Random highlights:)
Immediately had an issue with not being able to cook a pizza because no oven the night before last. Lady working at albergue said no problem, talked to her husband, he was going to come, get pizza, take it home, cook it, and bring it back for me. I thought it was totally absurd so wouldn’t let them do it.
At the grocery store the clerk dropped one of the apples I was buying and immediately sprinted back, got a replacement apple, and ran back. Actually RAN. Over the top service from everyone.
Then, while hiking into a small town the young, friendly gal working there could not have been nicer. She talked in Spanish a lot and I ended up staying longer, ordering seconds, and left that town full and happy. Fun to banter with. She told me this time of year is when there are a lot more Germans, probably because of their vacation times. Also, many have just started the trail for the part from here to Santiago. They will still get the certificate at the end, they only need to do 100 km, not 820 km. Right now I’m only about 150 km from Santiago.
I just spent the night in an awesome hostel, in a room with five beds, and only me. When a group of three brothers came in she had them go upstairs, the manager had set me up in the handicap bed, downstairs, right next to the bathroom for easy access during the night. We had been joking, and I think I looked a little rough when I showed up:).
Every single person I have met in Galicia has been fabulous. People are extremely nice. I was asked by someone back home if I was afraid here. I’m not afraid at all. It’s very safe. Before leaving I asked a woman from back home who had walked the Camino the same thing, is it safe. She said she would send her daughter (early twenties) here alone and not worry about it. I know now what she was talking about:)
The town of Ribadeo was picturesque. The hostel was right there when I crossed the bridge to enter Galacia, I didn’t have to look for it.
But for me the best is how they’ve marked the trail! They’ve put effort into these wonderful trail markers, and have them maintained well, and there are so many of them you can often see two at a time. There’s no need for any effort to navigate. I can just wander blissfully, not concentrate on anything about navigation, and know I’m heading the right way always. It really speeds things up by not having to look at phone navigation, or backtrack when you missed an obscure yellow spray painted arrow etc.
The scenery is no longer coastal. Just rolling hills with farms and ranches and managed timber stands. Logging and ranching scenes everywhere. Houses kept up, (except the cool old-old ones). Little villages have a Norman Rockwell feel.
It helped the weather was perfect:)
There was some walking along paved roads, but, it was mostly dirt logging, ranching back roads with zero traffic.
I’m trying to keep up on my laundry little by little consistently. The problem is socks drying. It takes them forever. Often two days on the backpack. My routine now is to wash underwear each night and let dry hanging on my backpack the next day. I’m a walking laundry drying rack. Very attractive:( I hope this works better heading inland with more sun and less humidity and fewer storms.
I’m in great shape time wise now. I’m walking fast and long, reminiscent of some of the later PCT days. About 150 miles last week.
Feeling good. Legs are reasonably tired and sore, but not unexpected with how hard I’ve been walking. I’m usually eating four meals a day. Basically whenever I get to a small village or town with an open restaurant or café I eat. I carry energy bars and fruit for the trail. Hiker Hunger has definitely set in:). For a while I was thinking I was losing weight. I had to tighten my belt one notch. On the PCT each notch was about a ten pound loss. Now I think my weight is holding steady.
The Galicia Camino signs are so awesome because they give the distance to the Santiago Compostela down to the meter with each sign. I don’t know if that means to the property, the front door, the alter? It’s pretty darn specific! It is fun for figuring out how far and how fast one is traveling. They put a lot of effort into these, the other three provinces could learn from them;).
I met, and chatted with, two brothers on the Camino today. They showed up at the same hostel after they couldn’t get into the albergue. They had another guy, their third brother. All conversations were in Spanish, they’re from Bilbao. There are ten brothers in their family! They are having a fun Camino:). Los Tres Hermanos:)
I am finally getting to understand the international road signs, but, I will actually study them first before I ever try driving in Europe. Not only are road signs confusing, just figuring out how to flush the toilet is confusing often. Push, pull, push a button on the wall? No levers like are common at home. On that topic, bidets should be more common in America…just an opinion.
I’m digressing…I’d better quit.
But one more thing. I’m really glad I’m here. The long stretches of quiet, thinking, calm, beauty, and seeing such kindness has been good for me.
Buen Camino:)
