Officially this is the end of my third week of walking-21 days with 3 days off for a rest.

Fun Facts from My Way:

Distance travelled: 557.5 kilometres or 346.4 miles

Steps taken: 1,001,302

Number of bandaids used: 22

Number of churches and cathedrals seen: 100 (estimate)

Cost of staying at 16 Albergues (excluding hotels): $326 CAN

Number of Lessons learned: Priceless

The lesson of the week is push but not too much!

We must extend ourselves in order for growth to happen. We should push ourselves beyond our comfort zone but not to the breaking point for we will get discouraged and give up, and only learn that we can’t do this.

On days my shoulder is sore, my feet are fine; on days my shoulder is fine my feet are sore. I tend to push and then push and then push some more. I can do 1 more day; I can do 1 more village; I can do 1 more hour. So as a way of not pushing too hard I am taking a day off. I am in Astorga, which to me is the nicest place I’ve seen on my journey so far. Definitely worth visiting.

I have a room for 2 nights.

I have the hotel laundering my clothes (what a treat) so they will be nice and refreshed. I am soaking in a nice bath and had a massage so my body will be refreshed. I will spend some time reading, visiting this lovely town so that my mind will be refreshed.

All set for the next stage! Mountain climbing!

We are at the beginning of the mountain range and yesterday as I reached the top of the first hill it was such a relief to find this cafe!

Everything you would ever want was available at this self serve cafe: coffee, tea, cereal, numerous juice options including fresh squeezed orange, fresh fruit such as peaches, bananas, watermelon, apples, rice cakes and a number of sweets.

Cost? A penny or nothing or if inclined whatever you want to leave. It was a couple providing a respite at the beginning of a long hard journey.

I am walking the Way, they are Living the Way! A reminder of how do I take this experience home and make it a part of my life?

With my day of rest I visited the Gaudi Palace. Another amazing work of art by an enlightened architect.

Following that was a visit to the cathedral where I saw the Chapel of Saint Lawrence who slowly burned to death in the 3rd century for his beliefs.

Today I ran into known pilgrims and met new ones. There are jokes and stories and experiences that we all share and while we may never meet again it is a privilege to have crossed paths.

I have taken so many pictures and witnessed so much, it boggles me if I will remember everything but each moment and memory will add to my collective gratitude of walking the Camino.