Last night a large group of Itaians were in our albergue. They all came in pretty late last night and weren’t very quiet. We were up early, so we returned the favor by not tip toeing around. They didn’t seem to mind and woke with the same enthusiasm as they went to bed with. We were actually walking by 6:45 which is pretty early for us. It was cold again – the crops that were not frozen last night probably will be from tonight. We found a nice bar open and had an American breakfast!! Fried eggs (the yolks here are so yellow!), bacon, and bread. Yumm. But what does it say that this is the breakfast named after us?? 
After eating our fill, we walked out of the river valley which was covered with fog – Quiet and beautiful. Jurgen and Thio quickly pulled ahead which I didn’t mind. It gave me time for my meditation/ prayer. I was thinking this morning about a man I met at the donativo casa yesterday. He was wearing very interesting looking shoes and clothing for that matter. I could tell he was an interesting man. I asked him where he was from and he answered – The Universe. No, he’s not crazy but realizes we are all pretty much the same – More in common than different. I had been walking about 30 minutes and a man in the distance crowed at a rooster. At first I thought it was Thilo because we often do this – I crowed back. He turned around and looked at me and I realized it wasn’t Thilo but the man I had been thinking about 20 minutes before. He was way ahead and didn’t recognize me but I waved. I soon caught up with him and spent the next hour or so visiting. He speaks very little English (he is from Spain), but we managed quite well. On this trip my Spanish has improved. He is a very spirit connected man and lives a life expressing gratitude. We talked about music and he shared a few artist for me to check out. We also talked about Louisiana – It was fun to describe the scenry, customs, and animals of our region with primrily pantomine and animal sounds. I really enjoyed my visit with him and feel he is my Devine appointment today. When I told him this and thanked him, he said he lives his life in gratitude and words are not necessary.

Such a beautiful morning walk with a special man.

When we came upon a bar and saw Thilo and Jurgen, we hugged and said good bye. Then we started off again and soon the boys were ahead. It was ok with me today – I was in a glorious mood. At one point I was walking through a small town and a little lady said Buen Camino. When I replied she must have been able to tell I was English even though I was speaking in my best Spanish because she was responding in English. We visited a short while because we were walking in the same direction. I asked how she liked living along the Camino. She replied that she liked it and often took the time to talk to the pilgrims. She told me a story about a man that she spoke to that burst in tears. He was incredibly lonely and not feeling well and said he had not been able to speak to anyone in 3 days. It was winter and he only spoke English. Turns out this lady whose name is Marie (like my Marie yesterday) is from Spain but spent 25 years in Londen. She then asked me if I liked flowers which of course I said yes. She went in her yard and cut a spray of flowers which I wore on my backpack the rest of the day. I feel very happy and blessed. 

Another funny occurance today were the cows of this area. We have been seeing red cows, but these were black and white. A group aong the hike today were laying down in lush green grass taking big bites and chewing while relaxing. Everything is chill in Spain. 

Jurgen and I then hiked the rest of the way to albergue Casa de Marcello which I read good reveiws about. It is a unique building and actually was the jail in this little town. When I was in front I got cold feet because it didn’t really look so good, but when I went inside and upstairs it was fantastic. And when we sat down to the Italian meal he prepared we were beyond estatic! It was delicious and different from the food we have had every day for the last month. Marcello is quite a character and passionate about the Camino. He hiked several years ago and decided on a life change and decided to start this albergue. He shared the reason that the arrows are yellow…. because the road workers had 3000 liters of paint left over and it was then used for the purpose of marking the Camino. He also shared some of the legend and lore of the Camino history and significance of the shell. When I asked him what his favorite albergue was, he told me and it turns out to be 15 km from here. I had him call and make reservations for us tomorrow and reschedule the one I made for the following night. We actually have some time to kill, so it is perfect. He said the place we will stay tomorrow was his inspiration for starting an albergue – can’t wait and I will let you know all about it tomorrow.

After supper, we had a treat. We all trotted through the field near his place to feed the scraps to a momma pig and her babies.

This photo was later in the day but I wanted to put it at the top. Judging by the dung on the road, this is a regular occurrence. 

