31.3 km (37.3 km when adjusted for the 1200 m climb)
November 5, 2011
To realize what you are made of...
I look back on this day now and think wow..I am a really strong individual and all the people around me were really strong individuals.
The day started great with a nice breakfast in the albergue and out by 8 am. Gabriel started walking with us but he decided he needed to slow down as he was going to reach Santiago with too much time to spare. Nick and Tony had stayed in the municipal albergue the night before and were not intending to climb the mountain today.
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| Going up O'Cebreiro |
Pam and I met up with Tony on The Way at a couple of cafe con leche stops. We stopped at a big truck stop cafe and I ordered a hamburger as I was craving something familiar. Problem was, it came still red. That was the second time that happened in Spain and their hamburger does not look like ours in Canada. I ate it anyway, which may have been a bad idea considering the walk ahead of us. Turned out ok though!
The walk today is supposed to be some of the most stunning in terms of views and scenery. Today though, it is foggy, windy, and raining and the path is rocky, narrow and steep. My glasses fog up, I sweat like crazy under my rain poncho and my feet are wet inside my boots. The climb had me stopping more frequently to rest and was quite a workout for 8 km uphill. It is great that Pam and I had each other or this would be really brutal. We couldn’t believe how long it took to get to the small village at the top. We didn’t get there till 5 pm, in the rain and fog.
Once we arrived we checked into the large municipal albergue there. It was a huge dormitory filled with pilgrims. It was so surprising because we hardly saw anyone on the trail that day. The place had no heat turned on but with all the bodies the dorm was like a sauna. It smelled bad too. They had also run out of hot water so I didn’t take a shower or wash any clothes as nothing would dry by the morning. I worried my boots would not dry out.
Pam and I wandered back out into the cold, dark, dampness, through the little cobblestone village, to find some food. Finally found a small bar serving a pilgrim menu at 7:30pm. There were a few pilgrims gathered here drinking wine and eating tapas. We were starving and the only ones eating dinner that early. We were now in Galicia so I tried an authentic dessert..a soft white cheese with quince jelly on it. Very yummy!!
The albergue was very noisy with lots of younger Spanish guys. The guys never shut up and they all talk at the same time, never listening to each other and of course I don’t have a clue what is being said. It was really getting on my nerves. My bunk was pushed beside another and a young Spanish guy was sleeping next to me. I was so tired I was asleep before lights out and didn’t even hear the large group of pilgrims coming in late; one guy crawled through the window Pam said. It was an extremely difficult day on so many levels.
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| Galicia The last province on The Way |
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