Day 7 - Short and Sweet (Fonsagrada to O Cádavo 26 km)
Beautiful day, beautiful weather and great company made today's 26 km seemed shorter than it really was.
Dan, Rory (Ireland) and I started at 7:30 in the dark along with what seemed like the majority of the pilgrims from our albergue. It appears to us that the path is getting busier and some people are having trouble finding or booking beds. We are now booked all the way to Santiago so we won't have to worry about rushing.
Today was a leisurely walk. I spent most of the day with Rory chatting about a wide variety of topics. Along the way, we ran into Becky, Natalie, Rado and a host of other characters, most of whom we know by now. We stopped a couple of times on our journey to enjoy a bite to eat or simply for a rest.
One pilgrim has attached a small cow bell to his pack which constantly rings his presence. While I love cow bells, I prefer them on cows, horses or sheep so when I hear this particular one, I either speed up or slow down to put some distance between me and him. Nothing personal but I enjoy the sound of nature or a conversation more than this. 🙉 He is walking his own Camino.
We had a couple of very steep climbs today that certainly tested our cardiac capacity however we all survived. We are all getting stronger with each day and each ascent.
With only a few days left until we reach Santiago, many are already talking about how much we will miss the path with the regular routines, the wonderful pilgrims, the beautiful scenery and to sum it all up, the simple and uncomplicated life we are living right now. Based on what i learned from my first Camino two years ago, the transition to the other regular life can be difficult. In the meantime, we will live in the moment and enjoy this special time that we are sharing.
