After 3 1/2 weeks we have the system figured out. Here is how our day goes:
Alarm on the IPad goes off at 6:30. It’s all dark in the albergue but we are not the first ones in the room up and making noise. We brush teeth, roll up sleeping bags, and start packing up the backpacks. We have slept in most of our clothes, so we only have a couple things to put on. If it’s raining we add the rain gear. We fill the water bottles with tap water in the bathroom or kitchen.
When all packed-up we head to the boot room to put on the hiking boots and grab the hiking poles and head out the door. It’s 7:15. Dawn is at 7:22. We take a Tylenol and an allergy pill and wash it down with water.
We start walking. On the way we eat the chocolate croissant that we purchased the night before. Our pace averages 2.5 mi/hr when walking. When training in Madison we averaged 3.0 mi/hr., but that was under ideal weather and terrain conditions. After taking account for breaks, our net pace is about 2.0 mi./hr.
After about an hour and a half we stop for an expresso and a pastry. Then we push on for another two hours before stopping for scrambled eggs and a coke. It’s probably 11:00 am now, and we’ve got 7.5 mi done.
If we are in a town with something to see we’ll have a look around. Most likely we push on.
Along the way we snack on the things we picked up at the grocery store - peanuts, dried apricots, cookies, chips. Recently Sue has been making turkey and cheese croissant sandwiches that we munch on.
About 1:30 we stop again for a break. Probably a coke and chips and a bathroom break. We should be at about 12 mi now. We check the map, think about the weather, how we are feeling, and talk about how much further we feel like going. Seems like many people quit for the day around 1:00 because have been very few people on the road in the afternoons.
If everything is good we keep going. It feels like we can and should go further. We probably continue a couple more hours, calling it quits between 3:30 - 5:00 after 16 - 18 mi. Occasionally we make it a little further.
After we call it quits we check in to an albergue and are assigned our bunk beds. Paul on top, Sue on the bottom. We unpack the backpacks, roll out the sleeping bags, and decide if we are going to shower. Most days we do, but not all. It depends on how hot and sweaty we feel, and how much hot water there is. In one albergue they said hot water would be available after 7 pm. It never came on. In one monastery there was a sign that read,”water is a precious gift from God- don’t waste it”. We think they forgot to say that the hot water was reserved for God. Most places it is plentiful.
We normally also hand wash a couple pieces of clothing. That depends on how much sunshine is out so things can dry. All our clothes are made of quick-dry material, but that only works if it not raining and sunny. Sometimes the rooms have radiators that you can put wet things on to dry, but that only works of they turn the radiators on.
After that we find ourselves a bar for a drink or two. We bring our guidebook to plan out the next day. We may seek out a market for supplies the the next day. Then we look for a place for dinner. It might be at the albergue or at another restaurant. Dinner is always great, a ton of food, delicious, a caraf of wine and desert are included. It’s always 10 euros.
Then it’s back home to try to do a blog posting before brushing teeth, and falling asleep to the sounds of our roommates snoring (and occasionally farting) as we rest to get ready for another day.
True bliss.
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