Miles: 15.78/ Steps: 34,555
Todays selfie!
Lately my schedule has been to be up and out between 5:30am – 6:30pm. It normally takes 30-40 minutes to manage foot maintenance and get everything packed up and out the door. I normally walk until 1:00pm-2:00pm and am in bed asleep between 8:00pm- 10:00pm. Today, I was up before sunrise and it was gorgeous!
I do enjoy setting off early and watching the sunrise. It makes it easier to get out earlier when I am woken up by someone’s snoring. Sometimes one must take the bad with the good.
Below are just some random shots from the day.
331 km/205 miles to go!
The path is lined with trees that provide shade in the afternoon. I did actually walk on the road a lot today because my feet were hurting from the rocks on the trail.
There are random statues and memorials everywhere.
Not many dogs out today so I had to settle for a cat picture. 😊
Someone tried to liven up the scenery and give the trees some color! Such a nice gesture.
Did you know this was the dead center of town!
I am on a similar path/timeline as this Korean mother daughter pair. The mother pulled her daughter out of school for 40 days to do the Camino and the little girl is such a good sport. I think she is really enjoying this walk and time with her mom.
These 3 guys and I have been on the same path for several days. As I mentioned, I am a slow walker so they always catch up to me in the mornings, exchange niceties and then continue on. We have also stayed in the same hostel several times. They are always playing cards and laughing amongst themselves. Last night we finally shared a room and I got to know them. SUCH NICE GUYS! They are part of a hiking club and live north of Madrid. They are walking as far as Leon and then will come back to finish the Camino in the fall. Anyways, they always make me laugh and are helpful and patient with my broken Spanish.
After seeing wheat and grassland for so long I was very excited to see cows!!!! I watched the calves for a bit. It looked like they were up to something!! Haha
Some towns really cater to the pilgrims because of the amount of income they bring. I think some towns are annoyed by them. I have witnessed entitled and rude behavior from pilgrims that is a bit embarrassing to be honest so I can understand both sides. Mansilla was a bit in between but had this lovely statue placed in one of the town squares which I loved and appreciated.
After a stop at the Farmacia, Nikki, Savina and I were going to go to the grocery store but it started raining so we suffered through a couple of drinks at the bar until it stopped. We finally made it to the grocery store where we didn’t really get anything that was healthy but had a fun look around!
We finished the night off at a restaurant with the group. It wasn’t the best food but it also wasn’t the worst. Irish Kevin, Nikki, Sabina, Annie, Marie and Diane made for an interesting night of conversation!
Foot update: I have zero blisters! Yay! My shoes are great and there is no friction at all. I met 3 more people today who had and loved Hokas at home but they tore up their feet on the Camino. It’s too many to be a coincidence at this point. My arthritis in my big toe is acting up quite a bit and the plantar fasciitis is acting up in my left heal. Both are manageable and I have a plethora of creams and drugs to help. No matter the distance, the last 3-4 miles always feels really hard and it takes me about 30-60 minutes of sitting once I arrive to get to be able to function properly. That said, all of the pain is worth it. I’m having tons of fun, enjoying the people I meet and the lessons they give me and the experiences I am having.
I have a few more days left of the flat Meseta and then we move into another mountainous region again for the last third of the walk.
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