Hi friends! Today we did 17km and had a great time! We left as per usual, and anticipated that for this 17km the only thing we would pass is a food truck. So my Dad set out early and I left an hour or so later. On my way to catch up with Dad I had to cross a roundabout with no crosswalks (uncommon here). And in the roundabout was a cop car with two officers. I started worrying I’d get in trouble for J-walking so I was trying to find an alternate route until they called me over. And ya know, when police tell you to come over you can’t say no. Turns out, they wanted to offer me a stamp for my pilgrim passport (which obviously I said yes), and then they asked me for photo together! They hardly spoke English, yet we laughed and conversed and it was an awesome experience.

There were some people behind me as we walked and from a distance they said it looked like I was in trouble, getting a fine for J-walking so they were also really nervous until they got called over. It made for a good story the rest of the day. 

We came across the food truck which had amazing coffee, food, and a whole patio set up. The guy running it was by himself so I started helping clear tables because he was incredibly busy. As I dropped stuff off he offered me a job working with him haha! So I guess if I ever come back to work in Spain I can guarantee a job at least. 

When we arrived in town we immediately sat on the patio, visiting with so many of our new friends and enjoying the warm weather. It was such a fun afternoon, and one where we ended earlier than usual so we had lots of time to simply relax. Our hostel was right beside the bar we were at so we got settled in and felt like this was one of the better hostels we’ve stayed in. The owner was so genuinely kind and friendly. That evening he joined us to play Corn Hole (my Dad’s idea to host a tournament), and we had lots of people come to play! The owner eventually nicknamed me as “the professional” because I play back home and am relatively good at it. So I guess I now have a set standard to live up to when I’m back! 

All in all it was a beautiful day and so much fun. A great mix of relaxing, visiting, and playing games. The only downside was the chorus of snoring in our hostel, but thankfully for me I have pretty good earplugs and I was so exhausted anyways that I slept right through it. 

Tomorrow is 2 weeks on the Camino and we can’t believe it! Thanks for sticking with us. God Bless, 

Hannah and Tony