Long hard day doing 22 hilly Km in the rain

Octopus Galicia style

Moras. Wild blackberries along the Camino

Traditional drying bins

Walking through rural Spain in September is fascinating. These are mostly tiny subsistence farms where they eat what they grow. We are passing corn fields and many of the traditional elevated corn drying bins, apples trees, and all the expected herbs, green leafy vegetables and tomatoes. My children had never seen how Brussels sprouts grow. Also interesting are the thousands of wild blackberry bushes all in full production at this time of year. Here they are called moras and they have taken over the stone fences that line the farmers fields as well as the Camino. It is common to see pilgrims feasting on ripe apples, figs, and blackberries along the way. We have all been enjoying the rustic bread, wine of the house, as well as the local flavors in the “pilgrim meals”. Last night we had a roommate join us in out Albergue. He is a radiology technician from Croatia who has walked from France. Out full meal with win and other beverages came to 67 euros for the seven of us. I am considering moving here.

We woke this morning after a solid and well earned sleep ready for a lighter day of walking. Starting at kilometer marker 78, we anticipated rain as it was cloudy and windy. After about an hour of walking it started to rain. We paused to put on rain jackets and backpack coverings and drive on. Our goal for the day was to be about 15 km. The group seems to enjoy being off cycle. By that I mean that the guide books have recommended daily walks that tend to go from city to city and are usually about 25 km each day. That may sound like very little but please know that Spain is a mountainous country and each ancient city was built in a river or some source of water. That means to get into town you must negotiate a significant down hill and you would start each day by climbing out of the valley. By being “off cycle”’we are able to stay in small albergues along basically flat terrain and start our morning on the same terrain. Much more comfortable. It is hard to walk through these beautiful forests of pines and eucalyptus without thinking of the many millions who have walked these same places for over a thousand years. Each of us taking the lead when it feels appropriate and lagging back when it is necessary. We are becoming more of a family among the family of pilgrims. We are now settled in to Casa Domingo in San Xulian at kilometer mark 62. We hope to accomplish 20 km tomorrow “si Dios quiere”. We have five days to get to Santiago wish us Buen Camino.

The gang on the Camino walking the rain

After yesterday’s rough start, today was a dream. Our hotel fed us a classic Spanish breakfast and our plan to walk only about 15 Km brightened the spirits. That was until we learned that it was all uphill. It was very cool with a light breeze. Great for me who managed to sweat through all my clothes in the first Km. The others wore light jackets. We were spread our over several hundred meters as the pace of walking varied. We managed to check in before 1:00 and since we were hungry and dehydrated, we decided to eat lunch first. With full bellies we checked into our room, showered, did laundry, and rested until dinner. Most dinners in Spain are from 9 PM. This place offers dinner from 6:30. Very American and it will allow us to be asleep by 8:00. We are on track to complete the Camino on 9 September and just enjoy the 10th.

So we started our day later than expected. We were all so incredibly tired for the journey that the morning was beyond chaos. Amanda was concerned that she would be the last one awake. Instead, she was the first up and it was not until after 7 when we turned on the lights and began refilling our packs and organizing for the day. It was then that I realized that I had failed to call the phone number of the person who arranged to move our backpacks to the next Albergue. In a complete panic, I consulted the 8 year old guidebook for an Albergue to which we could send our packs and I sent an email to the company that moves the packs. We started our walk at 0745 on our way to Portomarin. It was to be a 20 Km walk. We walked about 25 without finding the Albergue. I was ahead of the group when I realized that the Albergue May no longer exist. We could out that was indeed the case and here we were, exhausted, thirsty, without a place to stay, and having no idea where our packs were. With the assistance of a wide number of Camino Angels, and a kind taxi driver, we ended up is a lovely rural hotel, found the backpacks, had a full and sufficient meal and are ready to rest and do it all again tomorrow. This time, I have a reservation at an actual Albergue that is still in operation, and we are only planning to walk about 15 Km. More tomorrow.