It rained all day again on Day 10, but I made 35 km or so, which made me wonder if I could make it to Santiago the next day, a day ahead of schedule! Quite a hopeful surprise after my shaky start. :)
One thing I've noticed, on other hiking trips as well as this one, is how much easier the hike seems to get with each day that goes by. I guess you get stronger, you leave behind what you don't need, and your backpack starts to feel just like an extention of yourself. I had been doubtful that I could make 30 km a day, and at first I didn't, but towards the end of the hike I was going over that most days and it didn't feel difficult anymore.
Day 10 was actually Thanksgiving Day. Being an American who's lived in Europe for 8 years now, I've come to accept that I won't always be celebrating with friends and a feast. The most important thing is to be thankful, and that's something you can do anywhere, anytime. And it's not so hard when you're out in the beautiful countryside during harvest time!
At lunchtime I stopped in a town and found a bar and asked if they served food. They were like, yes, what do you want? and I was like, a burger?
This was my Thanksgiving meal. And it was great.
When it got dark I found an albergue/bar and took a hot shower, ordered some hot soup, and then climbed into my hot bed. (It really was hot in that hostel--I had a bar of chocolate in my bag that turned almost liquid. The next morning I had to lay it out on the porch to solidify before leaving.)
The view from my bunk.
There were a couple of other pilgrims on the other side of the room, who turned in earlier than I did and were still in bed when I left the next morning, but during the morning they overtook me--on their bikes!
I'd been reading short stories on my phone during quiet evenings, and that night I read Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville. It's a funny and sad story and you should read it if you never have, it's worth it. :)
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Well, that's all, folks! Thanks for joining me this far. Hope you'll walk with me the rest of the way. ;) All upvotes, comments, and reblogs appreciated!
The first photo and mushroom are so cool :D
Those colors are surprising, don't I've seen that type before.
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