Granja de Moreruela - Tabara 25 km

Luis and Delphine were lovely guys but they snored all night, so I was awake at 0500, and I just got up and got ready and set off at 0520. I made really good time for the first couple of hours and enjoyed the walk. I stopped at the bridge over the Esla River to take some photographs, and then had to decide on which route to take, I could stay on the road or follow the camino path alongside the river. I decided on the camino path, it was a lot slower and a lot more uneven and dangerous but it was fun. I messaged Mirjam to give her a heads up about the path and then carried on. I stopped in Faramontanos for coffee and tostada and messaged Mirjam to let her know the café was open. Luis, Delphine and I passed each other a couple of times as we took different stops for refreshments, but for the most part we walked together, and in fact we arrived in Tabara together. I was so grateful for their company, they were supportive and encouraging and really helped me to do the walk.

The guys were going on to the municipal which was on the far side of town and required walking back the way we had come to rejoin the camino so I decided to get a single room in the private albergue 2 mins from the camino. It was only 19€ which I felt was worth it to have your own space and your own toilet/shower for one night. I messaged Mirjam to say I had arrived and let her know about the albergues and we agreed to meet for a drink once she arrived. When we met up she wanted to go visit the historic church which also housed a museum on the history of the church. In the Middle ages it had been a centre of education and learning and they had many books and parchments from the period on display.

As we went for our drinks she was greeted by two American ladies Meg and her cousin Kathleen, and we stood and chatted with them for a while. My experience with Americans on the camino had not been great but they were friends of Mirjam's and Anita's (Anita had mentioned them a few times) so that was good enough for me. They invited us to come to the albergue later and they would fix us dinner. I went along as instructed and had an absolutely fabulous time, Meg and Kathleen were instantly likeable, and great fun, Mirjam, Anne, Julia, and Guillermo were all there and the food and conversation were great, it was a fab evening and I think it was that night that really cemented what had been the beginning of a significant friendship for me, for that was the night that I think we really became a group. It was either Meg or Kathleen who said they were looking for a token man to be in their group and I was that token man. I could not have been happier to be typecast so. From that moment on we would journey together. (Guillermo was cycling the camino whilst working and so dropped in and out of the group at various points depending on those factors)Read more