Alexandra has been wanting to do a sunrise walk so she woke me at 5:30 and we packed in the hallway and were on our way by 6. It was a beautiful morning with the pink sun rising just over the mountains.

I needed coffee so we stopped at the next town for my fix.  After that the mist below the mountain tops and the green rolling hills were too pretty for words. We found this very handsome bull having his breakfast with his nice family.

Galacia  is an enchanted land with moss and flowers, ferns and tiny streams.  I’m sure I will see a unicorn or rainbow pony any moment. The tiny, ancient stone houses where I’m sure hobbits and gnomes live, have moss covered slate roofs. This wise old tree has greeted pilgrims for 800 years.

In one small town I got stuck in the morning rush hour when all the cows were headed to their jobs on the field.  I just had to wait until it was my turn to go.

We stopped for more coffee and bacon and eggs. Then a bit later shared a drink with friends and some lunch.

We had just a 5km go in the afternoon before our hotel. We had been in Albergues for 8 nights in a row and were ready for a private bath and personal space. Except we misread the guide book and found out our hotel was 8 km further than we thought, nothing to do but keep going.

It was inevitable, I took a wrong turn again and got on the main road heading in the right direction but without Alexandra.   My phone battery was dead and I couldn’t text her.  I eventually flagged a car to take me to the hotel, plugged in my phone and was able to text her.  Meanwhile she was worried and looking for me. A French couple we met a few days ago helped calm her and soon after got my text. Crisis over, she eventually got to the hotel tired and thirsty.  It was an extra long day and over 16 miles of walking, we were grateful to be safe and sound in our own room.  No Camino is complete without a little drama but all is well that ends well.