16.7 Miles
It was hard leaving our lovely apartment in Carrion, but we finally started out by about 8. As soon as we closed the door, we realized we had left our poles inside! Julia, our hostess lives at the other end of the hallway, so we knocked a couple of times, then rang the bell. Her husband was not too surprised to see us (I get the feeling this wasn’t the first time) and we explained what happened. He let us back inside and we were soon on our way.
Aussie Friends
Walking toward the plaza to pick up the camino, we ran into our friends Graham and Penny from Brisbane, and we ended up walking the day together. So great to be with them…a super couple! In fact, we were enjoying the convo so much that we missed a turn sign. Luckily, a motorist beeped at us and told us we were going the wrong way! Just about 10 minutes of backtracking, and we were back on the Right track.
Champs!
Later that morning,Graham admitted he was going to be a bit distracted and looking at his phone. Turns out, their team, the Collingwood Magpies were playing for the Australian Rules Football championship. He was checking in from time to time and the Magpies were winning. When it got down to the last couple of minutes, we stopped on the trail and listened live. When they won, we all cheered and Graham took a pic. Woohoo!!
Hot Day on the Way
The walk today was not particularly difficult with regard to climbing, but it was a long day, very hot, with a 17.3 km stretch where there was literally nothing and nowhere to stop. We were advised to bring food and water, and to stop to rest periodically.
Walking it with Penny and Graham made the miles go by more quickly…I’m sure there’s a life lesson in there somewhere!
We arrived at our albergue, went through the usual ritual of showering, washing clothes, then relaxing until dinner.
But, significantly, we crossed the halfway point on our journey today. Buen Camino!