Llanes to Ribadesella, Spain

34km today. Lovely walk until the pain started setting in the last 5. Perfect cool weather, overcast, no rain, slight breezes. Part of the day with a view of the sea and the rest inland on rolling country roads. I made a comment to Holly at one point, “We must’ve done something right in life to be blessed to be walking here, in Spain, along the most beautiful coastlines and a beautiful shaded countryside.” I’d like to think so? Then we got to the end of the day, drained as hell, dehydrated, because, well, we weren’t getting scorched, and we weren’t feeling the need to drink our water. Mistake. One we won’t make again. I only drank about 24oz of water..bad Tammy. You know better. Also this is the first time I had to use the restroom on a break because I wasn’t sweating profusely. I think the weather may be changing. That jacket I’ve been packing around, leggings, running jacket, maybe they will start to get used instead of being wasted space/weight. I’m not the bad ass you may think though. We have been having Mikel and Miguel transporting our backpacks every day for about €10. Sorry but my little baby pack that holds my important stuff, rain poncho, water, couple bananas, etc is such a relief. If I were packing my pack every day, it may kill me. I’ve done it before, but lately this heat, these damn hills, and high mileage has made me justify this decision. Come on. €10/day to save my back and knees, minimal cost. I still need to function after this. And it is still very difficult. We hiked TWENTY MILES today. We have about 20ish days of walking left, we want to make it, so we are going to accept what the Camino provides. Another thing the Camino provides is super cheap wine (usually $2/glass), and private rooms ($30!) from time to time. Why not? It helps traveling with another person. We split the cost of a private room that makes it very comparable to the price of a bed in a dormitory. Hmm do we pay $25 for a bed in a big dormitory of sharing bathrooms and snoring or $35 for a private room the two of us share? Easy choice!
Our laundry just finished in the laundromat, time to go back to the room, regroup, and find dinner. All is well, our muscles are happy to be resting for a few hours now. We can get up and do this again tomorrow! Actually tomorrow feels like a cheat day after the last 12 days demands. We only have 11 miles!! Maybe we sleep longer, eat a proper breakfast, and enjoy this journey a little bit more tomorrow, because the next day is 32km..Read more