We walked 700 meters up, 20 kilometers along, and about 500 years into the past today. We are about as high up as one gets on the Camino, and it is quite literally downhill from here to Santiago. We are in o’Cebreiro, just barely into Spanish Gallicia.
If the spelling seems odd, it is: this part of Spain is Celtic, and this mountain-top town looks it. From the round, thatched roof buildings, the stonework, the wet and above the clouds climate, it all looks pretty familiar…in Ireland, or Scotland!
The haul up here was as hard and bad as we are used to. We passed up an offer to ride horses, which in retrospect was a poor choice. They passed by us on a tight portion of the mountain trail, and left behind one more thing to watch out for on the ground! We had no rain nor wind, but overcast skies and only 50 degrees, which in the end proved a blessing as we were generating plenty of heat on the hike.
Our albergue looked like every other stone building in the tiny little town, but held a surprise: a remarkably modern room with a private bath and a nice view. Today’s effort required an afternoon nap, then some local exploration. I had my first bad pilgrim meal: puny trout and undercooked fries…I guess it had to happen sometime!
We made it to the pilgrim’s mass at the church, which is the oldest existing one tied directly to the Camino. It was very moving.
How we are enjoying your posts and how we commiserate also at the challenges.