We finally got to sleep in and didn't leave the hotel till after ten. We stopped back at the cathedral to get a stamp on our trail passports but were startled as a service was going on. To receive the certificate of completing the pilgrimage you must have walked every step of the last 100 kilometers and receive at least two stamps per day. We had already walked over 100 kilometers but now these were the important ones. We really wanted that stamp from the cathedral. I whispered to a man who was cleaning the church and he pointed us in the right direction. A woman gave us the stamps and we were turning to leave when another woman came in and started talking to us. She wanted us to know more about Catholicism and what was so special about this cathedral. She gave us many pamphlets about Jesus and Mary. At one point she told us to trust in Jesus and that he would forgive our sins. Though I've never been religious and know nothing of the bible and its teachings, tears welled up in my eyes. Something about the feeling or energy in the church made what she was saying feel so profound.
We left and continued on our journey, feeling refreshed and determined like I hadn't felt before. We didnt end up getting out of Lugo till after 11 o'clock, a really late start for pilgrims. The sun was already high in the sky and it was too warm for comfort. We made it out of the city and into rolling fields. We took a break near some vending machines and decided music might give us a second wind. We popped in our headphones and danced down the street. The last hour of the hike became difficult again and no amount of Bruno Mars could shake away the soreness.
We got to the "town" and tried to check into our room. It was a small house split up into 3 rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Our twin beds were shoved in with barely any room to walk around. At least the beds were clean and comfortable. Our "breakfast included" was a loaf of bread, some instant coffee, and a container of dirty butter from the previous guests. I went to use the restroom and found a pube daintily placed on the toilet seat, signaling that it had not even been wiped off since its last use. I was pissed at how much we had paid for such a shit hole (no exaggeration). We walked over to the hostel that had gotten worse cleanliness reviews than our place and tried to eat. We were amazed by the food! It was absolutely delicious which slightly softened the blow for how terrible our room was. We gobbled it up and sulked back to the pube house. I spent most of the night awake listening for mice.
Stats
Lugo - San Ramao de Retorta
Miles: 12
Steps: 29,153
Dogs: 14
Bugs in our accommodation: thousands