After our ordeal last night of not being able to find a hotel in the rain we stayed in the albergue and slept in a room with 60 other beds. There weren’t that many pilgrims thankfully, about 30 or so. Plenty of snoring going on. My sleep was restless as I was awoken by someone walking past me and going to my bag. Not sure what they were up to but I did say something and they moved on. Nothing was missing in the morning but it did make me a little worried throughout the night. Perhaps they were fumbling for their own bag after coming back from the loo in the dark. Who knows.
Once again we were on top of a mountain and the mist and the gloom from the previous day had all but disappeared. Why does this always happen to us? We climb mountains in the gloom with nothing to see and not sure what to expect and awaken to see all the views clearly. Maybe the Lord is trying to tell me something.
We didn’t shower yesterday as the albergue showers were a bit feral. It looked like all the crap from the track we’d just walked on had been traipsed through the showers too. It was safer to wait till the next day to shower then.
Today was mostly a downhill day with a little uphill at the start. As the sun was out we were looking forward to it. We walked to the next town and had breakfast there in a small hotel. Ham and cheese boccadillos washed down with a long black coffee. We were set to go.
We’re in the province of Galicia now and the paths seem to be way better kept than the ones previously we’ve walked. Today the paths were mostly gravel and well maintained. Galicians also signpost the path really well telling you how many more metres you have to go to Santiago. We’re about 138km out.
It was cold this morning and the gloves and beanie were on but not for long. The sun was nice and warm today.
We’re still on the mountain tops with a couple of high points to reach before we begin our descent into Triacastela, our town for tonight.
We started our walk today with our friend Esther from Korea. At this point we prayed and broke bread. We’ve been doing this of a morning together as we’ve walked the Camino. It’s been a good way to pray together and start the morning well. On Sundays we go to Mass at whatever town we happen to be in.
This road leads us up to our second highest point today which is near the white house on the top of the hill in the photo above. There were many a farm smell to be smelt today as we walked through these little farm villages and barns today.
We left our friend Esther here and Ron and I began our downhill walk. We had about 13kms to do from this point. The leg muscles got a good workout today that’s for sure.
The afternoon was beautiful and warm with a really peaceful atmosphere.
By this stage Ron and I were walking at a relaxed pace and soaking up the atmosphere and the sun. It really was a pleasant afternoon even with the occasional not pleasant farm smell.
By this point we were coming to the end of our walk for the day. We could see Triacastela in the valley. We’d booked a hotel earlier, one with a restaurant and bar.
We made it! The picture above is the view from the hotel window. Time now for a shower and beer.
Today was a pleasant walk and being on the shorter side made it more relaxed. It certainly helped with the sun being out. Tomorrow should be more of the same. We walk into Sarria, a bigger town.
See you soon!
For stats and a map of today’s walk you’ll find them here.
Buen Camino! 😎