The Physical Side Effects of Doing Things

Today, we only walked 8.7 miles to a larger city called Milede. It's not the most pleasant place, but there's ATMs and supermarkets, so it'll have to do! I finally broke down and bought my own walking stick and knee brace yesterday so that my legs would continue to function properly. A lot of my soreness and stiffness had faded this morning, but my right calf feels less like muscle and more like a cramped, tight ball of sadness and of course my feet feel like small limbs specifically designed to feel pain. I'm doing quite well despite that, and I'm proud of how far the #tlupilgrims have come. We'll be in Santiago by Wednesday!
-Kelsey Cooper

Tree climbing on the Camino is always a good idea!

Before the stairs group picture

"Hey St. Bernard!!!"

So, due to a lack of WIFI we have been unable to communicate with the outside world. Sorry, not sorry. Being disconnected is probably one of best things about this trip. Granted, I love my technological device as much as the next person, but the ability to just BE is something one doesn't often get. Yesterday we stayed in a small village in an alburgue called, "Casa Garcia". Outside of the cows and dogs, the inhabitants probably numbered in the 10's. One inhabitant stole my heart. Meet, the dog I named St.Bernard.

This beautiful dog would roll over so I could rub her belly and any time I stood up, she would reach out with her paws to try and stop me from leaving. While the picture does look like she is trying to keep me away, the exact opposite is what was happening!

-Buen Camino from the TLU pilgrims, and St. Bernard

"Uno jamon con queso bocadillos, por favor!"

So today, we traveled from Madrid to Sarria. We took the metro to a train station and then rode a train for six hours. It was unanimously voted that the train trip was far more comfortable than the plane. We got our first good look at the Spanish countryside. Madrid was very urban, and buzzed like a busy city should. 

The countryside featured rolling hills, flat plateaus, and small mountains and cliffs. 

We grabbed lunch at the train station before we boarded, and this pilgrim is proud to say that with no prior background in the language at all, I managed to order my lunch without any help! "Uno jamon con queso bocadillo, por favor!" My ham and cheese sandwich was amazing and I'm quite proud of my accomplishment!

Also a momentous occasion for us, we got to get our first stamps on our Camino passport and we saw our first yellow arrow, the indicator for many pilgrims as to where to go next!

We've checked into our first albergue and had an amazing pizza and pasta for dinner! Pictured is the street our restaurant and albergue are located on in Sarria. 

Tomorrow begins a short day of walking- only 10 miles to Paradela. We're hoping for very little rain, but it seems as if it will drizzle our whole time here! A most-likely-soggy blogger will check in again tomorrow to update on our progress. Thanks for reading!

-Kelsey Cooper

Hotel Regina

This is the outside of the beautiful hotel we stayed in last night!

We are here!

After a two hour flight to Atlanta, Georgia and an eight hour flight to Madrid, we are finally here! Our passports got stamped and we are ready to see Madrid...well, after a much needed nap of course. Our sight seeing adventures today included walking around the beautiful city of Madrid learning about some of the history of the places with the help of our guide Kepa. We all discovered the deliciousness of bocadillas (sandwiches) and cafe con leche, which now holds a special place in my heart and my tummy. After a quick Camino orientation and a wonderful dinner, all the pilgrims, including me are ready for a peaceful night's sleep to prepare for our train ride tomorrow.
Buenas noches!