This morning we were awoken with the hospitalario turning on the light at 7AM with a good morning. Leda who I later found out actually owns the albergue was a strange one. Maria and I were talking about it on our walk today and I thought I would share a couple of the stories. Last night I was adding working on the days blog and she told us that she closes up the room where we were at 10PM. I made my mental calculations and decided how many pictures I could get up on the site then how much time it would take to post it before 10. I knew it would be close but no problem. At 10 minutes till she said 10 more minutes – still not problem and I was working away. At 8 minutes till, the internet cut off. I said, something happened to the internet, did you turn it off? She had and said that she is closing up in a few minutes. I told her I was in the middle of something and was almost done. She grumpily turned it back on. Then I found out Maria was eating in the room which she closes at 8AM. It was close to that time and Maria was still eating and said, I’m sorry if I am keeping you. She repied, “that’s ok, you have 3 more minutes.” Yikes this lady is something. Both of us are business owners and were commenting on how much she needs to get some help. She does everything which makes for her not being a very good host. What a contrast to Albergue Verde. The sad thing is, she has a beautiful place and we could both think of so much she could do to add to her business. I am afraid she is a small thinker. We got going around 7:30. It was a cold morning – the first morning I hiked in my jacket and it was a while before I took it off. It was a beautiful morning – as usual Thilo hiked ahead and I was coming on steadily. I thought we would reach a bar sooner, but it was over 7km away. But Bar Morgade was worth it! I had real eggs and bacon with a LARGE coffee. Nice! We then continued on for a while and happened upon a donativo casa. The lady of this beautiful house puts out a spread of sweets, fruit, hot and cold drinks, and a stamp for the passport. All this for donations only. She is a beautiful lady with a beautiful casa. Maria was there and she and I hiked together after this point. I really have a connection with this young lady. She has a beautiful Camino story to tell, but as with Thilo it is her’s to share. We talked about accepting disappointments in life and how the Camino has helped us both have a more relaxed outlook. We walked on a little while and an elderly local came to us with two vines – one in each hand. I thought he was giving us a present at first but Maria understands Spanish so though visiting with him she realized these were both grape vines. One was spring green and the other was darker and wilted – morte (dead). The vines had very very tiny clusters of grapes that were now destroyed. Nearly all this years harvest is destroyed from last nights freeze. She was expressing her sympathies and he said in Spanish which she translated – you havae to to be with whatever comes. Wow! Lesson displayed beautifully. We had many other meaningful conversations – purposeful Camino friendship. 

We continued on until we reached a little cafe in the town we were planning on staying and both ordered a delicious capriese salad. Thilo was sitting in the hammock and the owner came outside to tell him it was for the children and told him the weight limit. I think he’s over it. Oops. We found out the neat little place we were planning on staying was closed. The owner is sick and not open. We are sad, but at least it is early in the day so continued on. Maria left before us because she has many more km to go but we only have a couple to Portomarin. We crossed a large bridge over a lake that was created by a dam then up a great number of steps and up the hill to the town. There are many pilgrims here, it is a major stop. Soon after arriving, Jurgen arrived! We were excited to all be together again. I don’t know if I mentioned what he has been doing the last couple of days. He was supposed to have joined us 2 nights ago and it was a bit of a mystery to us what he was doing. He said while waiting for a bus back to us he saw a car with the window down and recognized a friend from Germany that he knew 20 years ago. He called out, the guy stopped, they were reunited (in Spain!!), and Jurgen went to his house for 2 days. I told you that Jurgen is a true friend. 

We spent a few hours showering, washing clothes, resting, visiting, etc. It is still pretty cold and windy (in my opinion) – you can tell Thilo thinks otherwise. This is what he looked like the first time I met him. Probably about what I looked like too. We all went out for supper for pretty mediocre Italian food (and small quantity). Thilo still wanted something else so we walked around town looking for a shop that sells sweets. We couldn’t find one so we went to a grocery and all made our pick. Then had the cashier take our picture. Don’t know what we were thinking – so much leftovers! At least it’s cold and I can take my chocolate in my pack without it melting. 

The next two pictures are from the town of Portamarin. Both places ate to get your hair cut and are next to each other. Which would you choose?

