It's A Zoo Out Here , Gonzar to Airexe

Check out time is about 8 am in the hostels...many walkers leave well before that.  They walk upwards of 25-40 kilometers a day!!!!!

Not us.

We take our time when almost everyone is gone, and get ready to head out.

It is still dark at 0845!

Stopping for a break early this day...for a yummy Cafe con leche.....Coffee with steamed milk.

My three new friends....not sure why or how....but they all posed at the same time right in front of me.

Smile for the camera.

A very wee church to get a stamp for our Camino Passport.

Because we are doing the last 126 kilometers, we require two stamps per day.

The volunteer who works in this tiny church was blind.  He only required a little bit of assistance to stamp our books.

To my absolute delight....sheep were right out front of the church when I came out.

How fun is that?

But there was no farmer with them....so I took only one.....lol.

Onward and upward.

We are in sweeping views of pastures and farmland.

Animals everywhere today.

"The Camino will provide what you need" is the words a young man named Chris from York told us yesterday.

Thus....two pairs of hiking boots are left on route.

Pointing us in the right direction.....

Little Debbie at the top of the world!

"Follow the Yellow Brick Road."  Limestone turned this path bright yellow.

We are in high pastures....cows everywhere.

We usually have the Camino all to ourselves.  But every once and awhile there is a flurry of walkers that descend upon us.

Dark, rich soil, and lots of precipitation.....equals a ton of fungus/mushrooms all along the paths.

Another example of two signs for the Camino....pointing in different directions....

A local man in a car simply pointed straight ahead....thus off we go again.

My favourite little European Robin...a constant companion on the Camino.

Many, many, many flowers are still blooming.

They are HUGE.

LD found this incredible marker...looks like one of the stone circles from Outlander.

Unfortunately, this stone was at the bottom of a 720 meter climb for us.

Yikes.

"Captain....there be cow's in the streets."

And yes they do have the right of way.

Almost the end of this days hike.

It was hard.  Twenty pounds on our backs and walking 10 kilometers a day may not sound too challenging...but it definitely has tested our resolve to walk this Camino.

I don't understand why I thought the last part would be easy.  It's not.

Very steep hills with treacherous stone paths.  

But I wouldn't change a thing.....because this is a pilgrimage.   

It is a test and a challenge and we can do it.

But these two have had enough for one day.

(Napping along the Camino).