(Distance: 23 kms Time: 7.5 hours)
The Day: We are starting out a little later so that we do not have to walk very long in the dark with our flashlights. Sometimes the yellow arrow markers are difficult to see without any natural light. Think about it ... it seems silly enough that for 500 miles we are following these little yellow arrows all the way across Spain, let alone to try and do it in the dark. Today we climbed another small mountain and the fog had a hard time lifting but as it lifted it provided some really beautiful views with a mix of mountains and fog in the valleys. We decided to not stop today in Sarria and to go on to the next town. Sarria is the last place that someone can start the Camino and qualify for the Compostela certificate and we wanted to be ahead of the crowd starting tomorrow in Sarria. The distance to Santiago is now less than 70 miles and we are anticipating reaching it on Friday (I know that would be Friday the 13th but we will let St James take care of that :) Now for my IBM friends that are project managers, that would mean we would reach our target one week AHEAD of plan. We have not had many blisters or injuries and that has been a blessing as everyday we see many people struggling with various ailments. Tonight we are in a very nice albergue that to be honest almost feels like a resort. When you look at the pictures below you will see what I mean. Yes ... God is good.
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| leaving in the dark |
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| the view as the fog lifts |
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| the view from our albergue's garden |
The People: Today we spent part of the day once again with Christian and seem to be crossing paths with a young girl from Japan named Mari ... they are at the albergue with us tonight. Around lunch time when we passed through Sarria, Betsy and I decided to stop at a cafe for something to drink. As we approached some empty outdoor tables a woman called to us and asked if we would join them for a drink. The man she was with lives in Sarria, she is from Italy and they hope to open an albergue that caters to people with disabilities. They bought us a drink and wanted to know everything about our Camino journey.
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| Betsy & me as we rest after a hard day's walk :) |
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| our view from the lounge chairs |
