Day 23: Hontoría to Ribadesella

17 km. Another light walking day, mainly because I am looking ahead at potential stops, and this gets me back to an easier progression of stages in terms of finding rooms or beds each night. But also because I am feeling very, very relaxed, and want to be kind to my leg until it is better.

Today was cool and started off gloriously sunny. Since I knew it was a shorter day, I didn’t get started until after 10 am. Then I strolled along, soaking it in. I was feeling so relaxed and happy, I stopped at a cafe only 45 min into the walk to have another coffee and a chocolate croissant. I was hoping the 85% rain forecast was completely wrong; however, by afternoon, the clouds, wind, and light rain had begun, and by the last hour, the rain and wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped to 10C (50F).

When I arrived in Ribedasella, my pants were soaking wet and I was pretty cold. Did I go straight to the hotel? Nope. It was almost 3 pm and I couldn’t risk missing my menu del día window. I popped into a restaurant just near my hotel and had the most delicious meal. Then I stopped into the supermarket next door to get yoghurt and an orange for dinner. I had hoped to sightsee, but unless the sky starts showing some blue, I am in for the night. Being warm and dry is cool, too.

Highlight of the day: At one point, I had to walk along a path through a cow pasture and there was a bull standing right on the Camino. What is the protocol here?? I’m no farm girl. To give you perspective, one day I was telling Mark about the cows, and he asked me what kind of cows they were. Um…brown? Black and white? Anyway, I figured a bull is a bull and I shouldn’t take any chances. At the same time, I am on a Camino and needed to keep moving forward. So I gave him a wide berth and walked through the tall grasses of the field around the less-scary cows. When I got to the top of the hill, the farmer was standing there watching me. ‘Is the bull safe?’ I asked. ‘Yes’, he said. ‘He’s pretty calm. He only gets agitated around pequeñitos.’ Now, pequeñitos means ‘small ones’, presumably children. I replied, ‘But I am not very big.’ He laughed, but I not sure if it was because he thought I had made a clever comment or because it is true and he had actually been teasing me…

BIG NEWS: With 409 km left to walk, I am officially more than halfway to Santiago! Less great news: At the pace I have gone so far, there is no way I am going to reach my goal of completing the Camino in 35 days. I am hoping that these shorter days I am having now will pay off in terms of letting my knee calm down, then I can pick things up and achieve 38 total days.

For several days, I felt bothered by not going faster. However, I am learning to stop caring, listen to my body, and enjoy the route. Remember (I tell myself), no medals at the end, and no one is watching and looking for my desire to reach PBs (personal bests). It’s funny. I think of myself as a closet lazy human, who feels the need to achieve to overcompensate. I am going to take a step out of the closet now…

One PB that I think I may actually have achieved: I am becoming very efficient at having a ‘nature wee’ when needed. I figure I can get my backpack off, pee, get it back on, and be walking within 45 seconds. Maybe faster? (Men, I know, you are faster. I am not interested in being compared to the efficiency of your highly advantageous anatomy.)

One final note: The walls are quite thin in this budget room. Unfortunately, my neighbors were not inspired to keep ‘it’ quiet. Ah, the adventures. (Speaking of which, I wonder how my cheese is doing?)

Photos from the day:

Beautiful sunny morning

Plenty of time off the pavement today (although a bit muddy here)

Zoom in and look down from the church steeple. Do you see Mr. Toro in my path?

Took this closer photo as I passed. See the path? I’m not on it. I am in the taller grass dodging cows and poop.

Found a small church with an open door!

Cool fence

Some intersections (roads and paths) were not marked today, and some signs not clear. Seemed to happen more frequently once it started raining and my hands were cold and I didn’t want to stop to pull out my phone!

Taking the small lanes to my hotel in Ribadesella. (That blur is rain on my lens.)

Arrived. My hotel is near the marina. Apparently, there is a beach nearby, but I’ll have to get that photo tomorrow.