become down sometime and somewhere end up in a town.  Some distress texts sent off to at least allay concerns as to not showing up on time.  

Which was just about the time I reached the top and found a monument pointing out I was on the Romana Atlantiqua which follows the roman roads through the region.  Provided a great map of the trail and local area - but no,  not possible to put a You R Here button nor did it identify the highway overpass under which I was standing. 

An amusing and perplexing peculiarity of European roads is that unless its a highway toll road, signs are considered to be an aid to the enemy and consequently are not highly valued or put in place. 

Their absence reminded me of the tale told us in Prague of the Russians invading in 1968 and taking up a fortified position at the top of Wenseslau promenade - in front of the national museum which they mistook for city hall.  Street signs at that time had been removed, which in the absence of current technology, proved to be a significant slower-downer.

suffice to say with some further walking on the road, found rumours of one of the towns which I knew was in the right direction, and further down the hill.  continued on till I found an almost toothless gentleman pulled up at an intersection who managed to communicate directions to the town next closest to the destination.  followed my guess of the directions and discovered we had understood each other sufficiently to get me to a predictable point, whereupon texted W of the good news and ETA.

All of this to get me thinking along the way of lostness of the value of signs in our lives which we take for granted, ignore, respond to, misinterpret, miss altogether ... also reminded me of the Dead Dog Cafe's closing imprecation of "Stay calm, be brave, wait for the signs".