Restless Night and Early Start
Sleep is still a struggle. I was up again between 3 and 5 AM. Still, I was on the trail by 7:40. The morning was relatively warm but overcast. I even had to pull the rain cover over my backpack and put on my waterproof jacket.
Breakfast and Shifting Weather
At 9:30, I stopped for breakfast – coffee and something like a giant croissant for €3. I also snagged my first stamp of the day. By the time I finished and set off, the rain had stopped.
An Unexpected Meeting with Mindough
Things weren’t quite clicking today. It remained overcast, and you never knew what to expect. As I was taking off my rain jacket in Arcade to let it dry on my pack, I unexpectedly ran into Mindough from Lithuania.
A Trail Full of Pilgrims and Alternative Routes
The trail today went up and down and was packed with pilgrims. We caught another shower, but nothing too bad. The jacket was enough; I didn’t even need to pull on my waterproof pants. Mindough got lost somewhere while he was packing away his jacket.
Today, I felt like I was picking some good alternative routes – nature and few people. Perfect! All the way to Pontevedra, it was a beautiful alternative path winding along a small river.
Fatigue and Meeting Anna
I was already pretty tired, hungry, my legs were aching, and I couldn’t tell if my calves were toned or just swollen.
Somewhere around the 25-kilometer mark, I met Anna from Germany. It was great that she wanted to chat. I understood little, but it was nice nonetheless. She was a lovely German teacher for immigrants. We walked together for about 10 km before we parted ways, and I continued on.
Accommodation and Dinner
After 40 km, I found a place to stay.
And had a great dinner.
Even though I was expecting actual potatoes and not more fries under “potatoes,” it was really good, and the wine was great too.
