First things first, why are there two town names above? I'm in the Basque Country and the second is the Basque name for where I am. Spain has a lot of geographical, cultural and linguistic variety - come and see!
I wanted to sleep in until 7:15 or so today, but in the big albergues it can be difficult. Lots of people in one big room means a lot of noise... phones, snores and really early risers. When the lights switched on at 6, I figured that I might as well get up.
(Before dawn selfie; only 790 k to go...)I was out of town before 7, opting to walk a little before breakfast. It was still dark on the trail, but I met a sweet Swedish girl with a headlamp so we chatted until the next town (and breakfast stop). My body didn't feel so sore, but I just felt tired despite the food and caffeine.
It was a drizzly morning, which is not bad for walking, but my clothes hadn't dried from the day before so I started looking at lodging options at my second coffee shop. I opted for an easy day and to avoid the stop that most were headed towards, in an attempt to escape the crowd. I think everyone has read that September has better weather and is less-crowded... so far it seems busy to me. However, it will probably even out as we strike our own paces a bit more.
I found a lovely old house, which has been reformed into Camino lodging via my Buen Camino app. It's a new option on the Camino and the owner is very kind; the bonus is she has an adorable puppy, Nala.
With my clothes on the line, a picnic lunch at the table inside my tummy and good wifi, I updated my blog and rested.
The hostel is THE option for food and drink so I enjoyed a lovely meal of home-cooked, locally grown, fresh food for dinner.
Kilometers walked: 19.13, definitely not a record for the Camino, but a good easy day. Not all of this was "on the Camino" as I explored around the village, stretching my legs after settling in.
