Day 10, 5/20/17 – 29.2km/14.7mi from Islares to Laredo with relatively flat walking.
We woke up to driving rain and thought we had another slushy grey day in front of us. We all prepared for the worst! But just as the weather report predicted, things cleared up quickly, and the rest of the day was perfect – not too hot, not too cold, and just the right amount of sunny. After stopping for a morning coffee, we decided to take an alternate trail that basically follows highway, instead of going into the forest – where those without hiking poles were concerned that terrain might be dangerous and slippery.
So basically the rest of the day was walking along roads and highways. Nice but not stunning scenery, until we arrived and the gorgeous seaside city of Laredo. The view from above it takes your breath away. We stayed in a parochial albergue called Casa de la Trinidad, run by the nuns of the convent of the same name, and ran into plenty of trail friends in town, including team Vegas – Serrina, Courtney, and Victoria.
After arriving, Joe and I went to the beach, did about 20 minutes of yoga, and swam for another 20 minutes. Takes a bit to get used to that frigid water but it is one of the best feelings ever! Then, Keith, Wooju, Katharina, David and I cooked an amazing Greek-themed dinner. A few of us attended the convent’s evening service, and then went to a few local bars to observe Saturday Spanish nightlife before turning in. Hard to believe we’ve already done 10 days!
