Camino de Santiago - Day 5

The morning was the coldest do far with the temperture dipping to 32 degrees.  The day started off slowly because we were waiting till 10:30 to visit the post office.  We had been wanting to lighten our packs for days but all the previous towns were too small to have a real post office. The postal women was very friendly and we were excited to mail 10 pounds of gear to Santiago.  We had a long 21 kilometer day ahead and didn't get started till noon. We decided to add a kilometer to the day and deviate from the established path to follow the river rather than the highway. It was amazing.  Most everyone else stuck to the road.   The river was very scenic and well worth the extra distance. We finished late  in the day feeling completely exhausted and sore.  So we opted to check out the first pilgrim refuge was saw.   It was a very old monastery that was quite charming. The people working there were extremely friendly and we got a private room for 14 euro.  Sweet!!