The one with the dinosaur, a dip in the river and the Pilgrim song!
📍 Location: Hospital de Bruma to Siguero
🥾 Miles: 16.3 miles
⛑️ Health: My Achilles are starting to ache, but everything else is fine. I’m super impressed with my new trail runners—they have been awesome.
We have some bad feet in the group. A mix of the hot weather and hard terrain has not helped.
🌦️ Weather: The morning was perfect walking weather, a nice breeze in the air and a bit overcast. By 11:30 am, it had all burnt off, and the sun was out in full glory. It reached 29 degrees today, which was challenging!
HIGHLIGHTS:
🍳 7:30 am – The hotel provided a basic breakfast of coffee and toast/pastries followed by orange juice (which one of our group decided to throw over the floor 😂). I go outside to wait for the others, and a gorgeous sunrise is peeking over the mountains in the distance.
🥾 8 am – Walkers briefing and we are off! There is a bounce in my step today as I walk and just absorb the morning air. I miss my morning walks and decide right there and then that I will resume them when I get home. Now that I’m settled in my new bungalow, it’s time to establish a new routine.
🦖 9:10 am – As we approach our first cafe, I smile to myself as I know what is coming! Sam and Jo are chatting and nearly walk by the massive dinosaur that is overlooking the cafe. There are other strange statues here, like two tractors 🚜 that are mounted on a track in the air. It’s just a bit surreal and amusing to watch the pilgrims’ reactions as they approach the cafe. The funniest people were “The Waltons”. Well, that’s what we have been calling them. It’s a young family of four kids and the parents who are from Canada. The young girl (12 years old) thought the dinosaur was brilliant and ran up to it to take a selfie.
🌳 10:26 am – The terrain has now changed. We are traipsing through a thick, dense forest trail. The trees are knobbly and moss-covered rather than the tall eucalyptus trees that we’ve experienced all week. It’s a bit ironic as I’m listening to the final chapters of “You May Be Wrong,” which is a true tale of a forest monk (good book, by the way, and perfect for this type of walk!).
☕️ 11:12 am – We arrive at the cafe where you can write a note on a small piece of paper and then pin it to the wall. As I sip my cafe con leche, I contemplate what I’m going to write. Meanwhile, Emma rounds up everyone’s Camino passports and happily goes on a stamping spree!
🖊️ I grab my pen and write my note: “Believe and inspire people, Buen Camino… Jukebox,” which are my focus words for 2024.
🥪 12:30 pm – Lunchtime! We found a wonderful little picnic area in the shade and consumed our bocadillas that we had purchased earlier in the day. There is a scent of fresh-cut grass in the air as a team of workers are out strimming and mowing the area. I mentally make a note for next year’s group. Purchasing lunch and eating it later has worked like a dream and is something I’ll recommend for future Caminos.
💦 3:16 pm – I’m sitting in the shade on a little stone bridge with my feet dangling in a stream. The birds are chirping away, and it’s incredibly peaceful. I’m here on my own, taking a break whilst waiting for the group to catch up. This last section was very industrial, so taking a moment to enjoy this little pocket park is heaven. I meditate and write in my journal.
💧 3:30 pm – The gang arrives at the little bridge, and I smile as they squeal like little children. Instantly, Julie was the first one to dangle her feet in the cold water. Quickly followed was Kelly, then Caroline, and Cheryl. Before I knew it, Caroline had dived right in and was now swimming amongst the fish! Yes, there were fish in the river! Kelly was not far behind. Their faces were such a delight to witness. The heat and pain of the day were soon forgotten as they splashed around and enjoyed the moment.
🏨 4:08 pm – Checking in! The hostel is perfecto!! The gang have a room of six beds (not bunk beds), and Julie drew the best straw and has a massive room to herself. I’m in a group dorm in a different room as there was no bed for me with the others, but that’s ok. This hostel is a bit different from most albergues as it has proper sheets, pillows, and duvets. The bathrooms are spotless, and everyone seems happy. I’m glad that they are experiencing a hostel on their penultimate night as this is all part of the Camino.
🍕 7:01 pm – Earlier, Sam and I secured a reservation at a restaurant called Cafe Che (Rebecca and I ate here last year and it’s good food). It was super cheap (€11 for a 13” pizza!). The bonus was that we could eat at 7 pm!
🛌 9 pm – Bedtime! I’m snuggled under my duvet listening to a group of Spanish people getting ready for bed (boy, are they noisy!). The German lady (Sabrina) is already snoring…. Let the Pilgrim Song begin!
Tomorrow is our last day! Santiago, baby!!
Thanks for reading the blog.