The weather is getting hotter and I found yesterday’s walk in the afternoon heat draining, so decided to set off early today and get most of my walk done in the morning. D2 really does like a sleep in, so after breakfast from the breakfast tray given to us the previous night ( the coffee in the thermos was surprisingly warm) I was on the road before the sun came up.

I really do enjoy walking this time of morning, whereas D2 walks on autopilot until about 8:00am.

The town of Villafranca del Bierzo is much bigger than I realised and it was light when I got to the corner where the Camino splits…..do I want to take the road up and down a mountain, or the route along the valley floor? Let me think about that for a nano second! And the valley floor it is!

The track followed a road through the mountains, it was easy walking and cool, and the trees soothing, and I made good time. I left a piece of rubble from our house which is currently being demolished, and a leaf from our fig tree, on a wall overlooking a house and huge vegetable garden. I would love to have looked at that vegetable garden closer.

D2 caught up with me at a bar mid-morning and made friends with a cat who had been doing the rounds of all the pilgrims who stopped for refreshment.

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The breakfast at La Puerta del Perdón, though cute, was not hearty, so we stopped about lunchtime and lunched on a delicious plate of spaghetti, thank goodness!
There was only about 10kms to go after lunch and I was hopeful that it would be a reasonably easy walk. Oh how the Camino tricks us! The walk after lunch was once again up a long hill, in the heat with no shade.

With about 3 kms to go the track headed off into the bush, it looked like it would be cool and reasonably easy. I followed a guy carrying a very mean looking scythe for a while until he and his dog loped off into the distance.

Gradually the track changed until we were trekking a stony track, a steep track that went relentlessly and never-endingly up and up. Just when you thought you had reached a peak it turned a corner, and continued on, up and up and up! The Camino is often full of chatter and laughter, but it was silent, apart from the clatter of sticks on the stones, laboured breathe, and the occasional groan as another hill came into view. It was definitely slow steps, small steps for me and sometimes other pilgrims smiled encouragingly as they past, but it was really a solitary struggle for everyone.

Of course I got to our albergue eventually, the mountain setting was beautiful, and there was tea and coffee makings available for a donation. Run by German volunteers, it had a washing machine, drier and great showers which I could work out how to operate, and had room to put your clothes and wash bag without washing them as well.

The dormitory was full of sleeping bodies when I arrived. D2 joined them while I wandered into town and brought makings for an alfresco tea.

Day 2, post rest, and feet are still
going well. The rest was worth it!