The title of today is Windy Wednesday – so I am putting this picture on top!
I have to start my blog with a picture from last night. I was lying in bed and I looked over and Thilo was reading my blog and laughing and commenting. I think it is funny – we are together all the time, but he was throughly enjoying reading about it. His phone was the only light in the room so it made for a unique picture.

This morning was a little more relaxed morning again. I had decided to go to the mass which is at 8:30 AM so we took our time and went down for breakfast at 8AM. The guy downstairs looked at me like I was a little crazy for asking for tortilla. I started explaining what it was and he said “I know what it is, but it is an unusual request for this time of day.” Anything other than toast or croissant is unusual. I don’t know how people start their day with all simple carbohydrates. Once we got this sorted out, Thilo and I headed to mass. 

The mass in Sammos is unique. The monks do Gragorian chanting and I have never heard it in person. I really enjoyed it. There were only about six monks – in my imagination there would be hundreds. It was wonderful though- I could feel the spirit and energy moving. I didn’t take a tour. I heard that they only speak in Spanish which can be frustrating. I was hoping to see Maria at mass, but she wasn’t there. I had picked up her crane from the table last night because she forgot it and was going to give it back to her. I was also disappointed because I don’t have her contact information and I can tell we have a good connection. She is a special person and there was a reason we met. 

After mass, Thilo and I started walking out of the village. The monastery out of town was beautiful and there were many interesting sculptures.

It was a beautiful hike along a river most of the way. When it left the river it went through farm lands with many cattle and poultry. The weather was cold – in fact it was supposed to be snowing but it was just overcast, windy, and cold. I didn’t take off my tights and wool shirt all day. 

The hike was longer than I expected. I think I took the main route but was planning on taking a more remote and shorter route out of Samos. The good part about this is it took me along the route that I met the Galician Farmer last year. It brought back a flood of memories and emotions of the pain and disappointment I felt last year. And also the joy of having the opportunity to return and complete a journey that is and was so special. 

This is the spot.

It wasn’t long after this that I arrived in Sarria which is the town I finished in last year. I am grateful – I feel strong and have no pain. At the far end of town, I was going to stop for lunch and I saw Thilo leaving. He came in while I ate. When I was finished he was laughing at me because the table in front of me was a mess. He said, you remind me of my youngest son and then tried to take a picture of my mess. I was trying to prevent him and he took the picture anyway. We have fun. When we left, we walked the rest of the day within sight of each other – there was more beautiful countryside with the added bonus of clouds to make the pictures interesting. 

We arrived at Molino de Manzan albergue and it is beautiful. It is an old mill complete with mill pond and animals. Leda is the hospitalario and is delightful. She has her art hanging all over the common rooms – I think she does plain aire painting when the pilgrims are not here. It seems like a delightful life.  

We were getting settled in when Maria from yesterday arrived. I was happy to see her and return her paper crane. She was really down yesterday – tired and a hurt leg from a fall. She was thinking of quitting and I think I was able to be an encouragement to her along with Alf. I gave her the advice that we gave people on the Appalachian Trail. The advice is – don’t stop on a bad day. If you do stop make it on a sunny day in a good place. She is so much better today. She told me someone at the place she was staying last night told her that last night was a new moon and this is a time for new beginnings – so true! We all feel it. At supper, we talked to her about Thilo finding his spirit animal and told her the story of me finding mine. She said – I know what mine is! In fact earlier in the evening she told me stories about encounters with it on the Camino. Also around the supper table, there was a man from Virginia visiting with us. We were talking about the Celtic traditions and I told them about the thin spaces. They both related stories of experiences of this on the Camino. It really is a magical place!

