22. Day 20 to A Gudina

Regarding yesterday: Some went out to eat. I stayed in bed. On one hand, I had already eaten, and on the other hand, some of the group weren't very nice. A girl from Eastern Europe was very friendly. I would have liked to chat with her, but instead, I chilled at the accommodation, well, I brushed my teeth, planned the day ahead, spent some time on Instagram, and then went to bed early.

I had set my alarm for 4:15, but the Spaniard next to me was extremely loud at night. First, he turned on his phone and listened to music with headphones, but it was still audible, and then he was laughing. I don't understand why people can't be considerate. I woke up before my alarm and quietly snuck out into the hallway to finish packing there. The German in front of me had also gotten up and was already on his way.

At 4:40, I set off. There were three routes available to start. The normal one, which was very steep, then the bike route along the road the whole time, and finally a detour route that was also 1.6 kilometers longer. I first went on the road and then switched to the detour route. Unfortunately, I missed the initial turnoff for this route, so I had to walk back almost a kilometer. Then it was into the woods and navigating under bridges. On the way, I noticed that the actual path was closed, so I was glad I chose the detour. It led into the woods and steeply uphill. It was also slippery because many paths were flooded by streams. Gradually, I made progress. Unfortunately, the app for navigation wasn't very optimal. There were paths that didn't exist in reality or that no longer existed. Generally, the Camino Love app is great; it just needs to be updated, along with the maps. For example, you can see on the map that there's a gas station around the corner, but when you turn, you see a dilapidated building that hasn't been in use for several years. Well, I continued walking, and slowly I progressed. It crossed over a car tunnel and then slightly downhill. After a while, I reached a spot where I took a 10-minute break. My socks were still dry, and so I continued on. I thought I had endured the worst, but that was wishful thinking: Now I was going into the woods, and the path was mostly water. In the middle, there were stones that were sometimes passable, but far too often they were flooded as well. Plus, it went uphill steeply again. I almost slipped twice. And in the woods, there was literally no way, and the map from the app was adding to the confusion, so I just kept going uphill. The path lasted about 2 hours, and I really had no desire to keep going. My shoes and socks were soaking wet, and I couldn't walk uphill anymore. Luckily, a flat road finally appeared, and I saw benches and laid down for half an hour. Before that, I had taken off my completely soaked socks and stuffed my shoes with newspaper to dry them out. I ate a few nuts and had something to drink, and then I continued on in new socks. I encountered another pilgrim from Spain who was already on her 12th Camino. We chatted a bit, I took a photo of her and a selfie of us, and then I continued. Before the break, I was completely done, but after the break and the pleasant conversation, everything looked different again. I was in a good mood, and so I went on. Initially, the path was dry, but then it became a bit damp again. But I made the best of it. Fortunately, it was warm. The sun was really shining strongly today. Later, I crossed hills and meadows, and the beautiful panorama made it all worthwhile. I had my wet socks drying in my hand, and they were now dry again, and though the path was rocky and uphill, it was truly beautiful. It went on like this for another 10 kilometers until the goal. I didn't meet anyone else. The last 4 kilometers went through some villages and along the road. In one village, all the villagers wished me a Buen Camino. That motivates you as well. Towards the end, it dragged on, and although I had longer stages before, today was one of the hardest. When the town sign appeared, it probably took another half hour until you actually reached the town. Unfortunately, everything was closed, but the hostel is truly a dream. For €10, you get a clean bed and bed linens. The hostel was opened just 3 years ago and is in really good shape. Everything is clean and tidy. There's a nice communal room, kitchen, and so much more. There’s a lamp and socket at the bed. After showering, I relaxed in the sun and wrote my blog. Just now, the German from the last accommodation, David from Aachen, arrived. I chatted with him for a bit. Let’s see what I'll do now, but I definitely need to check the stage for tomorrow. There are a few elevation meters again.