We woke up early this morning so that we would be able to finish our 18-kilometer walk in the morning while it was cool, before the heat of the day made it impossible to finish. We were rewarded with a cool(ish) morning and a gorgeous sunrise over the vineyards around us.
Today’s walk was beautiful. We passed through vineyards, along a river, and through chestnut a chestnut forest. The walk was unbelievably green, and clouds offered just enough of a buffer from the heat.
Just past the first town we walked through, we met a woman named Barbara, from Austria. She walked with us the entire day, and we enjoyed the company on the trail. With the girls, we walk slow, and this was the first time anyone has slowed down to walk with us. It was refreshing.
Our guesthouse showed photos of a pool on Booking.com, but we have hoped for pools before along the way, only for them to be empty upon arrival, so we were only cautiously optimistic, and didn’t want to promise Addie anything. When we walked into town, hot and tired, and saw the pool filled with water, we were thrilled. Both girls were in the pool before I even had a chance to finish checking in.
We finished swimming, the girls napped, and then we headed out for dinner, where we found “Elly’s World Kitchen,” a little international restaurant. We ordered the “sidra” or hard cider from the Asturias region in Northern Spain. When we’d talked about walking the Camino in 2020 (before the world shut down) we had wanted to walk the northern route, and so I was excited to find sidra on the menu to try. We also ordered a vegetarian Moroccan tagine, and Sandra got the vegetarian meal she has been craving.
A new friend, Mo, from the USA came out to visit with us while we ate, and then we went back to our guesthouse and sat out in the yard while Addie played in the grass.
We are loving this leg of the camino. We look back on the grim meseta and are so glad we didn’t quit the camino because of it. The bus through the meseta was the best decision ever. We found that section hot and boring and isolating.
Now, we see the distance counting down and we are starting to feel sad about this adventure coming to an end.
It is always sad when adventure trips come to an end. You come home, rest and start planning your next trip😀
I do look forward to your daily reporting of the ups and downs of this adventurous journey. I do forward them on to numerous friends who I know are in awe of what you are accomplishing.
I anticipate you will finish this walk with big smiles and maybe a few tears. Enjoy your day
Hugs & kisses
It sounds like you had a really nice day again. Had fun trying to find Trabadelo on my map because well its not there, but google map came through. Yes, Sarria is quite close now , so excited for you. Dont dwell on the end, just enjoy each moment. It has been a great accomplishment so far, Santiago here they come!
Your logistical decision making is working great . Good decisions to enjoy the good parts of the trail. Sounds like a great trail with vineyards and lush green . Yeah
I am just so happy you are finally getting to string together good, satisfying days!