Day 14
Made my way out of town by street and headlamp, with a bit of twilight appearing after crossing the Burbia river at the edge of town.
Today’s camino wound along the bottom of many narrow mountain ravines with a moderate ascent until the last 8 of 31 kilometers where I had to climb 600 meters from Herrerías to O Cebreiro.
Most of the day’s walking was cool and shaded, and the first hour I could merely see the black mountains and dark blue sky with the path and adjacent road reflecting the earliest twilight in blue. I also got to walk along the river most of the way, and it’s sound, together with the breeze rustling through the trees was like live relaxation audio.
It was cool to see the climate and cultural change with each passing village as their language and food became more Galician, which so far seems to me a combination of Portuguese and Celtic cultures.
Along the way I saw signs for horse rentals to make the last 8km climb, but once I arrived to Herrerias I discovered they only leave at 10am and 4pm with prior reservations, so I decided to stop there for an hour and hydrate as well as eat some fresh fruit before powering it up the hill.
The ascent to O Cebreiro was brutal, but I made sure to keep plenty of sugar and oxygen in my blood supply, both by drinking juice along the way and by keeping a solid climbing and breathing rythm, taking deep karate breaths to sustain oxygen levels and manage my heart rate.
I received a few compliments at the stops along the ascent as to my waking-climbing pace and persistence.
My last stop before O Cebreiro was a little bar-restaurant in Lagina de Castilla where they were playing folk music and a local alcoholic kept shouting “otra! Otra!” after each song was over.
While seated, the unpredictable Galician weather kicked in with things going from sunny to cool and stormy in a matter of 10-15 minutes.
I then suited up and made my way up the flowered and wooded path, looking across the steep ravines and to the surrounding green hills.
As I reached O Cebreiro it seemed like a small enchanted Celtic village in the clouds, all very old stone structures with a church building and a few restaurants and hostels or albergues.
I made my way up to the municipal albergue, which was a bit crowded, and worked my way through my daily routine, in spite of the crowds and lines.
Part of the daily routine is hand washing of clothes, which can be an awkward but affective way to meet other people. Nothing like introducing yourself to someone while you are both washing your socks and underwear together.
After hanging my clothes out to dry I took a nap, and woke up to discover speedo Gandalf in the bunk next to me again (tomorrow I’m going to stay in a parochial albergue to mix it up a bit).
After the nap I caught up on some reading and some scriptures before grabbing a light dinner and glass of wine with a few Irish folks I’ve gotten to know along the way.
We sat out on the patio overlooking the sunset, shared some bad jokes, and shared a bit about our faith. One of the gals from Ireland shared a Gaelic prayer that they would say before bed every night… If I can get it word for word ill share in another post.
Before turning it in, I was able to call home and hear about the kids enjoying their hotel, especially the pool and the cookies in the lobby… simple things in life.