A beautiful day on my long walk to Santiago de Compostela
Another beautiful day on the Camino. I wake up early and see through the wide open windows how dark it still is. I don’t spend too much time to get ready. A lot of the things that I normally do in the morning are all done in the afternoons: showering, putting on clean clothes, and packing all that I need. I leave the hostel quietly and find my way back to the Camino.
The city is still asleep; I follow the river that leads me out of Ponferrada and into the fertile Bierzo region. I admire the sunrise and stop to photograph wildflowers.
The pretty blue-colored chicory is grown as a forage crop for livestock but grows here on the side of the street. And so does the yellow large-flowered evening-primrose; orginally from Brazil, it has somehow found its way to Northern Spain.
I stop at a small cafe and drink a freshly squeezed orange juice. But there is no time to lazily enjoy the sights of a village waking up. The sun is getting warmer, and I continue my journey through vineyards and orchards.
I find a hostel before the heat hinders my progress. The routine sets in: shower, clean clothes, doing laundry. Pilgrim days don’t start in the morning, but when arriving at the day’s destination.
An Alexnote, beautiful!
And lovely photos, even one of a friend.
The text reads like a page from a book by a celebrated author. Your descriptions of your dawning day draw in the reader to feel as though they accompany you.
I love that. And await the book.
You have a purpose which sets your day’s agenda, so you set out early & don’t linger. I could see where it might be tempting to drink your fresh orange juice & watch the village wake up & start their day.
I looked up the weather in Villafranca, & see it’s sunny & a high of 100°F today. By Friday the high will be 107°F, with low humidity. That is real motivation to set out early! Your pictures are lovely, & I love your AlexNote. Stay safe!