That's a little sunrise and a lot of the giant streetlight attached just outside our balcony.

Breakfast. I love having gazpacho so readily available. My version of having a V-8.

"This" or "this with an interstate to the right".

Adorable food truck just as we came into our first town of the day.

Goat herding! (So pleased I was able to get my camera out in time. These were the last ones.)

Welcome to Castilla y Leon. It was a long walk.

Missy likes distance markers, which La Rioja never provided.

Hills still aren't fun. And we have lots of 'em tomorrow, apparently.

Fighting some bad blisters. The socks show how dusty our walk was today.

This project seems to have used different pilgrims to make Way markers through town.

Tonight's room. Last night's fan didn't oscillate, but we didn't even have one the night before.

The view. Balcony railing is now covered in wet laundry.

In part because we can't figure out how to work this thing. (Not like this, I assure you.)

Missy's pintxos on the smallest plate possible.

Beans and rice from the grocery store. Our folding forks/spoons continue to come in handy.

It’s like deja vu all over again

May 28 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

We planned to leave at 6 am, since it was a 14 mile day. At 5:30 one of us mumbled that we could sleep some more and the other rolled over saying what a good idea. So 7:15 it was! And by then the coffee shop was open, so that was worth a stop on the way out of town.

It felt hotter earlier today, but that’s because there really was no shade today. Each day has less.

Today we walked. Through fields. Looked at wheat. And dirt roads. And the interstate. Lots of interstate.

But the towns, tiny though some were, were every couple of miles, so even when there wasn’t a bar or cafe there was at least a bench to sit on, shaded by the buildings. There were also several water fountains for refills. We watched one pilgrim drinking from a fountain that had a “not drinkable” sign on it — hope she’s doing well.

I think the heat got to Missy. She was clearly delirious and remembering her cross-country college days — she ran most of the last 5K to town. She had a very long wait for me to arrive.

We showered, grabbed some food, then I went for my massage while she explored the town. I could probably benefit more from a chiropractor right now, but massages are much more enjoyable. Afterward we ventured out of the old town to find a grocery store for dinner and breakfast foods. The first one we found was clearly a local store. Apparently in local stores you don’t pick out your own produce — there is a person who does that for you. Ask Missy how she found this out.

Tomorrow is 16 miles. We plan to leave at 6 am (no, really), and there is supposed to be some forest along the way. We’re looking forward to something new. Only two more hikes before Missy leaves.Read more