Today is really one of the first days I don’t feel like writing. I think it is because I am so tired. I don’t think I got to sleep until after midnight which is so very late for the Camino. I hate to admit it, but it is probably because of the great internet last night. I was able to call John on what’s app and we talked for quite a while. By the time I went in the dorm area, everyone (30+ people) was asleep. There was one man from the US that was sleeping very loudly too so that didn’t help. Thank the good Lord for earplugs. This morning I heard people packing up, but slept on. Someone turned on the light around 6:30 so soon after I got up and started packing. We went down to have some coffee and a lady was just bring out an interesting looking circle of deliciousness. She said it was amazing – a cheese tart with chocolate and nuts. Mmmm, ok I’ll have a piece. Delicious! Forgot to take a picture before it disappeared again. Whoops. 
We started out walking around 7:30 in the cloudy morning. It is supposed to start raining around 1PM so I plan to enjoy the walk but continue on steadily. This region is beautiful, it reminds me of the Appalachian mountains in many ways. Lush green hills, wildflowers, lots of water and people living close to the earth. There is lots of cattle which explains the amount of local cheese I am starting to see many more pilgrims start the Camino around this area, and I noticed their excited energy. Misty days like this make me want to be contemplative so it was a bit much. I backed off a bit and took my time – thinking and taking pictures. I hiked a while with a man born in Vietnam and raised in California. Then by myself for a while. I enjoyed listening to my book with Bishop Tutu and the Dali Lama. It seems so appropriate to be listening to their wisdom right now. For instance, I started listening today and what it said applied directly to what was needed and applicable to my life at this very moment. I am in the Celtic region of Spain and I very much resonate with it on some level. A couple of people were speaking of the Celtics and their knots and traditions. One thing that was mentioned both times was thin places. In reading about thin places, I think the Camino is definitely one. Here is one article online that I read. “Truth abides in thin places; naked, raw, hard to face truth.  Yet the comfort, safety and strength to face that truth also abides there.  Thin places captivate our imagination, yet diminish our existence.  We become very small, yet we gain connection and become part of something larger than we can perceive.   The human spirit is awakened and will grow if the body and mind allow it.  Simply put, a thin place is a place where one feels that mysterious power of God. There was much more, but to see how much God is revealing and weaving things throughout this walk is astounding. I am grateful. 

One man I met and walked a great deal with today was Alf from New Zealand. He also asked me about Trump but was much more kind. I told him about my difficult encounter the other day and he replied that the election shook most of the world to it’s core and people are processing how to deal with it. They are talking and trying to gain perspective. We also talked about some difficult things in my life. He gave me some very wise council and perspective. Turns out he is a minister and a counselor. I am grateful God placed him in my path today. 

I was taking such a relaxed attitude towards my walk that before I knew it, I arrived in Samos where there is an old monastery. I think the first one was from the 7th century and the one here now is from the 17th century. It is a charming small village on a river far in the country side. I am staying at a neat albergue across the street. I have a man meeting me at 8:20 in the morning to go into the mass and hear the chanting of the Benedictine Monks. I am excited about this. 

After I checked in and had taken a shower I visited with Alf and a lady from Spain named Maria. Maria lives in London and teaches Spanish, she is quite a delight. She is helping Alf and I figure out several things. Alf is staying here for a 3 day retreat with the monks and she is translating for him to figure out what he needs to do. One of the volunteers helping him was sitting at our table. He had made Alf and Maria a paper crane then proceeded to make me one. He told the story about a 2 year old that was in Japan during the bombing of Hiroshima and later developed leukemia. Someone had told her that if she made 1000 cranes she would be healed (this refers to not just a healing in the physical sense). There was little access to paper but she worked on it. Many others helped her – doctors and nurses. She died before completing and others took up her cause for her. He had pictures of this. I think they said something about Peace Pilgrim. I will have to look up later. He said when his wife was diagnosed, they did the same thing. I told him that this was my second crane to receive on the Camino and he was excited that I had received one from a Japanese lady. He said cranes mate for life so a pair of them is extremely lucky. It was a fun change encounter. Maria is coming with us to our destination tomorrow – I am excited about this. I can tell she is someone I will connect with. Unfortunately her shin is really hurting her. She fell today and is in a lot of pain. 

We had our pilgrim’s meal at our albergue – Albaroque Albergue. It was very good and shared with Thilo, George from Seattle, and Jennifer from Alberta, Canada. Jurgen is supposed to join us tonight, but I think Thilo heard from him and will be a while. There is a forecast for snow where I am staying in the morning. It will be interesting!

