Camino Day 7

June 25

​When we left Oia, Spain this morning the forecast showed a 90% chance of rain for the day and no promise of complete sun until 3pm. So, we made our wet weather plans in our day packs and got busy walking. For me, that means shorts and sleeves pushed up because my poncho can’t cover my legs or hands. It does cover my pack, which is key. I also opt for my Chocos in wet weather. Not perfect but having my dry Hokas later in the day is my preference. I only have these two pairs of shoes with me.

The rain really wasn’t bad. I walked most of the rain with Dagny and Adelaide and we did a good job finding the fun in it. Just as the rain stopped, we caught up with Magnolia and Dave for a morning coffee, which was delightful. Alastair has a significantly longer stride than the rest of us and most days he is well ahead of us scouting the best sights and restaurant at the end of our day. We use our family group chat to stay in touch, an app called Buen Camino which has specific directions and maps for each day, and Adelaide created a shared Google map for us with each night’s accommodations. We use our technology to our benefit for sure.

Much of the morning we walked near the highway, but by afternoon we were tucked back into the mountains. Highway is usually flat and sun exposed. Mountains are usually shaded, but many more hills and valleys. I feel like every day has been a combination of coast, farm land, residential, mountain, and towns. I love the variety. We find sheep, goats, horses, lots of cats, snails, lizards, dogs, birds, donkeys, and the occasional bunny. We always try to get the cats to come to us. They almost never do. Today Dagny found a house with a yard/garage with 13 cats. That might be too many for one house.

We stumbled upon an amazing lunch, probably my favorite so far. Alastair always chooses our starters and we devour a breadbasket. I don’t know what our calorie burn is, but we are so hungry each afternoon when we finish our hike. Tomorrow is a longer day, 17 miles. Fingers crossed for dry weather. We are all doing much better at taking care of our feet, knees, hips, backs, and spirits. This is not an easy undertaking. I am proud of all of us.

After lunch we all split up and did different things. This town is small and easy to navigate. Alastair and I walked some rocks near the beach and checked out the sea creatures in the rocks. We sat for a while and dipped our toes in the water. It was wonderful being with him and just being quiet and enjoying this part of the world.

We walked a dozen miles today and are in Baiona, Spain. This is my favorite town along the Camino thus far. So cute! Adelaide booked us overlooking the marina and beach and we have a balcony which I enjoyed very much today. It is 11pm and fireworks just started across the marina. So cool.

Buen Camino! Jll