Monday, May 6, 2024
This morning was one of the toughest if the Camino. Our albergue was so cold that our clothing didn’t all dry out last night, so some people had to put on cold and wet clothes this morning.
But the best news is, it looks like the rain is done -- perhaps for the rest of the Camino.
Today we hiked a big mountain called O Cebreiro. It’s one of the highest points on the Camino, and it’s a pretty rough trail. Because of all the rain yesterday, things were quite muddy, but the temperature was much better today, and while the hike was long and difficult, everyone did a really good job.
At the top of the mountain O Cebreiro is the village O Cebreiro. It looks like something from a Star Wars movie. Lots of little round stone huts that have been turned into shops and restaurants and hostels. They even had a pilgrim supply shop where we were finally able to get Kimball some new shoes. He’s grateful.
O Cebreiro is the first town in Galicia. It’s a beautiful and wild country, and the people here are kind. Their native language is Gallego, which is closely related to Portuguese, and they speak Spanish with a song-songy accent unlike anything else in Spain. I love it.
The Galician people are also culturally closely related to celts, so they play the bagpipes and wear kilts. It’s a really magical place, and I’m happy to be here.
After lunch in O Cebreiro we got on what looked like the main trail but turned out to be an alternate and called for a bunch of bushwhacking to get to the main trail. It was quite an adventure. At times we were in weeds much taller than the kids.
We pushed on another five kilometers or so to the tiny village of Hospital de la Condesa. Again, because it’s off schedule there is nobody here in the municipal albergue. Just one lady and another couple. It’s been recently renovated, and it’s clean and just really nice. The shower was one of the best I’ve had, and it restored my faith in humanity after a terrible shower last night.
Today was a tough day because of the climb. Tomorrow will be tough because we are going to shoot for Sarria. It will be our longest day ever in kilometers. I’m looking forward to it.
