Earliest up and out. We actually packed last night and headed out the door at 6am. Two reasons, it was going to be HOT and we had a lot of miles to cover. Longest day and I can guarantee you, we won’t be doing that again!

The streets were pretty quiet as we left. The only people we saw were the Street Cleaners and the Peregrinos. George commented that he’s seen more street cleaners in the past ten years, here in Spain, than ever in Sacramento. They take cleaning their streets serious around here.

It was a long walk out of town. We passed a Museum, which at first I thought was the University. I do believe this is the first big city that we did not walk pass the higher education institution.

Once out of town, there was a Quick-Stop. This guy had somehow fashioned a Not-So-Scenic Roadside that almost every pilgrim stopped at. We had not consumed our money Joe, so George partook in the worse coffee of the trail, Freeze-Dried Sanka! No, thank you. I went all in with the fresh squeezed OJ. I’m not much of an OJ drinker at home, but the oranges here are a cross between lemon and orange. Not too sweet and tastes great! I also obtained my final stamp of my Pilgrim Passport and lucky for me, he had Pilgrim Passports for donation based fee! I obliged and now have number 2 Passport to fill in with stamps. George has a double sided passport, so he’s good for the entire trip. Smart man I married!

We carried on in search of real coffee, espresso and Cafe con Leche. Being the day was going to be long, I needed something to fuel this walk. There were a handful of Pilgrims on trail including Jeff and Sharon who I met in Orisson’s. Day One from Australia. One of the most beautiful parts of this trail is the relationships you make along the way. Jeff and I shared much of our favorite hiking trails. He has passed George and I umpteen times in his van, as he has been shuttling his family to and from. Sharon and Jeff walked the Camino years before and are sharing this with their friends and family now.

Thank goodness. As we arrived to La Virgin del Camino, there was real honest to goodness Cafe. We stopped and I finally got my Espresso for the day, and George had a real cup of coffee. Paul and Sharon were there and we shared coffee together. Perfect timing and George had a chance to meet them too.

Today it was a super flat road walk. We paralleled a very high speed roadway all day. It was not scenic and super loud. We had the option to take a scenic route but being we already committed to 20 miles, me or George honestly weren’t too excited about adding more scenic miles! So road noise was our best option.

After a good 10-12 miles, I was out of water and found a gas station. That’ll work in a pinch. I stopped, waltzed in and found water and potato chips. That’ll compliment my apricots. So Gas Station food it is. We ate and were back, walking down the trail, when I saw Mark.

Mark is one of the first people I met on the trail. He is traveling with his Brother-in-Law Jay. Super good people. We ran into Jay before Leon and I asked where Mark was? Jay said he took a taxi and went to Urgent Care as his ankle was sprain or ??? We saw Mark at Leon Cathedral, just spending time with God. He had been talking with the Lord trying to make sense of all this?!? He had wanted to walk the Camino with his wife years ago but she was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig Disease. He took care of her for years before she passed. Now he’s walking this in her memory. Such a solid Man of God. George has enjoyed his conversations with Mark. He was so encouraging when George was sick with the flu. We walked with him for a good mile or two. Mark pulled off to take a must needed break to rest his ankle, and we continued on.

After close to 15 miles, I was ready for something more than potato chips and apricots. We stopped at an Albergue in San Martin. I ordered my go-to Mista Salad with Tuna and George decided on Lasagna. It came out, all looked well till he tried a bite. This is not Lasagna from the Old Country. It’s so easy to make this. How can they mess up something so good? I’m thinking there are a few things that are Spanish, and I have to say, lasagna is not one of them. Maybe stick with a Burger and Fries!

We had only another 5-6 miles to go and dinner is coming. We headed out and walked our hearts out. It is hot in Spain and this is only the end of May. I would never never ever walk this trail in summer. Blonde hair and blue eyes doesn’t fair well in intense heat, umbrella or not. I was lagging behind, and if a taxi came by or a Spaniard asked if I needed a ride, I think I would’ve jumped onboard! But no such luck and we continued onward.

Before I knew it, we were approaching our final stop for the day. We passed a field with very happy cows grazing, a huge silo and then a church steeple. As we crossed the old medieval bridge, I knew we arrived. We looked down upon a grassy field, and I told George, I think they are preparing for a Jousting Contest!

Ends up that there is the legend of Don Suero and his duel which attracts lovers of the Middle Ages to this bridge. It is a 13th-century bridge which served and still serves as part of the Pilgrim’s Road to Santiago de Compostela. The legend says that on this bridge, a knight from Leon, confronted some foreigners who wanted to cross it. In a duel so that he could undo a pledge of slavery to his beloved Lady Leonor, he would fast every Thursday and wear a heavy iron ring around his neck. He must have broken 300 lances and for this reason, the bridge is known as Passo Honroso (Honourable Crossing).

I knew there was something special about this bridge! Love is always the answer. As we walked across, I noticed a beautiful buildings at the end of it. Sure enough that is our Hostel for the night. We arrived red-faced and tired, checked in and headed up to our room. George was ready for a drink so we changed and headed back down to the bar. We ordered drinks and sat on the deck.

Being that this weekend is the big festival, the girls arrived in their Renaissance costumes and started rehearsing. Oh, this was so unexpected! We listened to the flute and harp playing while watching the gals dance below. Talking with the owner of the Hostel, he said this weekend they will have close to 20,000 people. Oh my goodness. A town of a population of 987 are going to host 20 times their population! Good thing we are moving on! But what a party it will be.

Such a hard day, yet never heard a peep out of my hiking partner. Is he getting stronger? Yes. Is he embracing pain, suffering and agony, heck yeah! Is it hard and he’s just not admitting to it? By all means, yet I believe that the Lord is doing immeasurable repair. When we least expect change, He is changing. When we surrender to His goodness, that is when we are transformed. George is going through a transformation that only the Lord can do. And I am reaping the benefits! What an incredible gift that is.