We started around 7 this morning but it was still very dark. This is a little earlier than we usually start. After an hour of walking we found a cafe open and had our first coffee.

After that it was up and down and lots of beautiful sites. We were a bit concerned because we lost a rain jacket and the rain was coming. It was all good. so I’m sharing a lot of photos.

We talked about our feelings of coming into Santiago again and finish this camino. It’s a mix of emotions. Joy, sadness, elation, completion, exhaustion, what’s next… and missing loved ones.

We started very early because we were planning to do 32 kms. As we were walking out of Pontevedra there was a party still going. We left pontevedra at 5:40.

As we walked through the party goers, police, and ambulance workers we heard “tortugas, tortugas!!” 🐢 I wear that proudly!!

Nothing was open for 15 kms. At 15 kms we finally got our first coffee. I love walking early in the morning…it’s quiet and peaceful but no coffee 😂

We stopped at a beautiful place today for a break. It was our second stop and so welcomed. The cafe had a beautiful garden and the owners were so gracious.

Today’s takeaway: Mental vs physical. It’s very interesting how the mental part influences the physical and vice versa. So when you allow one to speak louder than the other it can cause trouble. So alway be in balance.

So when we left Tui we were supposed to go 23 kms to Mos. But we realized that left us some tough climbs and long days. So we pushed past Mos to Saxemonde which was still a long day and a tough climb. But wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.

We had a lovely dinner with Nadine (from Germany) and had a really good sleep. Well at least until 2 am when i woke suddenly and decided to step outside. I got this photo…

At 6 am we started out. We crossed paths with some pilgrims that we had seen before and were seeing lots of new pilgrims. On the camino Portuguese you can choose several different paths but at some point they join together. We saw lots of beautiful scenery.

We found our hostel and settled in. And around 5:30 or 6 went to look for something to eat but helaas nowhere starts serving until 8 or 8:30!! So for the second day on our camino we ate Burger King. In Spain it’s not fast food. 😂 and it was yummy.

Today we learned again to adapt, adjust and enjoy!!!

We got up and out by 6 am. The hotel (we treated ourselves) packed us a picnic to go in the cutest cloth bag. We saw the cathedral lit up and the sunrise. I love walking early in the morning.

We had such a lovely day. Stopped for breakfast and then moved on. It was going to be a long day so we planned to take several stops. The height meters were 505 meters/ 1500 feet approximately.

We had several interesting conversations with pilgrims reflecting on walking the camino. I’ll share this on the next few days.

The hotel packed us a nice picnic in this bag which we shared with other pilgrims and a dog who joined us at a rest stop. Sorry no photos of the dog.

Today’s takeaway there are ups and downs in life and as long as they keep coming you are on the path. Slow down for the ups as well as the downs and you will arrive and you will be different!