Nineteen

Today we woke up at 6:30, but I felt like I could have slept another ten hours. My body ached last night and I did not have a restful sleep. There is this wall that one hits in any kind of strenuous activity, whether it is a marathon or a long hike, and today I hit it. My body ached and was sluggish all day. We stopped for breakfast in Villafranca before hitting the road. It was cool but not wet this morning, not necessary to wear a coat as you warm up quite quickly.

There are three routes that leave Villafranca, two alternate routes that either go up and down two mountains or through rolling hills, and the original Camino which follows the highway. We chose the highway, not because we didn’t want the views or scenery, but because it was the more flat option, and I hurt today. The trail followed the highway, crossed the highway, was crossed by the highway and went under massive bridges that the main highway (much like an interstate highway) used.

We had not reserved beds ahead and had no idea where we would stay tonight. The plan was to walk 33 kms, so past this stage in the traditional book. But I really couldn’t muster the strength to go that far. In fact, I was unsure if I could climb the mountain at the end of the day.

We walked through small villages, stopped at a farmacia to pick up ibuprofen which I hope will help me be less aching. The 20ish km mark for the day was at Las Herrerias and when we got here, I was done. Luckily the albergue we stopped at had one private room left. It was a loft room, likely a honeymoon suite as there is no doors to the biffy or shower, but I needed a rest and this worked. The hosts here are again amazing and I am happy to spend the extra to refresh here before the mountain into Galicia tomorrow.

I connected with my ‘coach’ at home (Bernie) and let her know I hit the wall. She said, “well, you knew it was coming.” It’s true, I did know. I’ve pretty much walked everyday since being in Europe. And our rest days consist of walking shorter distances (14-15km distances) or through cities.

We are here, safe and sound, with good people hosting us and we plan to cross in to Galicia tomorrow. Thanks for the well wishes, prayers and encouragement from home!