Camino Pilgrim

Today was 25km of pure bliss. Soft trails run through deep forests. The rain from before had covered everything around me and yet, the big shining sun gave a good balance to the day.

I started off in full rain preparation. After the first kilometer, I felt a bit like a fool. The weather report said one thing, but the skies seemed to be getting perfectly clear. I was still walking in waterproof socks for another 20km because the grass was making my shoes constantly wet.

The day was as flat as can be on the Norte. Still, the total elevation for today was far beyond any hill in the Baltics.

The villages on the trail were many, but small. There are very few places to sit and relax. Not that many bar options either, which is weird because, in general, the trail went on both sides of a local highway.

I thought that a flat day like this could last forever and I would have no issues anymore. The assumption was that my legs were used to whatever the trail had to offer. The last 8km of walking only on asphalt did prove me wrong.

The day was probably easier than it felt. I was just rushing to finish because the weather report promised a thunderstorm. It had been hours past when it was supposed to start and still only sunshine.

Because I was rushing all day, I went first to the municipal albergue. In Galicia you can’t reserve beds in local government-run pilgrim houses.

They gave me a warning here that bedbugs were recently discovered. The town was already booked for other accommodation options and the next available places were either too far or too expensive. It’s my first time ever that I chose to stay in a place that I knew might not be safe. I did find a room here with just a single bunkbed. I checked both the bottom and top bunk to be sure I was relatively safe.

There is a grocery store in the next building that should open in an hour. Then I can theoretically prepare for a huge walking day tomorrow. Right now, based on how my legs feel, I am not so sure if I want to do more rushing. It feels more likely that I will take it slow tomorrow.