July 6, 2026

Yes, I am definitely subterranean. And nocturnal. I couldn’t sleep.

I woke up at 3 AM and I knew that I just needed to walk. I drank some microwaved coffee, ate some cookies with jam and butter, and was the first one to sneak out of the albergue. I hoped I would never see any of the pilgrims at my hostel again. I wanted to give us a big buffer and meet new people.

***

Meseta has this way of pulling things out of you that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to be to do, so here I am walking. No reservation. No idea how many kilometers. Just a long straight flat desert road by myself in the dark. 

I see the big dipper in front of me and I don’t even need my headlamp because the light of the moon is guiding me. I am an underground creature of the night.

A mole mining for soul treasure.

I put a pair of shorts on that are so uncomfortable.

Maybe these uncomfortable days and moments are needed, and the sooner you accept them, the sooner it will pass. The sooner you can honour your needs and not self abandon.

I recognized my feelings and made space with them. I called my brother. I left some voice notes and listened to some new ones from friends. This comforts me in dark times.

After 5.6km, I arrived at the main village. Still dark. Roughly 5:30am. But then, I started to see pilgrims.

Today was the 16km stretch without breaks or shade. So with a high of 36 degrees, you bet people are walking early.

I quickly noticed a familiar face from a bar from my first day. And then another pilgrim wished me buen camino.

Pilgrims tend to be quiet and introspective in the mornings, but I could tell this one wanted attention.

I entertained her in some conversation, and quickly realized she was French. Just my luck. I kept the secret that I didn’t speak French.

The conversation was heavy to start, but also authentic. She was open. She even asked, with curiosity, about the camino life cycle.

Fast forward the 16km and we walked that whole way together talking. I was really growing to like her – let’s call her Bretagne.

There were even sunflowers in the desert – who knew.

We stopped at the bar at the end and saw many more pilgrims we both recognized – the Australian mother and daughter, the Slovenian women, and the Canadian man again.

This was comforting.

I didn’t want to be alone and needed new energy; I felt much better.

I walked by myself for a couple kilometers and then Bretagne caught up. Her feet were in a lot of pain so she was walking to Lédigos also – it was the closer option while others were going 2-6 more km.

There were two albergues in town. I knew the ones I wanted but resisted booking ahead. When we arrived at 11:30am, the heat was brutal. We sat down in the shade and drank some tinto de verano. Vibes. This was home.

We waited 1.5 hours before check in and saw many pilgrims pass. And right before check in – the group of 3 from my previous albergue arrived. But now I have my secret weapon – Bretagne. And her energy muted the others. We were so fun together. Lively. We talked about travels and tattoo with two Swedish women.

We quickly learned we are the black sheep in our families – the non-traditional. This made me so happy.

After checking in, I took a shower, did my laundry, and took a nap in the AC room. I wrote my blog and then got ready for the pilgrim dinner. Bretagne and I were joined by a Polish man and Swiss older woman.

We laughed so much together and it was one of my favourite meals so far. I felt part of something.

After dinner, we shared a bottle of wine in the garden and met an American-Brazilian couple who was lovely. I felt soul-connection with all of us. I gave out my first sunflower tokens that I made last year. This was special.

I watched half of the Spain-Portugal match before retreating to bed.

Today was exactly what I needed; the subterranean saw the light.

xoxo surrenderness 🌻