So last night we were planning out our walks for each day until completion and the owner of our Albergue came through. He was a typical Spaniard, helpful but with strong opinions. He quickly rejected our plan and told us where we should plan to stay each night for the next several days. I accepted his advice and made reservations for the next few days.

We did the 17 Km today in just over 5 hours with a couple breaks along the way. One for breakfast about 10 Km in and another to replenish water and stretch my IT bands which were suffering from the down hills. I will send some photos of the peaks we climbed over today. Hard work but necessary to get where we are going. My Colorado friends are great company and used to walking in hills. They have been very patient with me as I stop often to breathe. Frankly,I do not know how I have gotten this far but for their support and my excessive pride. The good news is that we have our longest days behind us which means more rest each day as well as less walking. I might just make it to Muxia.

We came out of the forest to find our Albergue. Sweet destination

Merci and Scott by a Panera made of stone

The path up the mountain through a eucalyptus forest

Climb this. Oh, and in the rain.

It is a street sign to a tiny Spanish town but we could not resist a bit of humor. Note how wet and soggy we are.

Merci and Scott negotiate one of the hundreds of climbs

Wet and tired but at our destination in San Marina

Leaving Negreira at 7

Gentle readers, I feel the need to apologize for yesterday’s post. I was beyond fatigued, Zoe, and discouraged. I took a 2 hour nap before a late lunch and went to bed about 5 PM and slept the night through. It made all the difference in the world. I had energy today which came in handy as we walked 22+ Km or 14.23 miles. I never could have done that without the extra rest. The walking was miserable as it rained nearly the entire time and at time very hard. Our first place to take a break was after an excruciatingly long hill at the 7 mile mark. It was aptly named Alto da Peña or height causes pain. dripping wet we had our first cup of coffee, a short rest, and then moved on. Rolling hills through fertile farm land and the scent of fresh cows we were often greeted by some of the largest guard dogs I have ever seen.

Finally after nearly 6 hours of walking we came upon our Albergue. I had lucked out in that we were the first to arrive giving us the choice of beds and the best showers I have ever had along the Camino. We did our laundry, dried our cloths in an actual dryer and went upstairs for lunch. I was first upstairs and decided to treat myself to a beer while Scott and Merci finished cleaning up. While standing at the bar waiting for the bar tender to serve others, I noticed that there was a 12 year old single malt labeled Cardu. There was little in the bottle so I decided to have a shot to warm my bones before our meal. ( My readers may remember another posting in 2015 when I walked in the rain from Burgos to Hontanas and did the same thing.). It was a good decision. The bar tender took down the bottle, looked at the amount in it and emptied it into my glass with a smile and a “buen Camino”. Tomorrow another 18 Km likely in the rain to Logoso.