I woke up at 5, too early, but I had another ambitious plan ahead of me, so I got up, though it was very cold (about 8 degrees). Noticing as I did so that my feet were stiff and my knees were sore. I did something wrong yesterday in the last hour or so.
I left the campsite before 7 and went in search of the bakery; yesterday, I didn't really have any lunch, so I had to scavenge from my snacks and didn't enjoy that. But walking was painful and very slow, and I was really tired. When I found the bakery, it was closed. As was the little supermarket next to it that claimed to be within its opening hours. The next town would be at 10 km, which at this speed would take forever, and I was already hungry. So I sat on the pavement, massaging my feet, seeing if either of the stores would open. They didn't, but in the time I set there, at least three cars stopped in front of the bakery, clearly expecting it to be open.
In the end, I took the train to the next station to find a bakery that was open, as walking those 10 km on my very slow legs without any food was just not an option. I sat there, eating bread, in the sunshine, still feeling tired and cold. Slowly coming to the conclusion that really hiking was not going to happen today. And as I would have to go home tomorrow anyway, because of rail works that would take place in the weekend and would block part of my journey home, taking it easy for today and continuing tomorrow wasn't really going to work either. So the only feasible plan B that I had was to go home today.
So I did, though I didn't like it. I hate giving up, and I wanted to get a lot more distance covered, and get a lot further east, too. Having a different journey back home than I had on the outward leg would also have felt like more progress. But unfortunately, my body disagreed with my plans, and time disagreed with postponing them.
Traveling home included a lot of waiting, first nearly an hour for the train to Metz, then, as the signs were apparently wrong about where that train would leave, another hour for the next one. Then an hour in Metz for the train to Luxemburg, though that was because I wanted to find a supermarket and buy some lunch. When I got to Luxemburg, I could choose a train that would leave in about 35 minutes, or one that left an hour later, the latter option being a direct train and being 8 euros less than the first one. So I waited.
In the end, I got home close to midnight.

It is really strange to be back home again, especially as I hadn't wanted to be here for two more days. Being inside, and having to put effort into going outside, is weird. As is being alone but not walking. As I wouldn't be home, I don't have plans either.
I'm having trouble saying goodbye to my hike for now. And I really hate that it will be almost a year before I can go again; because I don't have any more vacation days for this year, and there's not much point in going before May next year, because lots of things will still be closed, there is less daylight, and it is colder at night.
I guess I have to get used to a 'normal' kind of life again. But I enjoyed this trip so much, the being outside, the camping, the walking, the beautiful nature, that I really just don't want to yet...

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PS: I didn't send emails of all the logs I wrote, so as not to spam your mailboxes too much. So you might want to scroll through the last two weeks, if you don't want to miss any.

Geschreven door Jewaontheroad