Day 9

Every night is so hot. The albergues never have AC and even the breeze doesn't seem to do much. So I haven't used my sleeping bag in about 4 nights. Just sleep in shorts and a sports bra to keep as cool as possible and pray the temp gets cold enough outside the cool air blows in so I can sleep without being drenched in sweat. My sun burn is still peeling and very sensitive so my pack rubbing against it it's great. I woke up this morning and started hiking around 445 and as soon as I woke up my Achilles hurt. But I walked pretty well for a couple hours. The problem was today was a lot of uphill which stretches out the tendons and hurts more so the last couple miles were unbearable. I walked to Viana about 11 km and then Emma and marnix helped me find a bus. 

The problem is I can't figure out how to look up bus schedules so I just sat on a bench near a sign that said "no parking except bus and taxi" in hopes it was a bus stop and just waited for almost an hour until a bus showed up. My Spanish is very poor so I just asked the bus driver "logrono?" And he said "si" so I got on the bus. The bus is very cheap. Everything is here. Lodging is between 6-12 euros which is about the same in dollars. Food is cheap. I got a crossaint and hot chocolate for 3 euros. The bus is usually 2 euros or under and they're nice coach buses so it's a good deal. So I took a bus the last 8 km again. I'm getting really frustrated it's still bothering me a week later. I keep icing it and taking ibuprofen and try to push my weight on my stick to take the pressure off my foot but there's no way to walk without it affecting my Achilles.

So I took a bus and then wandered around trying to find the albergue and since it wasn't open when I arrived in the city around 10 I sat at an cafe and had breakfast and walked around the cathedral in the plaza which was beautiful. I'm learning to appreciate the art and architecture in the churches even tho I'm not religious. I still appreciate the amount of effort and money that gets put into making those sculptures and stain glass and shrines so intricate. The albergue were at has a cold foot pool to soak your feet which felt amazing. And we're in the wine capital of Spain so I've been drinking all day and got drunk for the first time on this trip and then went to the market with Emma and marnix to pick up some food to cook for dinner.

June 20

Class today was interesting. Although my teacher focuses a lot on Christianity. He asked us how we learn right from wrong and where our morals come from. People brought up our parents teach them to us and I also explained that we must trust the people telling us values and also must prove these lessons to be correct through our own experiences. We can hold something to be true as long as it proves to be correct most of the time since we can not believe in something that we don't believe is possible. My teacher didn't seem to interested in my ideas but then spent the next hour basically restating what I said with the exception that we learn values from stories as children and each story includes little life lessons that we process as important and follow in our lives. It was a pretty interesting class but went on for just a little bit too long and I started getting tired since it was hard to focus on an abstract topic like that after being awake since 415 this morning.

I facetimed nate for the first time today which felt really good to hear his voice. I did most of the talking but it felt so good to express everything I was feeling out loud. He's my best friend so I don't hold anything back with him and told him every feeling I've been having for the past week and what's been stressing me out and how I'm in my head too much. I know my stress is all in my heAd. I'm a perfectionist and hold myself to such high standards that I feel like I must compete with the others in my group to walk every mile. They're all so nice about it and no one makes fun of me for taking the bus it's just pressure I put on myself to fulfill expectations that I put on myself. Talking to nate I also realized that I am more interested in the cities we pass through rather than the nature. Don't get me wrong I love nature it's why I was so excited to come on this trip but there is not much scenery here that is 100% rare. Most of the mountains and trees look very similar to Virginias blue ridge mountains and while I love looking at it, it is the history and architecture of the towns and cities that really interests me since it is so unique to the culture and holds so much history. 

So I'm trying not to feel guilty about taking the bus. I love Spain because of how beautiful it is but I don't want to be miserable and exhausted all the time so that I am rushing through the culture and beauty of these small towns I would never get to experience if not because they were located along the Camino. Kira cut her knee open today since she fell on loose gravel so I went with her to get a volunteer at the albergue to clean it out for her so it doesn't get infected. It's pretty decent and looks gnarly so hoping it remains healthy. Most of my blisters are healing well except for my newest addition of a blister on the side of my left big toe. I am hoping it doesn't get worse. It's not too painful yet but I definitely feel it when I walk. Although my Achilles is the main focus of my pain.