🎵 Song of the Day: “Happy” – Pharrell Williams
I was up at 5:00 AM this morning and walking by 5:30. There’s something surreal about stepping through the quiet streets of a sleeping town, then slowly making your way out into the farmlands while it’s still dark. A little eerie, yes — but deeply peaceful.
By 8:30 AM, I’d already clocked 15 kilometers — halfway done. That called for breakfast: a delicious salami roll and a great cup of coffee at a tiny café.
As I left the village, painted on the tar ahead of me was a fork in the path — one route marked with a grumpy face, the other with a smiley face. I chose the smile. No idea where the grumpy face route went, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
The smiley route turned out to be stunning — winding through quiet farmlands and charming towns. Along the way, I found two remarkable little Camino stalls. The first was a makeshift café, where a clearly talented barista (named Newman, I think?) made incredible coffee. The second was more rustic — a fruit and juice stand that ran on donations. Fresh orange juice, vegetables, coffee, and even a tiny maze that added an extra 10 metres to the day’s total. Of course, I walked the maze.
The sun cranked up the heat by mid-morning, but I arrived in Astorga by 12:30 PM. Checked into the auberge — 16 beds in the room, but somehow I scored the only double bed. No idea how, but I’m not complaining.
This afternoon, I’m off to lunch with Yvonne and her group of 40 Italian walkers — should be lively! Then back to the auberge for communal dinner tonight, which I’m really looking forward to.
One lowlight of the day: my Merrell shoes — the ones I’ve walked 650 km in — are falling apart. I had high hopes, but they haven’t quite made the grade. I’ll wait until the local shoe shop opens at 5:00 PM and see if I can replace them. If not, I’ll keep hobbling along in these until I find something better.
Feet are sore (no surprise after 32 km), but my heart is full.
Just another beautiful, dusty, sunlit day on the Camino — and yes, today, I’m feeling happy.
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