I love sleeping in. No alarm clock and only the sun rising and shining in our room. That is the wake-up I prefer. Oh, and I can’t forget. A few birds chirping to welcome the new day. Coffee was brewing downstairs. All I had to do was brush my teeth, get dressed and pack my bag. It’s such an easy life walking from town to town. This is going to be hard to give up. Maybe I’ll consider walking home. Hmm, that would be more like a swim, so probably just stick to my plan and fly by way of Delta!

After our Continental Breakfast of fresh squeezed OJ, Plain Greek Yogurt, Croissant and Coffee, we were ready to hit the road. The morning was brisk but it looked like the sun would shine, eventually.

Today we started with a downhill! That was unexpected. George’s knee wasn’t warmed up yet, so he wasn’t too excited about this change of affairs. Luckily it only lasted for a bit and then we were back to our normal uphill trudge.

The trees were thick, covering the trail with overhanging branches and plenty of shade. The fields were grassy with sleepy cows and lots of cats on the hunt. I don’t think these cats have homes. If so, they wouldn’t look scrawny and be so skid-dish. But they are cats so it tends to be what and who they are.

After a bit, we stopped for proper coffee. Jay was sitting, sipping on his coffee, waiting for Mark. He waved us over and we caught up on all things Camino. They plan to meet their wives in Santiago tomorrow and want a group picture at the Cathedral. Mark, Jay, Sharon, Jeff, Caroline and Joanna and I all met at Orisson’s. It was my first day on the Camino. There are a few others that we have met along the way but it’s remarkable that there are at least ten of us that plan to finish on the very same day. Incredible!

After coffee, we all took off. Jay was trying to catch up with Mark, who unbeknownst to us, had managed to pass us. George and I sauntered along and found a super dark forest of trees to inspect. As we were taking pictures, Danny came along.

He is a Tour Guide and has been hanging near us since Leon. We hugged one another, congratulated each other on our very near accomplishment. This is what I’m going to miss the most. These special people we have bonded with.

As we continued, Roy and Ornit caught up with us. We walked the trail together for much of the morning. Ornit and Roy have been married for over 30 years with four children. They have their home just outside Tel Aviv and Ornit teaches at the University. She is such a kind soul, loves the outdoors, hiking, yoga, pilates and the Lord. George and Roy were carrying on about this and that. I’m thinking a trip to Israel is in the not so distant future!

We stopped for lunch and talked about the culinary experiences we’ve had or not, in Spain. Now granite, Roy and Ornit have been here for less than a week so I’m thinking, they haven’t had the opportunity to eat like George and I. But the one thing we all agree on is, Spanish food is lacking in spice. Please can we get a little bit of herbs and garlic to these dishes? Yes, I’ve had some darn good meals but it’s not as often as I’d like. And yes, I’m a bit of a foodie so this is important. I am looking forward to Santiago and taking Adrian, the CEO from 1930 Boutique Hotel up on a couple of his grand recommendations. We all plan to find at least one real good culinary experience in Santiago.

With only a few miles left, we parted ways. The rest of the day was long vistas, to the mountains and beyond. The views are starting to open up again, which is a delight to me. The clouds were a bit ominous but never quite materialized into more than just dark grey clouds. We climbed a few hundred feet making our total today, close to most days, about 1500’-2000’ of ups and downs. Nothing we haven’t encountered in the past few weeks.

As we entered town, and everyone was scrambling to find their beds for the night. Being I had already made reservations, it was a matter of getting to our home for the night. Actually this will be our final two nights. And how blessed we were.

Hotel Amiuka was built two years ago. Ultra modern and at the far end of town. It overlooks the distant mountains afar and fields of wildflowers. When we arrived, I wasn’t sure what we would find inside. But let me tell you, like the first place we stayed in Saint Jean Peid de Port, this equals it. It’s like stepping into paradise! What an amazing place to finish our final days on the Camino. And guess what? We met a couple from El Dorado Hills, Frank & Mari, neighbors from California. They literally live twenty minutes from our home. Yes, this truly is a small world!

Only one more day and this journey will be completed. Yes, for the time being, your morning or afternoon blog reading will commence. Unfortunately my real life is not as inspiring as my walking or daily hiking adventures. I hope that I can, someday, write about my everyday love, in a way, that I share my daily walks with you. That is something I really need prayer about.

Our amazing God in Heaven has bigger plans for our everyday life encounters. My constant reminder is why not have a daily life that is full of Him? I have met so many people along the way who, in fact, live a life of service and love. I so want that! With only one more day to go on this walk, I ponder, what does my life look like after I complete this? Is it back to what I did before or will it be different? I can only hope that this spurs on something bigger and better than what I left.