Somehow today we’re faring better than yesterday, and that’s already something.

Since the stage was not very long, about 22 km (considering our detour to get a place to sleep last night), we decided to wake up a bit later and even go as far as having a normal breakfast at the hotel.

The breakfast itself was fantastic, with freshly squeezed orange juice and a tostada with avocado, tomatoes and jamón serrano. What is normal for a regular traveler can truly become a luxury treat for a pilgrim.

This meant that we started walking after 9:30 AM, which can be risky during a regular day. Today, however, the weather was forecasted to be constantly at 20 degrees and cloudy. If I could choose the weather until I get to Santiago, it would be like today.

The fact that we started out a bit later than usual gave me a bit of stage fright, but not the one that actors feel before their performance. Rather it was the constant and irrational fear of not being able to complete our stage and arrive at our destination in time.

Besides that, the walk was fairly regular like the previous days, including Laura’s troubles with her left knee. Hopefully the next few days should be lighter and she can recover fully.

Today I looked at the map and Bilbao seemed so far away. We are almost halfway to Santiago and this made me think for a little while. On one hand it looks like we will get there very soon. On the other hand, I know there are still very long and difficult days ahead of us.

However, I’m glad and grateful that we will get the chance to live through all of them.