Adaptacion- Casa Fermín

Day 3 of hiking, and I feel like my body is adapting. My body is accepting, surrendering to the rigor I've placed on it. The Advil helped, too.

It rained all day, never stopped. My feet got wet for the first time. I didn't realize it, though, until I took my boots off at the end of the day.

I'm really layered up in the morning, but then I get so hot after walking, and I have to take everything off to remove a layer. Here's the layers 1) underclothes 2) long sleeve shirt and leggings 3) sweatshirt and water resistant pants 4) coat and another set of water resistant pants 5) Fanny pack and backpack 6) Poncho. These plastic bits are very hot and don't let moisture out.

To take off my coat and sweatshirt, I have to remove the Poncho and take off the backpack... in the rain. Remove the article, stick it in my backpack, and then put everything back on.

I was walking solo when I arrived at a little chapel. It was small and packed with about 15 people. About half were a group of men from (not sure, they didn't speak English). I saw Caroline and Kelly at the front, so I joined them. I said something about singing Ave Maria, and then one of the men walked up to me with an orange and said, "Ave Maria."

I walked up to the podium with my orange and began singing/ humming Ave Maria, but I couldn't remember all the words. They weren't really listening. They brought me a pocket knife to cut my orange. While standing at the front of the chapel at the podium, I peeled my orange and began singing The Alpine Shepherdess in Italian. I was breathless from the walk, and it was so cold that with each exhale, I could see my breath. My hands and the podium had orange juice all over them, and I had 15 pilgrims staring at me. It was a truly horrific rendition of the aria, but everyone was impressed and cheered as I finished.

There was a little bar around the corner, and we heard that the rest of our group was there, so we joined them for coffee, beer, and whiskey... the latter for me.

We came to an intersection, and there were camino arrows pointing in two different directions. The locals have always been so helpful and friendly.

We watched a whole octopus being cooked on the street at the restaurant. Video attached.Read more