The night before last, George warded off drinking. After last night, I decided that Espresso needs to be consumed before 3pm. Having a Cortado at 5pm, which is equal parts espresso with milk, is too much caffeine. I tossed and turned until close to midnight. Lucky for me we only had a twelve mile day with about 1000’ elevation. Nothing too crazy and still arrived in town early.

When I woke up, I told George that I was dreaming and smelled Bacon and Eggs. Wishful thinking. We headed downstairs and found a lovely breakfast of fruit, juice, bread and jam. But as we were finishing, here comes the eggs with mushrooms. Oh my, this is the best! Once we finished our two course breakfast, I was ready to walk some miles.

It was easy walking out of town being we were right around the corner from the route. We had a few streets to cross, ran into some of our typical pilgrim friends and walked on.

Within an hour or so, we made it to Valdeviajis. George was good with his morning coffee so we stopped to talk with a few Pilgrims. Somehow George managed to bum a breakfast cookie from a SoCal couple. Really, and then I did the same. I hadn’t seen them before but there’s a few new faces, as people were jumping on at León. We had our cookies and carried on.

The temperature has been perfect these past couple of days, slight breeze and cooler temps. As we get closer to the mountains, we are feeling the mountain air. Perfect hiking weather. Well at least before noon.

George pointed to the hills we’ve been looking at for the past week. They are actually mountains with glacier fields. The small patches of snow tell the tale that they experience winter around here. Some of the Pilgrims of late have had some bad weather and two pilgrims died earlier this spring from weather-related issues. It is a somber reminder of the grim tale that even a walk along this route can sometimes lead to another path. Today, our weather is forecasted for nothing more than blue skies and sunshine. Let’s pray it stays that way!

Murias de Rechivaldo showed up pretty quickly. It was time for real coffee and early enough to process caffeine. The Barista from Germany knew exactly what I needed. Real coffee with lots of shots. Double Shot or Quad? Is it that obvious? Double Shot with small amount of milk please. And a banana and an orange too.

After talking with Clara from the Netherlands, I think we thoroughly convinced her that the Portugal Coastal Route is outstanding. Last year was our first go of this Camino thing. We dipped our toes and were hooked, line and sinker in love with the Camino Ways. Everyone has their reasons for what they recommend and she has been convinced that the Mountainous Route is the best. Follow the coastline! We fell for the coastal food, the coastal villages and the way of life. It’s breathtaking and never looked back. To each their own.

Once we left our cozy Cafe, the trail was enveloped with wildflowers, green fields and mountains. Honestly, outside of the Pyrenees, we’ve had no real foothills or mountains to impede our little walkabout. It’s good to see my old friends again. There were a couple of locals plopped along the trail selling their goods. A Senor selling walking sticks, a gal making macrame and another knitting dolls. They were very nice but I was not ready to buy any souvenirs, and lug them to Santiago. Not yet anyhow.

Today’s work had a slight uphill battle. It was nice to sweat a little, along with some huffing and puffing. I don’t think I’ve had my heart rate up past 70-80 for quite sometime, hence the reason I’m not losing any weight. But on the bright side, I’m definitely not gaining anything either and God knows, I’ve been eating and drinking my way through Spain!

As we entered Santa Catalina de Somaz, there was a cute Cowboy Bar & Grill. We decided to stop and I grabbed something to eat. Because honestly that seems to be all I do here. I ordered a salad with egg. Typically that means hard boiled eggs but in this case, my lunch came with two fried eggs! Oh my, that was so good. The yolks here are bright orange and runny, just the way I like them. With a slice of sourdough bread. That makes a perfect lunch!

Now all I have to do was pry myself up, and back to walking again. The final 10,000 steps were a bit uphill and George commented that our hill has started. Yes, it has. For some reason I had it in my mind that we were going up and over the mountain today. No such luck. Just to the base. How come I didn’t know that? Alrighty then, we will be in our new town before 2pm. This really is an easy day!

We walked into Rabanal just after 1pm. There was Caroline and Marie from Canada, the two men we keep running into and Steve and Taz from England. It’s like coming home to see your old friends. We found our accommodations at Casa de Indie which is one of the oldest Hostels we’ve stayed in. It is decorated with pillows from India, and looks like Grandma’s house. It’s quite eclectic, to say the least but for $63, one can’t expect the Ritz! The shower is clean, the beds are soft and the floor squeaks. Two out of three ain’t bad. It’ll be fine for one night.

After showering, George was craving a Burger and Fries. Mr. Indie recommended the Albergue down the street. There slogan is “Kitchen Open Non-Stop” No Siesta Time. Perfect for Pilgrims that are hungry all day, everyday. We headed over and George got his “Special Request” and I was happy with Soup, Salad and a Chicken Filet. What a nice lunch-dinner it was.

After our meal, we walked back to our humble abode in Rabanal. We decided to hit the local grocery store, which is a small 10×10 space with all the necessary provisions. Wine, Cheese, Chocolate, Oreo Cookies, Water and a Banana. Sounds like exactly what I need.Well Ice Cream could be added but I’m not gonna push it. So we are relaxing for the rest of the evening, plan to pack tonight and head out right after breakfast. Another extra specially good day on the Camino. Gosh I’m not gonna want this to end.

When we planned this time on the Camino, I hoped and prayed that it would be the right time. As I near the end, I’m realizing it was God’s timing. He knew what was coming and he was preparing our hearts, minds and bodies to be ready. It seems He is always in charge, and we are just here for His presence. It could not have been planned any better. Thank you Lord for paving the way, opening doors and giving us this perfect moment.