Today was sunny and hot, with almost no towns in between our start and finish points, and we had two big hills to cross. Not a great recipe.

We started out well in the morning, taking advantage of the cool temperatures and shade provided by the ever loved eucalyptus trees. Their pleasant and balsamic smell in the morning mist is really something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetimes.

From 11 AM onwards, however, it became hell. The road was steep and mainly asphalt. The only bar for the first 15 Km was closed, because today is Sunday. Fuck.

We struggled to cross the first hill, which was also the taller of the two. The combination of direct sunlight, temperatures north of 30 °C and no wind was a deadly one. We both had our difficulties and had to stop a few times.

We met with many pilgrims who were passing by: nobody was in the mood for much talking, besides the customary “Hola” and “Buen Camino”. Tough conditions for everyone.

When all hope was lost, suddenly Laura shouted “There’s a bar! It’s open!”

I raised my head and saw it. For a moment I thought to myself “I sure hope it’s not a mirage or something like that”.

It was, indeed, a bar which was open for business. And boy did he get some. Everyone stopped there and got something to eat and drink.

You could tell that Laura was exhausted by the fact that she even forgot to order a coffee, but went straight for the ice cream. Strange things do happen to everyone on the Camino.

After that glorious stop for rest and refitting, we crossed the second hill with lifted spirits, and eventually arrived at our destination of Lourenzà.

We booked a room at the albergue, so that we can still enjoy the company of the other pilgrims, but also have a bit of a more comfortable night ahead of us.

You might have noticed I haven’t talked about my knees yet. Well, something strange happened: after the usual early signals of pain, the limping technique apparently helped and by the end of the day I was walking almost normally, even with the final steep descent.

If this goes on tomorrow, I might as well patent and trademark the technique. Judging by the amount of knee pads we’ve seen, I’m sure there’s a business to be made for solving knee issues.

Or maybe it is just Galicia working its magic as usual. Who can say for sure.

The important thing is: we’re feeling better and we’re ready for tomorrow.