Days 6, 7 and 8

I have now been walking for over a week. While the last two days were rough, I walked about 28 km on day 7 and almost 32 on day 8. My one bad blister is finally healing, although I do have bruising on both of my heels. 

Every morning, I wake up at about 6 and get my things together in the dark. Most of the time, I sleep in rooms with at least six other people, but sometimes I've been in spaces with over 20, all in bunks. Many wake up earlier than me, at 5 or 5:30. It's hard to sleep when others are getting ready, but I try a little longer. I like to leave between 7 and 7:30.

I haven't taken as many photos, because the landscape is beginning to look a lot like Saskatchewan, although still more hilly. It's been colder and more windy the last couple days. When I was walking by myself and the cold wind rushed across my face, I cried again, not out of happiness this time. Many of the negative feelings I've had for a long while are still there, but crying felt like a release of emotion and pain. A path to healing.

One of the things I've enjoyed, although I felt apprehensive about it at first, is all the pilgrims making this journey. Often, I walk by myself or with one other person, and we don't see others for quite sometime, but on open stretches we can occasionally see a trail of scattered pilgrims ahead of us. Everyone walks the Camino for different reasons, each with their own pain and joys. It's special to hear all of their stories, sometimes at dinners or while walking together.

I also imagine what it must have been like to be an early pilgrim on the Camino, without modern footwear or technology. For those pilgrims, the journey began at home and didn't end in Santiago. They had to walk all the way back, too, something that is obvious, but I hadn't thought about it until a few days ago. Some people still make the journey both ways, like an older man I met briefly from Switzerland. I'm sure the return journey would be no easier, but how sweet it would be to reach that final destination.

Likely a Templar church built in the 12th century in Torres del Rio. 

The ceiling of the Templar church. 

What Laura calls the slug hand in Logroño.

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8