The day started quite early because some people don’t know how to leave a hostel quietly, and of course, I didn’t pack earplugs again this year. Thanks to them, I was up at five. On the bright side, at least the bathroom wasn’t occupied yet, nor did it have any unpleasant smells—if you catch my drift.
It was still dark outside when I began walking. Considering yesterday’s challenge, I felt amazing—no pain, no sunstroke, and no blisters. The same couldn’t be said for Gro. The day before yesterday, I understood her to mean she had popped all her blisters and drained the fluid. But this morning, she told me she had only put on bandages. I gave her a look that said, "Are you out of your mind?" and told her to fix it immediately with a needle. If we had cotton thread, the blisters would dry out even faster since cotton absorbs moisture. Since we didn’t, I went to a pharmacy to get something that I hope will help.
She’s sticking with the “German style” again this year—hiking boots. If you ask me, they’re way too hot and unnecessary for this trail. Plus, since her boots were relatively new and not broken in, it turns out they were the wrong choice. That’s the biggest mistake you can make. Add a 7 kg backpack to the mix, and it’s a recipe for disaster, which I hope we can avoid—for both her and me. To top it off, she’s dealing with stomach issues. Because of all that, we only walked about 30 kilometres today to give her legs some rest. We picked a funky hostel, which, for me, feels quite modern. Our room for three people has its own bathroom, a kitchen, and a hangout area. Even the music playing from the speakers is enjoyable. Finally, no opera—which Spaniards seem to love so much. Since I enjoy cooking, I told Gro to rest while I “jumped” to the store for food for today’s lunch and tomorrow’s breakfast. Naturally, this meant covering a few more kilometres around town.
You help people as much as you can, but unfortunately, I can’t walk for her. That’s why Gro decided to transport her backpack to tomorrow’s destination. Many Camino walkers use this option, and it costs five euros a day.
In the meantime, Marco and Andrea texted me. This morning, they had tried to convince me to join them for a 40-kilometer stretch. Well, it wasn’t 40—it was 44! Good thing I listened to Gro. We’re still at the beginning of the Camino, and it’s not wise to push the kilometres too soon. Later, when I’m halfway through, we’ll see if my legs are up for it.
Tomorrow is a new day, and I hope it will be better for Gro than today was.
