Today was Brutal

All I can think of to say is STRUTH!!

Is it just me, or do people do stupid things and not tell anyone….last night I organized to have my pack sent forward knowing I had a BIG day ahead today. I was so tired that I told them to send it to the wrong place! What an idiot…I just can’t work out what day it is! Of course no one around me spoke English (I needed the handsome taxi driver!), however, it all got sorted this morning with a quick email. Phew

So, off I went after checking the weather app- 19 degrees and possible rain in the afternoon, so I just wore my usual T shirt, and packed Bruce the brolly and a light rain jacket 😳.

The town I was in requires a person to be a mountain goat. The women dress so nicely but I’m sure they have hooves in those shoes! I didn’t want to go back down to the river (hill of epic proportions), so I asked someone how to get to the Camino path from where I stayed.

Note: if a Spanish person tell you to go left, do the opposite! This is probably the third time it has happened to me. A nice young man driving past saw me heading in the wrong direction and offered a lift, so, in I bundled with the wife, two kids, a dog and…. a rabbit, and he took me to the starting point. I love Spanish people!!!! So kind!

Wandering along the country lanes, I slipped into a comfortable stride and looked around, behind and in front to appreciate the views. There was quite a steep climb and I was working up a sweat again in the humidity. The walk was lovely again and shaded by the gum trees, their beautiful scent from the rain last night filling my lungs. Soon it clouded over and light misty rain fell. I stopped for a cafe con leche, and chatted with a Canadian woman. We walked together for a bit and then separated as we both enjoy walking alone… a nice little interlude.

I then found myself in a cloud of stench that was so thick you could almost taste it! It was rubbish collection day and the truck was just in front of me! It was going at walking pace and as I wanted to crack on, I had to endure the fumes of rotting garbage until it finally turned away from the Camino path. I felt positively sick and it destroyed my pleasant thoughts.

Anyway, there was a lot of road walking today and as I climbed the mountains , it became extremely foggy, reminiscent of the Pyrenees. It was raining lightly, I was damp and cold and a little miserable, so I put my head down and marched like a Trojan till I got to Bruma. There was nowhere to stay there so I added another 6 kms and I’m now installed in an expensive but fantastic private albergue with the luxury of the most modern bathroom I’ve seen in ages. It is raining outside, I have a rooster crowing down below my window and a very angry cow nearby who is mooing non stop. What a wonderful atmosphere. I’m loving this Camino so much.

Oh I forgot to say….the altitude must have gone to someone’s head…Who in their right mind would have dinosaur in their yard, and a structure like this? I’ll just leave it here for you to ponder.