John awoke abruptly to the sound of knocking on the door. Who could it be at this hour? He consulted his bedside clock. 7.30 a.m. It was dark. He normally went to bed about two o'clock in the morning and arose around midday. To him it was the middle of the night. Again the sound of knocking. He dragged himself out of bed and pulled on his dressing gown. Groggily he went down the stairs and answered the door. A tall figure waited in the subdued streetlight. He recognised his younger brother Pete. What a surprise! Though shocked he remembered his mother had told him he may be coming. Pete smiled and wished him a good morning. Assimilating the situation he returned the greeting and invited him in. Pete set down his heavy rucksack on the stone floor and found himself a seat. The rustic Spanish townhouse had a simple style. Panelled cupboards were painted with a thick green paint. An old gas cooker stood independently with a coffee pot and milk pan ready for action. John began to prepare the beverage. He enquired about Pete’s journey. Pete explained he had taken the plane from Tel Aviv to Zurich and changed for the flight to Santiago de Compostela. They had last met at their parents home in Lancashire before Pete had left to study architecture at Brighton polytechnic. Pete had not adjusted to the student lifestyle and after a year decided to travel. With his student allowance he had caught a plane to Israel where a friend was working on a kibbutz in the Golan heights. Finding his old companion he had been allowed to join the community. From there he had managed to find work on a farm and after a few months had saved up a few hundred pounds. He had travelled for three months down into Egypt and the Sudan fascinated by the people and landscapes. When his money was dwindling he had made it back to Israel and joined another kibbutz near Jerusalem. He stayed there a couple of months and his mother had come to visit him. They had toured Israel visiting the Dead Sea and Jerusalem. She then persuaded him to fly to Spain to visit his brother. John made Pete the coffee and showed him the spare room where he could stay. He had to go back to bed to complete his sleep and he would meet him for lunch later. The day was dawning and Pete took the opportunity to find his way around the beautiful medieval town of Santiago. Winding his way through the labyrinth of ancient streets he discovered the jumble of bars and restaurants and found peaceful composure in the large stone square. He sat on the steps and contemplated his new environment.