Today, we walked 24 km from Cacabelos to Vega de Valcarce. It was another challenging day for me, as the steep and painful downhill climb from a couple of days ago caught up with me. From that super-steep and lengthy descent, I developed some sort of strain in my right shin muscle.. It made itself really known today, and was fairly painful at times, but manageable with regular stretching and ibuprofen. I also had a really poor sleep last night thanks to some VERY loud snorers on one side of us, and some very loud early-morning risers on the other side.. So, sore and tired, but these are two of the usual challenges along the way which many pilgrims deal with..
On the positive side, this morning, I met a man from France with a really interesting story.. He´s been walking the Camino from his home - one week per year - for 9 years.. We talked for a while, and had a good conversation. At the end, he congratulated me on my excellent French. That felt good! Speaking French is certainly allowing me the opportunity to talk with more people, as there are many French-speaking pilgrims on the way..
Also, despite the physical discomfort, I actually really enjoyed the walk today. The path split at one point, with the choice of a hard climb (but more scenic) through the mountains, or an easier route following the highway. One of our guide books actually said the mountain route was ¨not suitable for inexperienced climbers.¨Suffice it to say that we chose the highway route, and actually quite enjoyed it. There wasn´t a lot of traffic, and the scenery was quite nice. We wound in and out of a few small communities before we arrived in Vega de Valcarce. We found a lovely, small and quiet private albergue to stay in there, and enjoyed our stay.
So, some challenges, but definitely lots of blessings and bright moments today.
Hope you all are keeping well,
susan
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