Camino French Style

Day five was a tough one - 30 km/ 18 miles (more than planned). Starting out with a few blisters that were well attended to the night before, I also had some tightened tendons in my leg. The trail had some rolling hills but nothing too steep. The enemy today was the heat and humidity - 90+ F. The last 5 miles we were walking on blacktop which felt like a tarmac, a.k.a. walking on the sun. I was never so happy than to arrive and see an air conditioned van waiting to take us to our hostal for the night. Corinne and Philip are our host here and they were amazing. There's even a little plunge pool which cooled me right down. I have to say I admire my fellow walkers. They seem to trudge through, even the tough times without a word of complaint -- in particular my husband. I think I married a Superman @DominicDewitte. He's super patient with me, and always looking for solutions to make it to the next location. In addition, his language skills in French, Dutch, German and Spanish are unbelievable. I will take a rest day tomorrow and cheer on the four that continue. It's time to reassess how I plan to do my real Camino in Spain -- what I will really pack, how many miles a day are realistic for me, and how to make the most of the time.Read more