Gaggenau – Baden Baden (24,3km)
On the third day of my trip, I woke up surprisingly rested. The second night in the tent was much more comfortable than the first. I actually slept through the whole night. Only the early rising of the sun meant that I packed up my tent at 6 a.m. and set off again. Once again, I couldn’t miss my morning coffee.
The path then led me through the forest to Gaggenau, about 5 km away. Once there, I was able to enter my second stamp in my pilgrim’s passport and also met the first pilgrim who, like me, wanted to walk to Santiago de Compostela.
However, as he didn’t want to come with me, I set off on my own again. After leaving Gaggenau, I continued through the forest.
After a few kilometers, I left the Way of St. James for a short while to climb the Merkur (I didn’t take the train, I walked!). The climb was a little longer than expected and I was accordingly exhausted, but also happy, when I reached the top. I stayed there for a while and enjoyed the view before setting off for the last section of the day.
After descending from the Merkur, I quickly returned to the actual part of the Way of St. James, which leads around the Merkur. I had actually planned to walk as far as Baden Baden. However, as there was a place to stay in the Lichtental monastery shortly before that, I took a room there.
As I won’t be staying in a tent tonight, but have my own room with a sink and electricity, I washed my clothes, recharged my batteries and treated myself to the luxury of a long shower, which was certainly necessary after three days of hiking.
Freshly showered, I use the time to write my diary and prepare this article. After that, I’ll read a bit more and then fall back into a soft bed after 2 nights in the tent.
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