Walking Day 6

I'm lying on my back on a hill in the shade with my feet higher than my head....head down hill. I never could have guessed how hard this is. I never thought it would be tihs hot. It is exhausting just to be in the sun not even pushing up miles of hills. Most of us have heat rashes some where, mine is on my feet and they are swollen and itchy. Good news is my blisters are much better, now just my swollen ankles to deal with. High top boots were one of those non-essentials I sent to Santiago. Oh well, they did cause the first blisters.
We are all showered and cleaned up for dinner but at 6:30 in the sun it is still over 85. it was again today at least 95 and we walked 6 hours , no coffee or lunch on the way, did have coffee bread and jam at the albergue before we left this morning, and only a couple shirt rest breaks. I have to do better with the breaks.
It was a beautiful walk though mostly rolling country. Lots of grape vineyards both red and green and still a few blackberries. Several pretty steep sections up to old fortresses and churches.

We are in Los Arcos and have had the great pleasure of seeing the inside of the Parroguia de SantaMaria, one of the most impressive cathedrals I have ever seen. It was built in the 12th century but has been embellished in 16,17,and18th cen so it has Gothic, Boroque and Classical styles and a Renaissance bell tower. We attended the evening mass and after the reg mass the priest brought all of us Pilgrims to the front and talked to each asking where we were from and giving each of us a blessing written in our own languages. There were approximately 50 of us at the mass and probably more than 100 of us in town.

Our guide book has us doing 17 miles tomorrow but we are planning to make tomorrow a short day, hopefully my ankles and feet can get back closer to there normal size.

Have to go, have 15 mins before lights out and I still have to pack up so we can leave quietly in the morning. All is well on Camino.
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