Today we are staying in Gronon which is at the edge of the Rioja Region. Tomorrow we travel into the Castilla y Leon where we’ll be for the next 400 kilometers (I wish that didn’t sound so daunting!).
Each day we wake up to the noise of other Pilgrims making noise as they prepare to leave the hostel or pension. We spend a bit of time taping or bandaging our feet (sadly, blisters are unavoidable) and then prepare our bags to leave.
We tend to get out the door around seven, but have needed our headlamps on several occasions when it’s earlier. Our first order of business is coffee! Fortunately, there is almost always a bar/cafe open in the village or city. We’ve become addicted to the Spanish cafe con leche, fresh croissants, and fresh squeezed orange juice.
With that deliciosness in our tums we’re ready to walk. Some days villages are close together. Other days they may be 1-2 hours apart. With my bum foot we’re only averaging 4.7 kilometers per hour (about 3 miles). We walk about 12-15 miles every day. Because we usually stop for a second cup of coffee and sometimes for lunch we are walking about 6 hours each day.
We usually arrive in our village or city between 1:00 and 2:00 . Then things get busy! We shower, hand wash clothes (unless we get lucky and the place has a washer) and hang our clothes on a line. Next, it’s time for beer or wine! A nap often follows.
Procuring dinner is the next priority. Sometimes, like tonight, it can be purchased at the place we’re staying (tonight’s meal costs 8 euros and it’ll be wine, chorizo stew, fresh bread, and a big salad). It may be a communal meal like tonight or it may be necessary to find a bar or restaurant somewhere in the town. The subject of food and drink can and will be a blog all by it self!
After dinner we try to do correspondence or journaling. We make a plan about how far we’ll be walking and make reservations. We pack our clean clothes back into our packs and get as ready as we can for the next day’s walk. We try to do a bit of reading, but, often that’s only a brief time as we’re sound asleep and trying to revive our bodies for the new day.
2 comments:
That breakfast looks delightful...I hope you are getting to use your Spanish!
Chuck...are you reading the new Louise Penny book?
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