We had a light breakfast with food we had purchased the night before. I ate a little cup of yogurt (stored on our balcony, see photo above) and two mini chocolate donuts. (I think donuts have a lot of protein, right?) We walked about 5 km and stopped at a great coffee shop for brunch. That's a latte and ham and cheese croissant. It was so good!
The morning walk was pleasant. It was about 5 km before we got out of the urban and suburban areas. Ahead we saw wind turbines on a hill and for the next couple of hours we got closer and closer. The walk was uphill but it was pretty gentle.
We walked past fields of tall grass waving in the wind. And then the wind got stronger. And wilder! We were happy to be wearing packs so we wouldn't blow away. (I am only exaggerating a teeny tiny bit.) Then it started to rain too. We walked on and climbed to the top of a big hill called Alto del Perdon (750m) and posed with the famous metal sculpture of medieval pilgrims, heads bent to the wind, just like us.
There was an inscription on the site which translated says, "Where the way of the wind crosses the way of the stars." Just thinking about all the pilgrims who have walked this way for hundreds of years is pretty overwhelming.
The descent over loose stones and scrub land was challenging in the rain.
Slippery when wet!
It continued to rain (and blow) and soon we were slogging through mud. Think of wet cement clinging to your shoes! It really was much worse than what you see in the photo. We kept stopping to scrape off mud. Our shoes and socks and pants were soaked and covered with mud.
We walked through rain all afternoon and the next photo shows Emily and Ramona (her Spanish name!) ready to go through an arch on the way to Puenta del Reina.
By the time we reached an albergue (no room at the first one we tried) we were cold and wet, but we were still in great spirits. We were quite surprised to get the last three beds in a room with nine men! Some of them smiled for a photo so I could send Tony a picture of our roommates.
After cleaning up, and warming up, it was time for laundry. I filled a sink to do some laundry. Mona came to help and added more clothing. Check out the water! We hung our clothes outside to dry and then went off for a tasty buffet dinner for pilgrims at a nearby hotel. And while we were enjoying dinner it rained on our clothes!
Typing with one finger on a phone is so slow and I'm sitting on the floor, charger plugged into the only outlet, the room is dark and it's 28 minutes past lights out. More tomorrow or whenever we have wifi.
Wow..so impressed with you! Love experiencing this journey with you!
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