And we’re nearly there….

Today I’m going to confuse you all …and not start at the beginning but at the end 🙄🙄

Just look at those calories…all added to the bag …and I’m guessing Easy Jet will want to charge us to bring them all home because it will exceed our weight allowance 🙄🙄🤣🤣

I am sure there will be people who say “77.4 miles in 6 days” …that’s nothing ! Let me tell you , it is not only something, it can be very tough walking …going over difficult terrain.

Now, none of you noticed on the topography map that I posted, there was a red …!….and no wonder !

And tomorrow we have another red …!…

We think tomorrow, though long , should be reasonable … but you never know !

So how did we get here …

As always we set off from our hotel at about 07.40 after a hearty breakfast …and started to put one foot in front of the other ….

We stopped here in Villambistia for a water stop …too soon for coffee !!! However, after walking 5 miles,we allowed ourselves a coffee break in Espinosa del Camino!

That’s some distance left to travel not sure that would encourage me 🥴🥴🥴 …

I think you get a good idea of the sort of countryside we were walking through !

Then we see Villafranca Montes de Oca in the distance

Like everywhere we see in the distance , there are still some miles to reach it !!!!We were stopping here for a soft drink before we took on the uphill climbing , and 12.2 km of walking without any place of refreshment . Some of our fellow pilgrims already at the bar, started on the strong stuff at this point 🥴🥴🥴! No good for us though, we need every one of our faculties working 100%!!!!

What you have to understand Dear Reader, is that sometimes the anticipation of an event , is worse than the event itself but regardless we were well prepared ( 6 P’s and all!!!)

Off we set …direction upwards!….

Finally it seemed we had reached the summit …always debatable because somehow they sneak in another cheeky hill when you are hoping to goodness you are at the top!!!

So we stopped to take in our surroundings …beautiful pine forests with mountains in the background….and ….silence …..

This is heartbreaking and a tragic symbol of Spain’s unhealed memories of the Civil War. It is not just a memorial; it marks the shallow graves of those who were summarily executed.

We stopped not far from there for a rest and a “ picnic”

After this we tackled the red ! …as you’ve seen above , but just to remind you …

However once we reached the top on the other side we walked for several miles along wide open Sandy paths surrounded by pine forests .

You know I said earlier that the anticipation of the event can be worse than the event itself… all I can say now is that we hadn’t over-egged the anticipation! It’s been a tough day!

San Juan founded an Augustine Monastery here in 1150 and the chapel is dedicated to San Nicolas de Bari ( who allegedly saved San Juan from drowning on his way back from a pilgrimage.. 🤔🤔)

Clever stuff …present day human beings think they are superior to our predecessor this earth …I question that …

Anyway Dear Reader, I told you I was working back to front . So we should confess that despite feeling exhausted yesterday evening, we went out into the town and, yes you’ve guessed it… had our customary G&T!!

We were in good company … there were 8 octogenarians on the next table …all Spritely!

Now you will notice in the top photo we were wearing our sunglasses.. because you do when it is sunny ! However by chance we met up with the lady I told you about earlier , Joanne, and one of her fellow pilgrims and by the time we left them to go to our hotel, it was dark! Now we may or may not have had a glass of wine (well they were almost giving it away at 1€20 a glass) or two but when I went to clean my teeth ready for bed … yes, we were back in our room by then !!!…..

Back to the here and now ! We are prepared for tomorrow although after a slight incline, the rest as they say, is all downhill to Burgos!!! We have been surprised this time at the number of people catching buses or taxis for part of the journey and walking a short way to cut out the difficult sections , many of them with injuries sustained by tackling the first sections like bulls in China shops (never a good idea🥴🥴🥴) or blisters because they have totally inappropriate footwear ! Our friends from the USA who we met in Logroño on our first night, whilst now enjoying meeting different people and seeing different places, are very definitely not enjoying the “ walking” part! Clearly in the USA this pilgrimage ( because that is what it is) is just a walk. These two ladies had no idea what was involved …. this Camino could never be described as “ just a walk”

Yet Kathleen and I have embraced this section as we have always done …..as in life when things get hard, you don’t just hop on a bus to avoid them, you tackle them head on . We have never had to take our boots off to let our feet breathe mid walk ..and yes , I have two blisters but they are neither troublesome nor caused by inappropriate footwear ( don’t tell anyone but I have brought along my own personal podiatry expert 😉so all is good!!) and they certainly don’t affect my ability to walk . So tomorrow is our last day and we will absolutely make the most of it 😘😘😘

This quote says it all …

“When life gets hard, remember that challenges strengthen you and that tough times never last, but tough people do”

Just saying 😉😉😉