Good morning/afternoon/evening, whatever it might be where you are! It is currently 10pm here and due to technical difficulties I will be posting this tomorrow (on day 20), but it will come.
Today we walked from Sansol to Viana, 11km. It was a pretty hot day. As I like to say, it was a “hidden heat”. There’s some wind, so when you stand still I feel cold enough to wear a wind breaker or fleece. It was cloudy, so there was no obvious, hot, beaming sun. However, when you’re walking, you’re almost immediately hot and tearing layers off, which normally wasn’t happening so fast. The first week was extremely cold in the mornings but it has since completely changed. My Dad did his first day of walking in shorts, and although I don’t know how he liked it, I do know it was pretty funny to see my Dad in shorts after 27 years of not!
The route today was reasonably flat with short steep sections which have become easier to do every passing day. It’s nice to feel more fit every day and see the progress we are making. Even carrying a pack hardly bothers me any more. Today I walked in my sandals which actually was very comfortable! I did this because it took all the pressure off my blisters so I had zero pain and they didn’t get any worse – win win!
We explored a few churches today, some that are not in use anymore and some are. Such magnificent pieces of architecture! We enjoyed an afternoon of rest at the hostel, then had a picnic dinner with friends, followed by attending Mass. We both met new friends at the hostel and have had some wonderful conversations.
Yesterday, we got to see the father and son who stayed with us the night before. They met up with us in Sansol and we chatted before they continued on. They are from Ukraine, and last week they heard about the Camino, and the very next day caught a plane and left to begin. I was blown away! They gave us each a micro fibre cloth for our faces to wipe away sweat as we walk, as their gift to us. Meeting people like this and hearing their stories has made the Camino experience so amazing, we are both loving it.
A friend of my Dad’s suggested I write more on the blog for our memories – so I’ll be working on doing that. He also suggested my Dad write some blogs, which I think is a great idea! We never really discussed it before, so my Dad will be writing some out throughout the week so you can hear things from his perspective too!
It’s really been amazing being in new country, seeing buildings and churches from as old as 1170, and being blessed with such kindness from others. Some days when I’m sitting in a cafe in a tiny town I have to pinch myself to remember where I am, and that it’s real. Even on the Camino, I can barely believe I’m actually here haha. God has blessed us abundantly on this trip. And as I told a friend tonight – even if I went home tomorrow, I’d have gained so much from this trip, so much more than I ever expected. I have changed in ways I never imagined, experienced peace and joy in a profound and deep way I never anticipated. I made friends I didn’t think I would. It has been a miraculous trip already, so I’m excited for what the coming weeks will bring.
Please continue praying for us. We are seeing all of your comments, and although we may not reply immediately, we read them and appreciate them. Praise God for all of you, we love you and miss you and are praying hard for you!!
Buen Camino,
Hannah + Tony
