Heading to Santiago slowly!

It is 7:20 Spaninsh time and dinner is not until 8:30, in ANY restaurant! Found a computer and although Steve will update (my phone bill will be terrible!) I wanted to give you all some of my impressions myself: This is HARD but so wonderful! I am the luckiest person in the world to get to do this and doing it alone, as a pilgrimage, is great. I am amazed at the variety of people doing this. I have only met a few women who are solo but that is fine. The variety of countries is amazing: NZ, Australia, finland, Sweden, Germany, Russia, France, Spain, Grenada, Brazil, Ireland,Canada, and I am sure there are many more but I have yet to meet or even hear about any Americans at all. I know there are some but evidently they did not start out the same day I did. Most people are walking at the same pace so we will finish around the same time -October 1 or 2.

There is a wonderful German group I have connected with. Unlike 98% of the pilgrims they are like me and staying in hotels. We have some of the same hotels and today I would not have found my hotel had I not tagged along. Walked the last 4 hours with 2 lovely German girls, around 20, both students and on a very, very limited budget. I made them stop at a cafe with me so I could get us a Coke. I hope I see them tomorrow but they are staying in a hostel and I don´t know when they will leave for the trail. I left at 7:30 this morning and finished at 5:00. Totally wiped out but after taking THREE baths I am much better. I will repack my backpack tonight and be ready to leave about 7:00 AM. Lots of sun expected, they have not had rain since June and there are few places to get water so will take a lot. It weighs my backpack down but can.t depend on finding it, I do know that we will pass a wine fountain tomorrow where you can fill your cup with free wine but I will pass on that.

Had a wonderful time today among the vinyards and olive groves. I had never seen olive groves. Had a break at a 13th century Roman town and walked a Roman road for about 2 hors. All of these villages or towns are at the top of the hills and it is brutal.

I have been thinking about all of you and I have prayed for you. Prayer comes so easily along the Camino. Did you know that if you stay on the trail butterfiles follow you? That is true, has happened to me. If you get off it you do not see the butterflies.

THank you all for following Steve on my status. He has never been a FB follower so this is a labor of love for him.

Buen Camino!