Sept 19 Soto de Luina to Canero 31kms

yes 31 long kms today and we are nearly dead at the end of it. we were up and out of the albegue as soon as the daylight was sufficient and it was a wonderful walk, although hard because for most of the day , it was along asphalt and hard pavem ent. We were advised to take the road as the camino was a very steep up and down route along the sea from Soto. We did this for about 15 km and then diverted to the newly marked route which was surely a very steep up and down way along the sea. We are getting better and better at the hills, although some of the down ward paths are tough to manage with the uneven surface and the rocks. At one point , we meet some poor guy who had tried to go up a difficult steep path with a motor scooter which of course had failed and he war trying to push it up, and then down to get himself out of this predicament. We or course struggle with our back packs on such hills and could not longer push a motor scooter than fly to the moon at this stage of the climb. So we wish him well and push on.
We arrive at our destination to find that the alberque is a very small place, black mould on the ceiling and 10 beds in a cramped quarter with capacity to expand to 5 more on the floor later. SO............... it does not take much discussion to press on for another 7 kms to find a hostel. Now when you take a decision like this, you are usually in much better shape than you are one hour later, being half way through the trek. So we are pretty drained as we approach the destination. Again we follow the guide and with its precision, we are waiting for the hostal to appear around the next corner. Imagine our panic when the village is 3 houses and no sign of any hostal and 3 kms to the next village and us in an exhausted condition.
Well, when we pressed on around the next corner of the road, there sat a wonderful little hotel all by itself in the middle of the country, including a Spannish woman we had met earlier to translate our need for 5 beds and dinner.
We wishes we could have stayed there for a week as it was so nice. We had wonderufl rooms for E15 each and a delicious dinner which we really enjoyed. We closed the shutters and slept until 8 am in the morning and felt like we had been reborn with the great rest.
we can push ourselve beyond what we think we can do, but realize that this has a price. I feel the effect of walking more than 30 kms and so the next day we decide to shorten up so that we can not stress ourselves.
We are doing fine our little group and with the great weather and the many laughs we have along the way, we are heading very strongly towards the mountains that lie between us and Santiago.
Life is lives in the moments and we realize that the way in which we choose to enjoy the wonder and to deal with the challenges is what makes our spirit strong.
Maggee