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Day 31: Luarca to Navia

Updated: May 6, 2024

21 km. Fairly easy walking. A bit more climbing than yesterday, but not too bad and my legs felt much stronger. (I think yesterday I was just still recovering from Day 29.) The weather was a major challenge for much of the day.


Woke at a decent hour to the sound of pouring rain. Uh oh. I looked at the weather app and saw this:

Not too encouraging. I laid in bed for a while waiting for it to abate, but it did not. Got up and had coffee from the hotel machine and a chocolate croissant I bought last night. The rain stayed strong. Decided I would give it until 10 am. In the meantime, I got my bag packed so I’d be ready.


The Camino provides. At least this is what I kept saying to myself, optimistically waiting for the rain to stop. But it did not. And I set out in the rain. I walked for 3 km to the next town, was soaking wet and stopped at a miraculously open cafe I found. Had two coffees and two muffins. The rain eased up slightly after about 45 minutes, and I set out again. Then the rain picked back up.


Let’s just say my day was very wet until I finally stopped for menu del día at 2:30 pm. My pants were soaked and water was easing into my clothes, my backpack, etc. I kept walking because, well, that’s the only way to get through to the end. Which thankfully, was only 20 km today.


The Camino did not provide relief from the rain for much of the day. But what it did provide was a long stretch of trudgery, after which my bar for contentment became so low that the highlight and utter joy of my day was when the air became DRY. Oh dryness, we so underrate you! Look how beautiful the fields look when the rain stops! I think I can actually see the ocean that is supposed to be there! Feel how nice it is to not have a hood dripping water onto my face! Look, I can just turn my head and look all around without hindrance! This air is so blissfully dry, I could walk forever! I suddenly was infused with a deep sense of wellbeing. It takes rain to see a rainbow, right?


As I said, the miracle of the ‘stopping of the rain’ occurred while I was having my menú del día. I had walked 14 km in the rain when I found my lunch stop. I was soaked and was so grateful to dry out a bit and refuel for one last push to Navia. When the woman informed me that one of the choices for the main dish was a cheese omelet, I was over the moon (eggs!). I sat and ate happily, feeling ready to conquer the day again, when…what’s that silence? What’s that lightness? This was the start of my last stretch of utter joy. I know it must sound exaggerated, but I really did become so deeply happy through the rest of the walk.


Got to my hotel, took a hot shower, put on the only clean clothes I had (my elf outfit - see Day 18), and set out to poke around town, find some food, and…do my laundry. Yep, that’s right. Tomorrow it is not supposed to rain and I am going to be decked out in clean clothes. Life is good.


Photos of the day:

Start of my day
I swore I would keep moving and not stop for photos. But then I saw these ruins from a 10th century church.
Had to explore.
Angel #1 today. Bars/cafes can be angels, right? My lunch cafe was angel #2, but I didn’t take a photo.
Shelter
Caballo doesn’t seem to mind the rain. Too lovely to pass up.
Walked off and on roads today between rural towns. Peaceful and lovely (despite being hard to see it all).
Somebody set up an elaborate water fountain for pilgrims.
Spotted blue sky!
But I’m going in this direction, and it’s raining on my head.
Walking through a stream of water.
Stopped raining!
Can actually see the sea now.
Subtle Camino path here.
Arrived in Navia!
Across from my hotel. Not actually a casino but an event hall. I stopped in and there was a book fair.
Bookmarks kids made.

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1 comentario


Allan Turton
Allan Turton
06 may 2024

Ha! Set the bar with low expectations and be pleasantly surprised... hooray for dryness on a rainy day!

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