K I S

Today was a close to perfect camino day.

The first 9 kms to the nice town of Mombuey went smoothly. We were walking parallel to the highway but far enough away that we couldn't hear traffic noise.

At the entrance to the town is a truck stop where surprisingly we were able to get a sinful pastry and a fresh squeezed orange juice to supplement our hasty breakfast of muesli at the albergue.

Danielle drying her socks while walking.

                       Still in Mombuey

A church with an interesting steeple.

Mombuey, near the church. A very picturesque town.

K I S

The Secret

To Happiness

To Life

I have attempted to be open to the lessons of the Camino. Today it occurred to me that IT is really so very simple.

Get out of bed

With gratitude, eagerness, enthusiasm and kindness.

Put one foot in front of the other 

Hopefully in a forward direction.

Turn around occasionally to admire the view behind you.

Keep moving forward, gathering friends, saying goodbye to friends, connecting with folks that are not normally a part of your world. 

Such as

The 37 year old guy with the tattoos.

The quiet Korean man.

The young confident Dutch woman that smokes.

Her 75 year old father ... the stoic man's man type.

Two loud Spanish men.

The ponytail porting Republican man from Louisiana.

The strange but interesting woman from Luxembourg

Last but not least the little firecracker from Ottawa, my now close friend Danielle.

I have become extremely fond of all of these diverse people who like me are all on their own caminos.

 Oh and a sense of humour comes in real handy during times of duress.

Linda from Nederlands decided this morning to taxi the portion after Mombuey as it was supposedly not so nice. It was actually absolutely beautiful. The day was sunny and warm, a perfect day.

The AVE 

This is the fast trainline to Madrid has been under construction for years and has disrupted the camino. Thankfully we are finding clear signs and good detours.

What made today special was passing through 4 charming villages. This is the first one ... Valdemerilla.

Benches for pilgrims and locals

 Picturesque Ruin

Next village ... Cernadilla

Love the steps up to the church steeple.

Decrepit Beauty

Much of today's camino looked like this.

At the entrance of the 4th charming village Entrepenas. More benches for tired pilgrims.

We had planned to stay at a guesthouse here in Entrepenas but they were not taking guests today. Poor Danielle was knackered so she had the guesthouse owners order her a taxi. She ended up going 15kms ahead to the nice town of Puebla de Sanabria. I will likely catch up to her in a day or 2.

I walked the 3 kms further on to Asturianos. They only offer 6 official beds but have several mattresses to accomodate others. My bed is by the door, I was very very happy to get it!