I Have a Theory...

I've been thinking about this, and a theory is starting to form in my head... It seems like maybe 50 or 60 years ago, some Spanish government employees were sitting around having a workshop, as government employees are want to do, and somebody mentioned that Spain had a lot of empty properties and churches at the top of every hill, so they formulated a plan that would turn those properties into hostels, and they would link all the churches into one long walk, call it a camino, and a great tourism business would be developed by telling foreigners that Spanish pilgrims have been walking these trails for hundreds of years, and then all the Spanish people would laugh heartily in their houses as they watched all those silly foreigners trudging by uphill, all day every day, sweating like cows, for the privilege to pay to stay at the highest accommodation in the area, in a room with 9 other people... but I digress...

Walking out of Comillas..

Love these tree covered roads!..

Today's walk was a good mix of marsh, sand, and country roads...

Nothing but nature today!

A closer look at the marsh area...

Love the smell of the sea close by!

Another great sea to mountain view!

Descending to the beach with San Vicent de Barquera in the background...

Walking along the beach...

Crossing the bridge into San Vicent de Barquere..

Back in the hills...

Some kind of squash growing on a fence...

You can tell from my belaboured breathing, this was up yet another hill!...

View from an overpass...

Yup... definitely more hills...

Just a couple minutes before shooting this video, I was starting to wonder what I was going to do for water, as I was below 25% of the 1.5 litres I carry, and I knew there was still a fair amount to go... but the Camino always provides!... that orange provided just enough additional liquid and energy to get me through a very warm day...

There are little shrines and altars all along the Way...

These old tunnels provide a great respite from the heat and dun, albeit often just for very short moments..

And who do I run into along the way, resting at a little park, about 2/3 of the way to our destination? It's DJ David Price, of course! We walk the rest of the day together.. I like starting the day on my own, where I can start slowly, alone in my thoughts, and once warmed up, crank the music up and really let the legs go, but it is also nice to find a friendly face along the way when you start to flag a bit, and share the burden of the final kms with a commiserating partner...

The rest of the day is fairly ugly, and while the final destination is supposed to be Colombs, we find they are booked solid. My feet are hurting again, and when we stop in Unqueres to find accommodations, the only place available is back 1.5kms at a location that can only be described as truck stop-esque... Despite the surroundings, the hostel has single rooms for 25 euros including breakfast, is quite comfortable and clean, and I find a restaurant next door that serves Xachopo, an Asturian specialty, consisting of two pounded beef filets, stuffed with ham and goat cheese, and then fried like a schnitzel... not bad!!

Distance walked today- 26kms...

TOTAL DISTANCE WALKED SO FAR- 398KMS