Ultimativo
First day in about a week that I am walking alone. Zora left early today, as she had problems sleeping. The part I am walking now is called the Knee Breaker. Some hard climb coming up. I've walked half of the leg in kilometres, but not half in hours, as the climb will take time. I just had my first coffee and some pie. Now across the mountain and then to find an albergue. Yesterday was a nice day. Somehow easy even with all the up and down.
Long, boring days
I walked very long yesterday, from nine in the morning to ten in the evening. First 15 km to Lugo, then the next leg of the journey, 25 km. In the morning Team Athletic - Zora, Anna, Natalie and Jeron - had caught up with me. They were having a breakfast at the place I had slept in. It was a luxurious albergue, art everywhere. Today they won't catch me, even though I had a late start. They walk fast, but they don't walk as long days.
Yesterday was a boring day. No pit stops, the wind was crazy, sun shone. The best break was at a vending machine. Oh, here's a place for a break now. There's a couple I know, they're with bikes, I think they are Spanish, or Italian with very good Spanish skills. I also overtook Federico, who is a hardcore walker. After Hospitales he had still continued twenty kilometres just for fun, when we were just devastated. I caught up with him yesterday and today he was having a coffee in the albergue I was staying in.
Today I should be in Melide for my morning coffee. There the Frances will join with Primitivo, so it will probably get crazy there. I heard from the guys who were camping next to me that they were unable to book any albergue. I don't have the habit of booking them anyways. I am sure I will be able to camp outside some albergue if they are all full. I have to find a place to leave my stone at. The tradition is to bring a stone that symbolises leaving your troubles behind. There is some official place to leave it at, but I think it was along the Frances before it joins with Primitivo.
Hot and busy
Yesterday I walked only 30 km but it felt more because it was so hot, maybe 30 degrees of celcius. Now I'm basically walking past everyone, since most of them have started from Lugo or are walking some late part of Frances, so there are proportionally less people used to walking. There are a lot of knee braces and crutches, something you didn't see much in the mountains. Some guy has a horse. Then there are some folks with electric bikes. I don't know how fair that is since you don't even need to cycle for real. It starts to feel like a festival. Noisy spanish kids. People selling stuff. Someone had crafted very nice walking poles, but what's the point of buying a pole so late in the game? Only 20 more kilometers to Santiago. Today I will probably stay outside the city in one of the albergues so I can just walk in tomorrow morning. It's hot!
It's almost six. No one is walking here anymore. Maybe after three it started emptying, but no one anymore. What do they do all evening? I don't get it. I'm going to walk some more. I'll try to get to the last albergue before Santiago. If not, then I'll find some camping spot. They are supposed to have them.
