Well my first night in an albergue was everything I thought it would be. A symphony of snoring, flatulence, and 2 toilets in use played their tunes for me last night. The albergue had great acoustics I could hear every instrument but they all seemed to be playing in different keys. The percussion section in the bathrooms could not keep time. And the solos- well, what can I say. On the bright side, Whoop rated my sleep at 98%.

Today’s walk was chilly and damp. Part of me wanted to power through it to avoid some thunderclouds hanging to the west. I took one brief rest. At about the halfway point, 7 miles in and 7 to go, I could see the Cathedral de Salamanca off in the distance. It was an impressive sight even from 7 miles away. I thought of how moved the early pilgrims must have been to come onto this magnificent sight. Today it is nestled within a thriving city but back then it must have been far more imposing.

Salamanca is a beautiful town with lots to do. Some pilgrims are taking an extra day to see the sites. Last year we took 4 days off the Camino to spend time in some of the cities we passed through. I found it difficult to change from pilgrim to tourist. I do not plan to take any days off on the VDLP so I’ll see a bit of the city, spend some time with Dominique and Tim then head to 8:30 mass at a small chapel near my hotel

The concert hall

Unfriendly sky

Today’s rest stop

Christian comfort stop

Entrance to town

Fine dining with Tim. Those are artichokes