Close Call
Today was relatively easy compared to other days. Breakfast was supposed to be just toast and jam with coffee and juice. We stepped it up for a few euros more, and got fried eggs with some ham on the side. It was a much more substantial breakfast and a better way to start the day.
There were a few roads along the route today. Mostly lots of farmland and lots of cows and sheep. If you couldn't see them, you certainly could smell them. It must be a strange thing for locals to see a constant parade of strangers transiting through paths their cattle take on a daily basis. Or perhaps it just becomes part of the routine. Not too many of the farmers go out of their way to wish you a "Buen Camino." I don't think it has anything to do with negativity. I think it’s simply the same experience anyone has in a busy city where so many people pass by – it’s impossible to greet every single one.
There were still several hills to climb today, but they were not nearly as demanding as over the past few days. Hiking was easier because the surfaces were either some form of pavement or packed down dirt, with few stones to trip over.
On the way, I ran into another German. Her name is Diana and she is from Hanover. While most of us walk between 15 and 20 miles a day, she covers 25 to 30 miles each day with a full pack. For a few hours it was Miriam from Berlin, Diana from Hanover, and me all walking together. For the most part they spoke English to include me in conversations. However, when they spoke in German and laughed, I couldn't help but feel they were talking about me.
Diana is blazing through this trip to get back to her three boys and husband. I will know if she reads this blog because I'm not supposed to mention that her spouse has a hobby of collecting cars and motorcycles. She would never give an exact number, but I'm guessing they would fill a McDonald's parking lot.
Spence caught up with us when we finally got to the top of the hill today. There was a statue of a pilgrim and it was a great spot to take some photos. Immediately across the street was a sign with the elevation. Curiously, that same mystery symbol continues to crop up on signage along the route.
It was mostly downhill the rest of the day. There were no snails, but I did get a candid picture of a mammoth slug that measured 5 or 6 inches long. I'm of the opinion that slugs are to snails as rats are to squirrels: Basically the same, one just gets better press.
The air was cooler on this side of the mountain and there were several sections of shade. Things were sprouting everywhere. The land was coming back to life.
Off in the distance were fields of heather that looked like dots of paint on a green background. There wasn't much floral aroma in the air. The thing that followed us for most of the trek was the pungent odor of fresh manure. It was in the fields and all along the trail. This was a great opportunity for gratitude, because it wasn't raining today. That would have made the walk much sloppier.
When we finally got to the base of the hill, we entered what used to be a town called Ramil. There was a small monastery as soon as you entered the area. The enduring attraction was a gnarled 800-year-old chestnut tree. The rest of what used to be a small village was absolutely deserted.
I'm not an authority on cats. The doctors from Copenhagen pointed out that tricolor cats are something rare. We’ve seen several of them since beginning the journey. Some appear to be house cats, but most are kept around farms to keep the rat populations down.
Our destination was just a little further down the trail in Triacastela. The hotel Spence and I were staying at was one of the first buildings when you entered the town.
Tonight I opted to purchase a separate room, so we each got a little extra space before starting the final push to Santiago. The trail is filling up and so are all the hotels. Everyday we see more and more people starting fresh. We now stand about 87 miles from our destination. When I look at the map, it's amazing to think how much distance we have covered since April 11. None of it was fast and much of it wasn't easy. Some of it is a blur. Some of it stands out because of the scenery or the exertion.
Upon arriving, the first order of business is always to do our wash for the day and then take a shower. You never know how long it will take clothes to dry out, and you do not want to start in the morning with wet socks. The trip continues tomorrow with another relatively easy day of about 13 or 14 miles, mostly flat.
After cleaning up, we went down the street to the one open restaurant. On the way. I almost ended my trip prematurely. I was looking in one direction and walking in another when I stepped into a large seam in the concrete. It swallowed my foot and abraded both sides of my angle. At that moment I wondered if I had made a serious error. For a split second I questioned if I would be able to continue. It was like when you stub your toe, and in those microseconds before the pain registers in your brain, the thought races through that it is going to hurt. Luckily, very luckily, no serious damage was done to anything but my sock.
