Belorado to Atapuerca, 18 Miles

Last night's pilgrims dinner was worth remembering. The paella was absolutely delicious—I ate a huge bowl and probably could have eaten more. Then the eight of us were served Orujo, a bright yellow, very strong liquor in small shot glasses. With salad, bread and ice cream, it was the best meal so far.

I met Onno at 7:30 this morning to start our walk together and stayed with him all day. The Camino allows you to talk about very personal things. Maybe it's because you know you'll never see this person again once you go home. We laughed today, we both cried today, we sang songs together. It was all very special and enjoyable. I went a little further than he did today, but I'm sure we'll find each other again.

I saw Elín at the end of the day, which made me very happy since I hadn't seen her in a few days. We'll meet for dinner tomorrow night since she's not in the same town as I am tonight.

Today was the first day it truly rained. And when it rains on the Camino, it rains hard. We probably walked in the rain for three hours, but that's part of the Camino, so you just keep going. Everyone stops to put their ponchos on frantically and starts walking again. After all, there isn't really anywhere to get out of the rain, so you have to continue.

I'm happy to report that I love my poncho: front zipper with Velcro closure, actual sleeves with elastic at the wrists, hooded with a firm beak, designed to cover your backpack. My short legs came in handy because my poncho nearly reaches my ankles. I was nice and snug and dry and ready to keep going.

Once again, I'm very happy to report that every place I've stayed has been wonderful by Camino standards. I have mostly private rooms with my own bathroom in albergues. Every single room has been as clean as can be, and you're greeted so nicely everywhere. The rooms are tiny—maybe 200 square feet—but you don't need anything more than that for one night. You just need a place to shower and sleep.

When you get to your albergue for the night, you first see all the backpacks that have been transported from your last stay to the current place. Every time, my full backpack has been there waiting for me. When you leave in the morning, you leave it where it was the night before, and then it's at your next place when you arrive the next day. Best thing ever.

It was so hard to know if I was choosing the right places when I was planning this trip, so I'm immensely relieved that everything is so nice and so easy.

My body is getting used to the routine. Eighteen miles seemed like nothing today, even though it was over eight hours of walking and we only stopped once.

Buen Camino.