I Finished!*

Friends,

I didn't want to say it, as I am so far behind on the blog, but I finished on January 8th, six months to the day after leaving San Diego, and 180 days after starting the walk in Switzerland.

The reason I didn't want to say anything is that I was afraid you would stop reading once you knew that I reached the end. After all, it's a bit anticlimactic to be reading about my arrival on the island of Sicily after I've actually crossed the whole thing.

However, it is unfair to all of Sicily and to all the people I met if you stop reading now. Just because I am a procrastinator does not mean you should punish the entire island.

So, I'm going to keep on posting as I can, adding photos and throwing in some more abstract posts here and there. I have a million things I still want to say, so I decided that I will just keep on saying them. I hope you'll keep going with me, and pretend that I haven't actually finished until I officially say so.

And in fact, there's a different reason why the title of this post bears an asterisk, and as I have yet to accomplish the asterisk-removing deed, there's still a little bit of suspense left, after all. So, for those of you action film wacthers who can't maintain interest in anything unless there's a cliffhanger and suspenseful music involved, this is my gift to you.

Finally, since I imagine many of you will be curious about what I'm currently doing, I will say that I am taking a victory lap, taking short train rides back along my path to visit the friends I have made. When I'm done ignoring the call back to real life, I plan to settle in Rome, and there start looking for work.

Best Wishes from an ex-walker,
Pat