Sarria to Gonzar

With very little walking done over the past two days (none at all yesterday) it was good to be out in the open air again, and given the fresh surroundings it feels like a fresh start to my Camino.

Despite a terrible night of sleep, by the time I was packed and leaving the albergue, I couldn't wait to get moving. Fortunately for me, Els is some kind of exercise addict (dubbed 'The Machine'), and together we set a cracking pace in an attempt to put space between ourselves and the multitude of other pilgrims.

As a compostela can be issued on the basis of walking only the last 100km of the Camino (and a minimum of 2 stamps per day), Sarria is where we see a large number of new walkers and cyclists. This can make for a whole new group of people to speak with, so will be interesting to see.

After walking nearly 12km in a little over 2 hours this morning, it was time to stop for breakfast. I could almost sense my body digesting each bite of my breakfast tortilla as it hit my stomach, and it energised me to push on.

I've found that one of the most important factors on the Camino is to carefully manage your diet. It's no surprise that the long daily walks burn a lot of calories, and without the right fuel for the body, you will have no energy. Each meal decision is crucial, and skipping a meal leaves you feeling tired and lethargic.

Though the weather forecast indicated intermittent rain for the day, we were presented with relatively good walking conditions, with only minimal drizzle for the first half hour of the day. Even with the rain, I enjoyed the cooler weather. Having the right gear for the wet conditions made all the difference.

In comparison to the stages walked before Burgos, I noticed today that there are many more waymarkers in this area to guide pilgrims in the right direction towards Santiago de Compostela. Also, rather than just an obscure yellow arrow on a rock, the ground or side of a building, the Galicians like the markers to clearly indicate how far there is left to walk to Santiago. Though I can see the purpose of this, I feel that it defeats the purpose when passing three waymarkers that indicate exactly the same number of kilometers to go - and has me feeling that I'm not making much progress.

Today's picture gallery deliberately includes photos of the walking trail and weather conditions. It was a real treat in contrast to a few days ago.

Steps: 42,000
Distance: 30.0km
Total Distance walked from St-Jean: 317.1kmЧитать далее