Yesterday was my longest mileage day so far, just over 14 miles. I’m trying to keep my daily mileage around 12 miles which means that some days are shorter and some days are longer. This felt like a very long day. Lots of hills, lots of sunshine.

Still, it was a good day. There were lots of little towns along the way to break up the walk. And I found that stopping every four or 5 km for a cold drink and a bit of shade really helped.

This part of the trip is still very much in the rolling hills of eastern Spain. Later this week, I will begin to approach what’s known as the Meseta, or the high plains of Spain, where the terrain is relatively flat. I hear that the rain here falls mainly on the plain 😜, but I’ve experienced virtually no rain on the Camino so far.

 This is also the part of the journey where Camino friends that you made the first week start to spread out a little bit as people‘s itineraries vary, and as their walking speed varies as well. In the evenings, it’s always a treat to be able to meet up with Camino friends for dinner or a drink if they’re around. But I am finding that I am enjoying the solitary walks. It gives me lots of time to think, to meditate, to reflect.

My rest day today was truly restful. I slept late until about 9 o’clock, and then I took care of getting my laundry done and finding an ATM and a pharmacy (I had the unfortunate experience of running out of ibuprofen yesterday!) I’ve stayed the last two nights in a place called the “Igloo Rooms”, which are delightful little individual geodesic domes. Comfy and surprisingly spacious, including a little bathroom. There’s even a pool here, and I spent time relaxing in the pool after I finished my errands today.

Here’s a little video of the inside of my igloo…