I know you guys have been waiting on an update. and I’m sorry this has taken so long to get out. The internet has been sketchy at times. Or, honesty, I’m too flipping tired to do anything by lay down on the bed and rest.
We started out earlier than normal because we had such a long way to go today. Trying to find the Camino signs in the dark can be challenging. My headlamp was, of course, in my suitcase waiting to be transferred to the next stop. I was trying to reduce the weight in my backpack to only include the items I would need for that day. And even then, the weight of my pack is over the recommended 12 pounds.
We’ve been having a difficult time finding open restaurants, so I’ve got various things in my pack that weigh a fair amount: red bell pepper, hard boiled eggs, cucumber, couple of apples, and nuts. Vegetables have been and issue, so have trail bars.
We are walking thru a lot of fields on gravelly country roads. While it is better than the giant stones we were dealing with before, it’s still hard on the feet. And we walked thru some bigger towns. Breakfast was our first priority, as we had walked 6 miles on an empty stomach. We again are met with quiet disapproval. That is until we order a number of things we see on the menu and not just a cup of coffee. My Spanish has been getting better, but the accent here is difficult to understand at times. And then you have the odd jerk that pretends to not understand what you are saying because they way you say it is not how they would say it. Or the difference is so subtle that we look at each other and say, “didn’t I just say that?” Grr
After leaving we had a hairy hill climb up a trail that looked like a creek bed. It has rained the night before so the climb was difficult because of the boulders, and some mud. But, once we reached the top…..it was an amazing view that fill us with, “Holy Crap, we still have to walk across all of THAT.”
It’s September 21st. And we are finally seeing the grapes being harvested. Did they wait for fall to officially start before the harvest? Or was it the leaves changing on the vines? Who knows, but they are finally being harvested.
We finally arrived in Cirueña and were delighted to see a bar right next to the hotel. We had walked by the golf course, and should have stopped to eat there. Because after we showered, rested, and went down to grab a bite, the bar was closed. We didn’t want to walk to the golf club, because it was almost a mile away, and we had already walked so far that day. The hotel proprietress said that the bar opened back up at 7. So we waited, starving to death.
The bar did open, and only after ordering our drinks did we discover they didn’t serve food. Or said they didn’t serve food. We had to have the guy call us a cab to take us 5 miles away to the next biggest town to eat. Even then, the taxi driver went by 4 restaurants that he thought would be open until he finally found one.
I ate more that I should have, but dang, after 15 miles, I was hungry. We called the cab and he took us back to the hotel after dinner and we promptly went to bed.
