“Knock three times, and ask for El Toro!”

After a blissful eight hours of uninterrupted sleep—a first for this trip—I left the hostel in Villamayor just as the sun peeked over the horizon. The path ahead, winding through vineyards and framed by rolling hills, glowed in the morning light.

By 9:30 a.m., I’d covered seven miles to Los Arcos, where I ran into Alden and Grant. The local church, one of my favorite stops on the Camino, opened at noon, but it was too long a wait to consider sticking around. The brothers ordered breakfast at a café in the square, and I joined them for more great conversation. Alden walked me through an assortment of itineraries in the Himalayas and quelled my fears about hiking Tour du Mont Blanc without lodging reservations. We parted ways at about 10:30 a.m.

Pushing on, I reached Torres del Río and found a small café. After my 42-hour fast, I broke it with a ham, cheese, and tomato bocadillo, slathered with olive oil. With only €3.70 in my pocket and the sandwich costing €3.50, it was pure luck I could eat—Torres del Río has no ATMs, and no one takes cards.

The next seven miles to Viana were a slog. The trail rose and fell relentlessly with the rolling hills all afternoon. I arrived in Viana around 3 PM and checked into a €15 albergue, buzzing with Italian bicyclists. With little to do in Viana, I hopped a bus to Logroño to find an ATM and some dinner.