“It’s the beauty within us that makes it possible for us to recognize the beauty around us. The question is not what you look at but what you see.” – Henry David Thoreau
About last night…..it was about midnight and I was lying in bed finishing writing my update for the day, when all of a sudden the guy in the bunk next to me sat up and started speaking to me. I didn’t meet him before bed so I didn’t know who he was or where he was from. It was dark except for the dim light on my phone. I had absolutely no idea what he was saying. I was tired and tried to register what language he was speaking, German, no, Spanish, no, Italian, no, French, no…definitely not English. I couldn’t tell if he was mad or what. I was very confused. Then he started looking down at the floor like he was searching for something. I turned the screen light up a little higher on my phone to shine some light on the floor. Then he “woke up,” a little shocked, said sorry and laid back down. This morning, I saw him and his girlfriend who was in the bunk on the other side of him and asked him if he remembered talking to me. He was little embarrassed and said, “oh yes, I speak in my sleep. I was dreaming that I lost my flip flops.” Ha!
So tonight, Jakob & Carolina (I learned their names at dinner) are at our hostel again. He told more funny stories about his sleep talking and even walking! He also fell out of a bed one night. No top bunks for him!
This morning Stephen and I went to grab a coffee at a café before we started hiking. On the way there, we walked by a farmer’s market. One of the men who was a baker stopped me and said “Buen Camino” and clapped as I walked up the hill. He was very kind. We tried to talk a little, thanks Google Translate. Short story he wanted to be Facebook friends and follow my hike. So we are friends and he has been liking my photos. Hi Juan!
After coffee we started walking and down came the rain. It’s the hardest rain I’ve walked through so far. We were drenched. It only lasted about 20 minutes but it was enough to soak the path.
We walked through a massive deforestation area. We’ve passed through several of these but this one was pretty intense.
I met an awesome guard dog who was keeping tabs on everything from the rooftop. He came down to say hello and get some cuddles.
Today was another one of those days that I was sooo in the moment the world just fell away. I realized that I am a nature nerd. I am in love with everything around me. I was hugging trees, loving on all the animals, talking to the plants. I’m definitely a weirdo.
We hiked through some beautiful forest. I really enjoyed today’s hike. It was hilly but good. The trail was really muddy and wet. It was a little fun to get our boots dirty. We crossed a little highway and came down a one lane road, rounded the corner and there she was. This amazing view of the ocean. Another “wow” moment. It took my breath away. I stopped for a second. I could hear the waves crashing on the beach. Then I noticed that you couldn’t tell the difference between the sky and the water. It was a glorious moment. Sadly, I think Stephen missed it because he just kept walking. I noticed the path sloped down and zigzagged back rounded the bend so I made him take a picture of me while I was taking a picture of him. He hates my little weird games but he still plays along.
We walked about 200-400 meters (we are undecided about this figure) next to a beautiful stream and off the trail to stop at a café on the beach. A local man out on his morning walk recommended we stop there for a break and I’m so glad he did. It was beautiful and listening to the waves crashing on the rocks was so relaxing.
The cute pilgrim is still with us. I asked him how old he was he said he was born in 1994. “Oh perfect so we’re the same age. 28.” He laughed.
Actually, I love getting older. I love being 43 and I can’t wait to be 44 at the end of the year. I feel like each day I am getting closer to my authentic self and more comfortable in my own skin. I feel like every experience is making me wiser. I’m actually very happy to age. It’s a privilege that not everyone gets so I try to make the most of it.
The wild strawberries are now big and ripe!
The roses were so aromatic today. It was amazing. I even stopped in someone’s yard and held them up to my face for quite a long time just to breathe in the fragrance. Then I realized the owner of the house was sitting there staring at me, watching me have an embarrassingly intimate relationship with his flowers. Again, I’m weird.
I received a text message from Willy. He has made it to Oviedo which is the conclusion of his pilgrimage. He said he was a little bit sad it’s over but is excited to see his wife. He invited both Stephen and I to go visit them in Holland and said we are pilgrim friends for life.
I love the vibe of the town we are staying in tonight, Novellana. It’s tiny with hardly anything here but the people keep everything clean and tidy. You can tell they care about their community. They have cute little painted bikes all over town with flowers in the baskets.
We are staying in the best Albergue tonight. I found it online. It wasn’t listed in any of the guidebooks which is weird. It’s an old train depot that a couple, Simon and Luz, remodeled and turned into an Albergue for pilgrims. The beds have real sheets…no sleeping bag tonight! The shower has jets! Luz makes home cooked meals for both dinner and breakfast. She even did our laundry for us. 🙏 And thank goodness she did because there was a rain storm last night and our clothes did not dry. Who knew that wet clothes would make the pack ridiculously heavy. They have a cat named Luke (Skywalker) and a dog name Audrey (Hepburn). It feels like we are actual humans again. No sacrificing for us tonight. And they have an awesome record collection.
https://goo.gl/maps/NMkDSF9WLgmB8HUX7
Albergue Andén de Novellana: una experiencia inolvidable en una antigua estación de ferrocarril
Highlight: watching Stephen miss stepping on a rock and getting wet in the creek. Karma for all the pranks he pulls on me.
Quote of the day: me, “is this clover?”
Stephen, “no, that’s just a weed.”
Me: “weeds are plants. They have feelings too!”
We argued for three minutes about whether a three leafed plant was clover or not.
I’m no longer in the #2 spot. Stephen said I’ve dropped to #5 on his favorite pilgrim list. His reasoning, “you make weird faces when you write.” Ha! What a guy
We saw a sign many kilometers ago that said 280k to Santiago. It made me a little sad. That means only about two weeks of utopia remaining.
Muros de Nalón -Novellana – 21.5km
Goodnight and much love from Spain.
