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September 22: Triacastille to Barbedelo

Decided to walk through Sarria and go to the next Albergure 5 kilometers past Sarria. Sarria is important because it is the last major village before Santiago. You have to show that you went through Sarria to get your certificate or Compestelle. Many  many people start here and walk the final 100 klicks. Jerry calls them plastic pilgrims or pretend pilgrims because they have not suffered like us and as I have said Pilgrims have to suffer. They cannot have fun and they cannot swear. Shyte!

2 euros for a glass, 3 euros for a bottle. Man oh man how I love this country.

Our pilgrim meal tonight.

Dinner for 12 euros or about 20 bucks. But remember we have to suffer so forget that you saw these pictures. They will self destruct after the pilgrimage is over.

 

Typical terrain

Done 670 klicks so far. About 100 to go.

Jerryisms:

“I am so hungry I could eat the scabs off of a badger.”

When describing another Pilgrim who walks very fast: “He takes off like a scalded cat.”

Read ya tomorrow. Galicia province is so beautiful. God’s country but it does rain a lot.

Cheers.

 

September 21: Faba to Tricastilla

4.5 kilometer walk straight up hill first thing in the morning to reach O Cebreiro. Hard yes but the scenery at the top of the ridge in these mountains have been worth the slog. God how I love this country. Rolling hills covered with dark green forests, emerald green field withe a delicate dull white mist that flows down into the valley floors. There is a God.

We had our morning coffee and beps (Bun) in O Cebreiro. After a 30 minute break in a very rustic, Spanish Cafe at the top of the mountains. This always reminds me of the scene in the Great Escape where the Spanish guide welcomes the James Colbourne character of his welcome to Spain and safety.Then we headed downhill????? to Triacastille. Oh it is downhill all the way they said. Terrain is good they said. They lied. It was brutal. A 4 kilometer uphill climb coupled with hard core downhill grinds. The only way to  decribe it is to say it is like walking through a gravel quary.

Then Jerry said he saw a cafe through the mist and trees. I don’t see it I said. Its just around the corner and over the ridge, he said. He lied. 5 more kicks later and we reached it. It was cold and raining. A woman inside was sick and hacking like a Pilgrim. We were worried about catching something. We left. Rain and cold.

A cold and rainy day.

We made it to our destination, crashed with 50 of our closest friends, then went out for a spaghetti and then crashed again. What I can say is Galicia province is awesome.

A Jerryism: About junk food:”a second on the lips means a month on your hips.”

Read ya tomorrow.

 

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September 20: Villa Franca to O Cebreiro

Walking today to the highest point of the Camino in O Cebreiri, which is code for a bitch of a walk up a steep grade. After doing this and being a veteran Pilgrim one gets to learn the various nuances of the hike: ” Oh no not another freaking hill.” That is Irish for you know what.

Our Camino guardian in Villa Franca

Jerry and I enroute.⁸

We left Villa Franca around 730am. Very dark. I was a tad anxious because of this notion that it was the highest point yet for the first 18 kilometers it was easy going. Very flat terrain on the side of a highway. We counted 17 bridges for the main motorway above us. It was very impressive, but boring. So I put on some tunes and sang along. Soon, I found myself alone!!!

The final kilometers were really hard. And that is what is interesting about this walk. Just when you think you have it made, a curve is thrown your way. In this case a kilometers walk uphill over the most treacherous terrain you have ever seen. Rocks, boulders, loose gravel and shale With a slate base. You do not want to fall. This over a very steep grade that slows one down to a crawl. Indeed some pilgrims had to crawl to the top. But no matter because pilgrims have to suffer and they can,t have fun and they cannot swear but today that last rule was broken many,many times. Forgive me lord.

Great Pic

This country is beautiful. We ended up 4 k short of our destination because we were exhausted and could go no further. O Cebreiro will have to wait until tomorrow. We bedded down at a monastery run by Germans but before we did Jerry and I and a few others imbibed a few beers and a pilgrim’s dinner at the local cantina.l

Great day if even a tough slog at the end.

Read ya later.

Man oh man how I love this country.

John the Pilgrim.

 

 

 

September 19: Ponceferrad to Villafranca

Jerry’s favorite poster. Expand to read.

Today’s walk was pretty good after yesterday’s walk through the valley of death. Flat, non descript and monochromatic. There were many of us. Mainly Spanish, some Italians and us stupid Canadians, as I was called by Serge, the French Canadian patriot  nationalist and separatist. I have come across three other French Canadian woman who are all separatists. Really nice women. They all said they were from Montreal, or Quebec City Quebec and not Canada. There you have it

Sunset in Villa Franca. So we walked about 23 kilometers and then stopped for lunch around 1130. We had about 5 kilometers left before we arrived at Villa Franca. But it took us 2 and a half hours to get there. Something was wrong as by my calculations and my internal GPS we
had walked over 11 kilometers. Jerry steered us to an alternative route that we didn’t t know about. Don,t worry bye it, Villa Franca, is just over the  hill and around the bend. After many wee hills and wee-er bends we arrived. We had done 35 kilometers. We were ready to kill Jerry.

Vla Franca is a small quaint Spanish village with a castle in the middle of it. Streets are narrow and hilly (steep), made of cobblestones that are very hard to walk on in flip flops. Like all villages here it is extremely clean

Houses are adorned with beautiful and intricate facades and pride on ownership is evident everywhere.

Beautiful.

Read ya tomorrow.

 

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September 18: Foncebadon to Ponceferrado

  1. Forgot to say that the walk to Astrioga we were inundated with flies and smidgens. Jerry had to put his netting on. It was awful. We met two American woman who were also wearing netting. Then we went down a big hill and came up to a woman walking….to…Isreal!!! She said it will take her 18 months. Dedication or what but she has her dog for company. Whoa, that should do it.

BTW that sign is wrong. It says 215 km to go and then the next sign says 250 km to go so we are walking backwards. Crazy. The distances are not in sync.

We arrived at our Albergue in a cold mist and rain. For the first time I can say we were cold.A Communal meal. It was packed. I did not like it because it was cramped. If you like eating and sleeping with 50 strangers then this life is for you

 I do not, and this has been the biggest disappointment for me on this walk

We left the Abergue at oh dark 30 or just before the sun came up, to begin what would be the trek through he’ll.

We started out with a 5 km walk uphill in rain and cold then high winds and then hot and muggy sunshine and then rain again and so on and do forth. At a cross the downhill slog started for about 4 km over the roughest and most dangerous terrain ever. Loose gravel over a slate stone base accented with rocks and boulders. It was ankle busting terrain and it slowed us down considerably. In fact the 27 km tooks us over 10 hours to cover. And in these conditions you are cold, sweaty and your feet are burning. All you can think about is a hot shower and a warm bed. Hey even Jerry was quiet. It is head down, watch the ground and walk.

This was  after Zubiri, the worst walk so far.

Btw, we are almost into our 4th week and have covered over 550 kilometers.

Wow. Read ya later.

My Italian daughter Camilla. She is from Balogna

Oh, and for Tom and Angie there are figs everywhere

Boy I love this country.

 

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