24.3 km / 15.2 miles

I keep thinking the walks are longer than what the guidebook actually says. I also keep thinking that the Camino decides to take the steepest route possible to a destination. Today included what felt like summiting two mountains and then endless up and downs – some very steep. Why go the easy way when you can go the hardest way possible?

It was a beautiful morning leaving A Fonsagrada this morning. I could tell the weather would be nice and the day would end up being a bit warmer. I didn’t see any other pilgrims until I ran into the Brazilian father and son leaving their albergue a few kilometers up the path. Shortly after, a new Camino friend from Australia caught up with and passed me. He has a much longer day than I do so I figured I wouldn’t see him much again, but I did catch up to him on a couple of his breaks. Other than that, I didn’t see any pilgrims that I knew until reaching the town I’d be staying in.

Not a lot of cows or otherwise today, but I did say hello to a few and also hello to a couple baby horses. Today was beautiful with great views again. It’s our last day in the “mountains” for this Camino. While tomorrow will be a long day of 30 km, it should be more flat with rolling hills.

The nice thing about today was that there were actually bars and cafes open in few places. It felt more like a typical Camino day with being able to take breaks at local businesses. I think that should get better from here on out as we get closer to Santiago.

Tomorrow, after the longest walk yet, I’ll arrive in Lugo where I’ll stay for two nights. I’m definitely feeling ready for a rest day and am looking forward to discovering a new city.

Once I got a shower in and my laundry done, my new friend from Belgium and I headed to the local bar/restaurant for food. We ended up sitting with a mom and son from Montana. Always fun to meet new people from all over. Not much else to do in town today so I’ll check on my laundry and who knows what after that. Most businesses in this tiny town are closed today for Galician Literature Day – a public holiday to celebrate local Galician authors. Perhaps the US could adopt something like that?!