Day 8 - August 29: dedicated to my former neighbour in Baltimore, Maryland, and dear, old 91 year ...

friend Lucy Poling,  now living in Florida, whom I adore and who for over 30 years of friendship, still makes me laugh. The extreme heat today made me think of when we lived in Baltimore, with the high humidity often giving us temperatures close to 100.  It was like that today.

This has been the hottest day so far, 35 degrees. We left Los Arcos at 6 am and hiked 18.6 km.  We started out under a beautiful full moon. We were in Viana by 1:30.  A pretty uneventful day, except for a big conversation in Spanish with three guys who gave us some figs fresh from a fig tree, so we gave them some Canada and US pins, only to find out they were from Brazil originally and now living in the US.  That was funny! Such is the Camino.

I am still hiking ahead of Nancy, especially in the morning, as I like that time for reflection, and total silence.  Plus when you are walking in the dark, you need to pay attention to where you are going. Even with a headlight!

I am finding each day is getting harder, because of the crushing heat but once we have put in our day and arrive at the albergue, I am ready for anything.  We met up with Sari and Katherina, and our German friend from day 1, Bärbel.  We have our first really, lovely, expensive meal in a hotel dining room.  24 Euros with wine!  Well worth it. My first real beef, since getting here.

Our albergue (municipally run hostel) in an old monastery again, was excrutiatingly suffocating. We had no window, no breeze, and Nancy had a totally naked Frenchmanin the bunk above her.  She noticed this when she got up to go to the bathroom, and she is frankly fed up with twigs and berries, as she calls them. When she came back, someone had covered up his privates with a facecloth.  I wonder who did that?

Spanish people are ever so helpful, and kind, but in the service industry, it is a different story. Service industries are understaffed and their staff overworked, especially during siesta time - between 2 and 5 each day. It is often very hard to get served.  However, we aren't starving, and do appreciate when we get to eat.

We have decided that tomorrow we are splurging on a private hostel, with our own room, so no more naked men every where you look! :)  Plus no symphony of snores.  For a few Euros more....

Good night my Lucy! Hope Nancy is reading you my blogs.

With love and gratitude for where I am, the beautiful city of Viana, Spain.