Left A Fonsagrada 8:30 am. Arrived O Cadavo 4 pm . Miles walked 16.35.

Firstly, the fountain mystery with the Virgin Mary statue shall remain a mystery. I fully intended to check if the statue was in place until I saw that I’d have to walk back downhill several blocks. I choose to believe it is where it truly belongs, and am moving on.

When we left this morning it was 53 degrees and windy. But good news – no rain today. The temp didn’t get much over 60 all day so we were able to keep our jacket/sweatshirt on for much of the day.

We made good time today because we had long stretches of downhill walking. However, we had more than our fair share of uphill climbs as well. The guidebook says today is one of the toughest stages because of the many elevation changes. No disagreement here.

We have seen lots of bales of hay along the way, but the one above could well have been a collection site for farmers. We’ve seen black and white “packaging” and I don’t know if there’s any difference in content.

Met a couple at lunch from Wolverhampton today. They have done the same Camino hikes as us. We agreed that this one is the most challenging.

They are true hikers in that they carry all their belongings with them. The idea of walking with an extra 20-30 pounds on my back doesn’t interest me in the least.

We see bins in so many places along the Camino. Everyone uses them because you rarely see litter. I’ve said many times, it is so wonderful to see how clean the streets are here. People just don’t litter…love that.

Having arrived early (by our standards) at the hotel, I took advantage of a long shower, and going down the rabbit hole on Instagram. I do love the Graham Norton show clips.

Dinner was a shared pizza and some local peppers that were highly recommended by our server (delicious). She said they are a local specialty. Whatever they were, we thoroughly enjoyed them – grilled with olive oil and a little sea salt. Simple, yet quite tasty. We shared ice cream cake.

We survived another day. We both commented today that it feels like it’s gone quite quickly. We are past the halfway point and I’m feeling a little sad that it’s nearly over.

Getting away to a life that’s so very different is an escape, and I know that. However, having done this twice before, it feels very familiar and comfortable.

There’s something quite freeing about having no real responsibilities. My biggest concern is not twisting an ankle and watching for cars if we’re on a road.

Caleb misses his bed and fast food. I miss family and friends, of course, but this brief time away is quite therapeutic, and I’m grateful to be able to do it.

Good night.