Camino Day 31: OCebreiro to Triacastela
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.”
Day 31: 25.8 kms - Steps 33.127
Wake up feeling tired and cranky. Slept terribly on scratchy sheets with plastic underlay that crackled all night long. Sylvie lectures me at breakfast on being too fussy – not taking into account this is a pilgrimage – and do I know how many pilgrims would be grateful just to have a bed in this extraordinary town? It doesn’t help that she is right.
As we leave town there is a complete fog and its freezing. There is a decision point in the trail. The guidebook recommends off the road trail – up then down vs the town sign which recommends the road – in the fog? Potentially dangerous. We choose the prettier off road route and hope the weather clears.
Things start to warm up – the fog is clearing and patches of tantalising view poke through. This area is clearly wet all the time, its misting on us, just enough to keep everything damp. Moss loves it here and so do I. The top of the mountain is windy with epic views and the trail is mostly woodland with mossy stone walls and vine covered trees. Its unexpected and lovely.
We catch up with the boys before the steep descent. This is the point that Sylvie needs to decide whether to walk or catch a taxi for the final 7-8 kms. She decides to taxi so I walk the final downhill with Phillip & Rob. Along the way there are a herd of cattle being moved along the road. We pull aside, cows take priority over pilgrims here. Somehow Rob gets stuck in the middle. The boys are delighted and so am I, this is the first herd of animals they have encountered along the way.
The descent is steep, uneven and mossy. I love it – it’s perfect. I pass an 800 year old chestnut tree.
We have arranged to meet Sylvie at our destination town before calling our hotel for a pick up – its several kms off The Way. She is depressed. The taxi driver told her lots of pilgrims think they can walk the camino but they can’t. Thing is, Sylvie is an excellent hiker, a powerhouse up hills. But she has a knee injury which is exacerbated when she walks downhill over extended periods. So she is doing the right thing when she takes the taxi, it’s better to miss small sections than to miss out altogether. I am sorry for his thoughtless conversation.
I’m thrilled to get an unexpected facetime call from Ben and Emma xx
We all agree to buy supplies from town for a picnic dinner at our hotel, which we have been advised is remote with no food. Great choice! The hotel is awesome, a 15th Century farmhouse. It’s lovely but yep – the beds creak and have plastic sheets – oh Galicia!!
It’s a little odd that no one lives on site – we are dropped and left to our own devices and the kitchen is locked – no glasses!! So Philip fashions a glass from a plastic water bottle, we have one glass in our bathroom and the boys each have a tin cup – a souvenir from earlier in the trip – we are picnic ready! We sit in the garden listening to birdsong and basking in the sun (until 9pm!) then a man comes to mow the lawn….No!! No!! Por favour!! We beg him and he reluctantly moves towards the back to mow first – then miraculously his lawnmower breaks down – we help him push it back onto his trailer. Silver linings! We have a great evening.
