Swansea (Wales) | My Next Move - Day 74

This is my last full day in Swansea, and I have no concrete plans for what happens after I check out tomorrow. However, I've had a few ideas simmering in my head over the last few days regarding my next move, and my purpose today is to flesh these out more thoroughly today. Accordingly, I grab my laptop and head for the common kitchen area to find a table. A few minutes later, a young brunette woman walks into the kitchen and begins making herself breakfast. Christine is from Germany, she just graduated from medical school and starts her first job at the end of September. Until then, she is traveling. 

"It is so nice to be able to talk with someone", she says. Christine speaks great English and just completed 100 km of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. I concur and inform her I am looking to do a multi-day hike near St. Davids. "I went by there on my trip. You should do it. You can do as much or little as you want." she says. The entire route is 300 km (186 mi). I'm looking to do 10-13 mi (16-20 km) per day and evaluate myself further, I tell her. Christine hiked 20 km per day solo with a pack that weighs the same as mine. This is perfect! She helps me sort out a few pieces I still need to tie together. I share my experience at Three Cliffs Bay, which she wants to see today. We converse for a while, and after learning a bit of German, I thank you for the information. "I'm really happy to share my recent experiences," she says. 

I resume planning in the kitchen when I get back from running errands. Adam "Dreadlock" Romain soon appears, and we start another conversation. This one is a deep dive into meditation and spirituality. "Things usually go awry when I stop meditating," he says. I agree, it's a game the mind plays on you. You are feeling well now, so you really don't need to meditate anymore. Soon you are resuming unproductive patterns. Adam is currently living and working at the Hostel. He and his partner recently split. He talks about the power of Sacred Geometry and how it opened up his world. This leads us into the power of human myths. I share with him that Joseph Campbell dedicated his life to understanding patterns of human myths. In doing so, he found a similar pattern across all cultures. The stories they tell often involve, what he called the Hero's Journey. The purpose of this was often to provide a moral compass as well as a transition to adulthood in many cultures.

Adam and I exchange ideas for several hours. We look at the clock, and Adam needs to run to pick up his moped from the mechanic. And I still have a long ways to go to plan my next move. 

I take a break from the planning and finally sew my Candian Company of Pilgrims patch onto my bag. These next several days will be pivotal to my trip in Spain. I feel good and know I can hike these kinds of distances with a day pack. The distances I picked should allow me to use the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path as warm-up to the Camino. I am looking forward to it!

I pull out my tent, which I have not touched since the last time I used it in Glenties, UK, and notice the tent is still wet. Oh crap! I've been packing a wet tent for over a month now. Fortunately, Dyneema does not absorb water. So, I spread it out and let it air out in the dorm. The tent dries within a couple of hours. After packing my tent, I finally book my bus ticket to and hotel in Milford Haven, Wales. I'll grab what I need tomorrow before I head at. I decided to take the bus, because the train is having an Industrial action (strike) today and tomorrow. The train in the UK is a joke! The bus will get me to where I need to be but not until 630 pm.