Gonzar to Melida

Hit the trail with Els at 7.15am today in the dark and light rain, and all uphill for the first 4km. Not the best of conditions, but it meant that the day could only get easier from there.

The headlamp purchased in Santo Domingo de la Calzada was definitely a good investment, as despite having the benefit of GPS mapping on my phone, my confidence of being on the right track is based mostly on the Camino waymarkers. This gets me through the first hour and a half of the day until sunlight guides the way.

I've said it before, but will comment again about the friendliness of the Spanish people. No matter where I walk, a smile and greeting of 'Hola!' will quickly return a smile and wish of 'Buen Camino', much like the way that Australians can pass a stranger on the street and feel free to say G'day. They graciously acknowledge Camino pilgrims, and have always made themselves available to provide guidance along the way.

It is a new experience having to start the day knowing that I'll be walking through rain, and I'm grateful that I'll only have to do it for a couple of days at most before reaching Santiago. The weather tomorrow is looking particularly unkind, so will mean either a 14km walk to Arzúa in the case that conditions prevent walking further, or 25km to Salceda (best case). In the event that I make it to Salceda tomorrow, this will only leave 28km to Santiago de Compostela. It would be difficult to get this close and not want to get there by Sunday October 20th.

It will feel bittersweet reaching Santiago, as even though I will feel the accomplishment of having walked 400km through Spain over 16 days, it means that this adventure will be over. Time will tell how this affects my life back in Australia.

Steps: 45,000
Distance: 30.3km
Distance walked from St-Jean: 347.4kmRead more