One week done

Well we made it through our first week walking around 110 miles. Yesterday we walked 18 miles and it was very difficult and I was just about in tears by the time we got to our hotel. We did encounter a little rain but not much. We have been very lucky in that respect. There has been much discussion among the pilgrims on the chance of rain every day. We are officially referred to as pilgrims or "los peregrinos" but I am pretty sure the locals refer to us as "las idiotas." They are not wrong!

Today we have our first rest day in Logroños. We have been looking forward to this like children at Christmas. Unfortunately one of my traveling companions has very bad blisters and is on her way to a medical facility to have them looked at.

This Camino is no joke. It is very hard, physically, mentally and emotionally. However we have met some wonderful people from all over the world, as you often run into the same people over and over. Many of them we know by name but others we refer to by the nicknames we have given them such as "Harmonica girl" "the sweet girl from Italy" "the Missouri woman" "Daisy from Downton Abbey." Everyone has their own reasons for doing this crazy thing, and many have done it multiple times. Some people we have met are only walking a portion of it, with plans to come back and do another section. I know that many of my friends and family think we are nuts, but other people who walk the Camino stay in the "albergues" or hostels and often have to keep walking at the end of the day to find an available bed. We are staying in hotels. So, it's all relative!

So, today we rest, tomorrow we tackle another 18-19 miles!