October 18
Another beautiful day! And hot! Over 80, no clouds, and the sun felt very strong. Thank God for sea breezes!
I think foot pain is just going to happen every day. And now I think my feet have grown, or swelled up today, because the backs of my heels hurt and not from blisters, just sore from pressing on the shoe.
Anyway, the morning started off beautifully; we were out with the sunrise. Pink and orange on the wispy clouds, and off before the sun broke over the mountains to shine in the valley.
It was my last day along the coast. Tomorrow afternoon begins the Primitivo, God-willing. There were nice beaches, though we didn’t walk along the sand or in the water. Would have been the perfect day to do so, but the descent to some of the beaches looked a bit treacherous, and other beaches were clothing-optional, so trekking through there with our poles and backpacks might have been a little awkward.
It did get quite hot and I may have gotten sunburned; definitely more intense tan lines. Kept drinking water, though, and stopped enough to refuel. They have this awesome trail mix of peanuts, coconut flakes, and dried pineapple. They call it piña coulda cocktail and it comes in a 100g package, perfect size for my front pocket of the backpack and lasts a few days, too. I’ve only found it twice so far, so I’m making it last for a while.
Other staples of the diet include bread, cheese, sliced meat (I try to vary the latter two), chocolate, carrots, packaged salad, yogurt, peanuts, platanos or bananas, olives, other fruits, and lots of water! We’ll stop in a grocery store every couple of days and supplement with fresh things from the fruit and veggie stores. One needs to keep an eye on the time and plan ahead as stores often close for siesta, and nothing is really open on Sundays.
So I went shopping today before Mass. Vittorio walked on yesterday after we reached Cuerres, so it was just Tash and I today. We parted ways in La Isla as she was heading to that albergue and I was continuing to Colunga to get a room here and go to Mass. The Church in La Isla is only open in summertime as that is a beach town and caters to tourists. So, I have my own room, right on the Camino, just across the street from the church and also from the stores. I am so tired today that hopefully the noises on the streets won’t filter through my earplugs and keep me up.
19 miles today
Cash outflow: 30€ for room, food for the next few days, cafe con leche, and an outler adapter because I accidentally left mine plugged into the wall in Bilbao!
andreaonthecamino 