El Camino de Santiago part 2

So what has changed since the last post?  Well not much to be honest.  We're still walking.  In fact we've probably only walked about 1/5th of the distance we plan to walk.  It's had it's ups and downs aside from the hills.  The views are still incredible and the people are friendly.  Gina is working through some blisters on her toes which are finally starting to heal nicely and we've both got sore feet at the end of the day.  One thing we've learned is that you should only bring what you need for the Camino.  But because we are travelling after we finish our 500 mile walkabout, we brought so much more than was necessary for the Camino alone.  Because of this the first several days to Pamplona were grueling to say the least.  However, we heard about a service where you can make a shipment to a man in Santiago de Compostela and he will hang on to it for a fee.  So we took advantage of that with the assistance of a postal worker who we had to communicate with using Google Translate.  It was an interesting experience to say the least.  We've been going fairly slow, only doing 15 or less kilometers (a little over 9 miles) per day while most people are doing nearly double that.  But as they say, it's about the journey not the destination.

It's been quite an adjustment to the cultural food schedule here.  I swear it's like these people don't eat!  But really, breakfast is always small, lunch sometimes doesn't happen, and dinner is an adventure.  While we, and many of you, are accustomed to eating around 5-6 p.m., kitchens aren't even open until 7:30 p.m. sometimes later here.  So it's important to find supermarkets and stock up on snacks or just wait it out.

It's sad to say, but the honeymoon period is over.  By that I mean the initial happy thoughts of backpacking through Spain have worn off.  That's not to say that we aren't enjoying ourselves and the journey, but there is a certain amount of naivete that comes with starting a journey such as this.  You begin knowing that not everything will be perfect.  You'll get some blisters, stay in shitty hostels, probably get robbed at some point (don't worry we haven't been robbed yet).  Only when some of these start to happen does reality set in.  Life on the Camino isn't really any different from life at home.  You get up in the morning, work/walk, sometimes push yourself, sometimes it's an easy day.  Then you get rewarded with a meal and a hot shower at the end of the day (hopefully a glass or 3 of wine).  Rinse and repeat.  The biggest difference I've found is that while on the Camino you get to meet new people everyday and most of them are friendly.

Anyway, enough rambling.  I might have to put the blog on hold for a while or at least spread the posts out even further coming up.  My laptop screen is having issues freezing up randomly and it is still under warranty.  Unfortunately, I can't have it fixed here, so I have to send it back home to have it fixed.  I'm hoping it can hold out until Game of Thrones is over because who knows how long that will take or how much it will cost.  But I should be able to at least post some from my phone.  Well last night we stayed in Torres del Rio in a private room which was an incredible treat.  We even had our own bathroom with a shower!  Ah the things that excite us now.  We are currently in Viana for the night and heading to Logroño tomorrow.  Until next time, buen Camino!