More later…

Since we stayed in a hotel last night, we boarded up the windows to make everything black so we could sleep in this morning – 7:45! It’s like hiker noon. This is Gabie’s last day with us so we all went out for breakfast then took the final parting shot before they walked us up the hill where we watched the sunset last night. Thilo and I have been pushing pretty hard and we are getting close to the end and have plenty of days left but not enough to reach Finnestere so we are going to take today slow – an active rest day. This is what I really like because I am often more tired after a zero day. This is our first full day in the region of Galicia and it was a beautiful day. We are hiking through gorgeous fields of wildflowers and there are cattle bells clanging in the distance. At every opportunity we would stop and have a drink and visit with the pilgrims coming through. I met a father and daughter from Eugene Oregon. He is a bicyclist and an avid hiker. I’m sure if we lived in the same area we would be friends. I gave them my contact and it will be interesting to we if I hear from them. He has a desire to bicycle The Natchez Trace so we visited a while about that. There is also a man from Seattle area that we have seen a few times – he actually ended up sitting by me at supper tonight so the no American spell is broken. 
We reached the highest point on the Camino today – Alto de Polo. Last year when I was here it was miserably cold and raining. I am here a month earlier and it is warm and dry. Nice for hiking, but the locals are worried about the lack of rain. One notable thing today was the abundance of roosters. If you have been reading my blog, you know this is significant for Thilo. They are actually approaching him! I think we got a few nice shots. There are also so many dogs. I didn’t get any pictures of this, but they love pilgrims that sit outside at the bars. Every once in while the proprietors will come chase them off – they return as soon as they are back inside. There are more small gardens and cows. This is a big region for cheese and when I arrived at our chosen Albergue for the night, I had some of the local soft new cheese with honey. It was wonderful. The lady working here told me in this small town there are 3 cheese making establishments. There only appears to be five buildings so that is impressive. By the way, I only had a little of the cheese in this picture! She also prepared a delicious salad, I was happy!

I am so happy we decided to stop at albergue Reboleira it is one of the nicer ones we have stayed at. There is a big common room, very clean sleeping and bathrooms, and great common meal areas. Tonight’s meal was fantastic! I really love the albergues that do a group meal. This one is in an impressive separate building with a thatched roof. Love it! There are many South Koreans that hike the Camino. There was a young man from there sitting across from me at the table. The lady next to him kept trying to communicate and he really towasn’t able  understand. I got him to get out his phone and use translation and we all had fun working on it together. We took a picture with him after the meal. 

 This morning Maggie woke and told us she was going to stay one more night at this albergue. Because of all the pounding downhill yesterday her shin is inflamed and painful. I am sad to be leaving a sweet new friend. The rest of the gang took off pretty early and made our way out of town. We expected to see a place for coffee and breakfast, but there was none. It really isn’t too bad to go a bit before stopping, it makes the day go faster. We stopped after about 6km for breakfast. The owner wanted us to write on the wall some kind of saying. Thilo suggested “take the town!” So that is what we wrote and all signed it. 
Thilo and Stefan then took off saying they want to walk faster today and beat the heat. So Gabie, Jürgen, and I walked together. We stopped at a shady little bench to apply sunscreen and a couple from Italy with a burro came walking towards us. They are doing the Camino and the burro is carrying their gear. I think the man has done this several times already. He even has his own stamp for our credential. Gabie is only here for a few days so we are trying to collect as many as possible for her. Fun!

The terrain today has been wonderful. Full of beautiful vineyards once we got off the road. But it was a bit isolated. My feet have been on the verge of blisters so I am being very careful. Stopping to change socks and air out my feet often. The countryside walk has been beautiful, but not many places to stop. We arrived in Valtuille de Arriba and there was a very nice courtyard stop where they serve refreshments. We asked if we could get a drink and something to eat. TheEdit beautiful owner said they were closed because it was her birthday. We wished her happy birthday and I asked if I could sit for a minute and change my socks. She offered us a gratis red wine in honor of her birthday. How wonderful! Her husband then brought the wine, some chips, and a few minutes later some wild boar sausage on a piece of toast. Special!

We arrived in the picturesque village of Villa Franca and made our way to Albergue Leo. It is really the most beautiful albergue I have ever been in. Maria is the granddaughter of the man who grew up there as a child. It has been empty for a while and they totally redid it then reopened last year. It really is spectacular and comfortable – stay there!! 

More later…