Portilla de la Reina to Riano

Portilla de la Reina - 73

Barniedo - 60

Boca de Huergano - 140

Riaño - 490

It isn’t just the number of pilgrims that is lower on this Camino. The population of these small towns is on the lower side too.

Today, we didn’t leave until 9 AM so that we could have breakfast at the albergue where we stayed. We weren’t sure that we would find anything else open along the Way.

If we find an open cafe, we feel blessed. The first two were closed. The third was open and full of half the town.

We found a pharmacy in Boca de Huergano. We asked if they had Kinesiology Tape. We pre-tape potential hotspots on our feet each morning, and our roll is running low. When she tried to charge us €21 for a €6 roll of tape, we experienced highway robbery. We laughed and told her, "No, gracias." She laughed and put it back on her shelf.

Most of the distance today was along the N-621 highway. There wasn’t much of a shoulder. We found gratitude for the few kilometers that were on a dirt path. We also found peace that the majority of the day was alongside a river and a reservoir.

The last eight kilometers were under construction, and the road was limited to one-way traffic. It smelled like fresh asphalt. It wasn’t what we expected or wanted, but Bonnie pointed out that it was safer having the lane next to us shut down. One of the construction workers wished us a “Buen Camino” as we passed. It was the only one we heard today, and it made our hearts glad.

It is hot today, but our clothes are drying quicker.

We thought today could be sceneless. There are still beautiful mountains in front of us.

We found another pharmacy in Riaño. He charged us €6 for a roll of pink Kinesiology Tape.

We have 99.6 KM left to get to Leon. That is a lot of steps for finding gratitude.Read more