Day 10: Gandesa to Batea

Date	03 Jul 2025 ( Thursday )
Today's Distance:	8 miles / 13 km
Total This Camino:	68 miles
Total All Caminos:	1686 miles
Route and Stats
Lodging (Deb & I):	€ 92 @ Hotel Celler Pinol
Total Lodging:	$ 617
Total Airplane(s):	$ 1360
Travel Insurance (Larry):	$ 360
Buses / Trains / Taxis (Deb & I):
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 220
Food (Deb & I) :	€ 62
Total Food:	$ 500

On the Road

Forgot to start the app on leaving Gandesa. Left off a distance of 2.5 Mi. That means total distance for the day was 8 Mi. Lots of sun, not much shade. But temperatures were lower by about 4° f. Start temperature was about 75f. End temperature was about 85 f.

7:00 a.m. Wake up. Short distance today so sleeping in. Breakfast was salami and chorizo and cheese and yogurt and a banana.

Got stung by a wasp in the apartment. Hurt like hell, but no allergic reaction. Ice and ibuprofen.

8:00 a.m. On the road. Sun is out but temperatures are not too bad, mid-70s Fahrenheit.

10:45 a.m. It was about this time that I realized that my hat, critical for sun protection, had blown off. Once again I was running on my Camino, this time backtracking, hoping I would find it. It took several bends in the road, but find it I did, and I was so glad. That hat is an absolute life saver.

12:00 p.m. Arrive Batea. Pretty seamless check-in. Very nice room. Very friendly host.

From Deb's blog:

The hills were quite a bit longer than expected, but occasional strong winds dried the sweat and cooled the skin. Still, a hill is a hill, or at least I thought so until Larry’s and my morning conversation.
– looks like another trek up a mountain
– that's a hill
– it feels like a mountain
– it's a hill
– what's a hill?
– not a mountain
– what's a mountain
– not a hill
– OK, so when does a hill become a mountain?
– maybe there's a geological definition, but its psychological.

Meaningful Moment

Having a European style lunch with Deb at what is reported as the best restaurant in Batea, according to our host.

In traditional European style, once seated, we were not rushed by the staff to make decisions and eat and open up the table.

In fact, I would say that we spent about 2 hours having our midday meal.

European style is so relaxed but for me it can be challenging to just sit there and wait for the next part of the meal to arrive. It is important to understand that the staff are not inefficient, they do not want to crowd your dining experience which should be enjoyed and taken at his time for leisure, not to be worried through.

First course, paella with shellfish and shrimp and beef

Apologies for having started eating.

Second course: local sausage, tomato and baked potatoes.

Apologies again for starting into the Crema Catalan.

Dessert: a local dessert reminiscent of Creme Brulee.

Random Thought of the Day

Tomorrow we leave the autonomous community of Catalonia and enter Aragon.

This is day 7 of actual hiking.

This Camino is like nothing I've done before.

Having a great time, but the heat is forcing so many changes in style.

Regularly getting up at 5:00 a.m. Plus or minus a little bit, and walking by six a.m. with the goal of finishing by noon.

Again, I have simply not done a Camino that required this dedication to early rising.

Deb and I have been enjoying getting up early, not only to beat the oppressive heat, but to get to our destination sooner so that we can explore and dive a little deeper into the local culture.

The heat is often a limiting factor when we are ready to explore our latest destination.

It can keep us inside or limit our explorations outside. However, the overall plan is working successfully in that we are experiencing these smaller cities, towns and villages, rather than passing through, only stopping for a bed.

9:30 p.m. we have a thunderstorm crossing the area. It's a small cell so it won't last long. But it is so refreshing to see drops of rain. I always need to be reminded how much I don't need the sun when I cannot get away from it no matter what time of day it is.

What Deb and I wouldn't give for cloud cover while hiking.

The people of Batea who worked in the service industry, seemed less friendly, not hostile, just less interactive.