Walked: 16.0 Km

Approximation, phone battery was drained

I looked down a cliff next to the sea. I saw some natural pools formed by the shape of the rocks. My phone was dead and I had no idea if it was safe to go down. I would later find out they are called Pozas de Langre The tide could come up and get me into trouble. I decided it was worth the risk, and found a narrow path that zig-zagged down the side of the cliff.

I stripped myself from my clothes and swam. It was the most amazing feeling. I went underwater and opened my eyes. Everything was alive, the rocks covered in moss and molusks, hermit crabs scrambling, tiny fish swimming. These raptures with nature have a healing effect on the soul.

But natural places of this beauty seldom belong to one lover, and as I floated on my back I saw two pilgrims peeking from the top of the cliff, and soon enough they were making their way down. One was either too coward or too sane to make her way down the path, the other pressed forward until she reached the bottom.

I decided that my 45 minutes of solitude were enough to refresh my soul, and that I ought to leave the place for the next pilgrim to experience the same intimate rapture with nature. I climbed up the cliff and said hello to the coward/sane friend, who was puffing impatiently for her friend to end her swimming. I looked down and saw she was experiencing the same thing as I had. “It’s better to not wait for her, she’ll take a while”.