29 years, 29 days, (almost) 29 km

Chris and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary and our 29th day on the Camino by walking what felt like 29 kilometers, even if it was only 26.7.

If you’ve been paying attention, you might note that I’ve said that 25 km is my limit, and I won’t walk more than that. Grace, you might be asking, how did you end up walking so many kilometers on your anniversary? Let me explain:

First of all, we’ll get to the peak of Mt. Irago, the highest point of the Camino and the home of the iconic Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross), tomorrow. A while back, we realized that we could make the Cruz to Ferro at sunrise but it would mean a longer hike today.

Secondly, we found out about a detour that would take us through a super charming village that was built by the Maragato people starting in the middle ages. Kris and I are both suckers for a charming village and we both prefer walking through rolling Hills dotted with abandoned sheep pastures instead of right next to the highway.

Except for the last 5 kilometers or so, today was another pleasant walk. We passed through 3 or 4 charming villages (including Santa Catalina de Somoza, the only town on the whole Camino to be named for a woman saint) and stopped for a coffee or a beer and a chat at each of them. Even at the end, when I was pretty tired and my shin splints were acting up, all I could really feel was gratitude that I got to spend today having a grand adventure with my favorite person.Read more