Perfect start to a perfect day, but it is Galicia and though the rain did not fall from the sky, there was plenty of water underfoot!
Paths seemed to be creek or riverbeds as water trickled down any slope it could find. Some paths had stone slabs down the middle as the water was too high for pilgrims to continue their journey. The excess water is also responsible for the abundance of green everywhere… ferns, moss, small and big trees … also good for shade.
The day neatly divided itself into two, before and after the monastery at Oseiro, with a big break for lunch. But even before it started we were blessed with a café being open early Sunday morning…(three kilometres from our accommodation), not only serving good coffee but they also prepared sandwiches for us…(our emergency supply) and the owner was Italian! Outside the cafe and in the square people were busy creating designs with flower petals and beautifying the streets… big Fiesta was on the cards, Corpus Christi… and just to prove the point, a number of loud, deafening bangs split the air… we jumped a mile… they were testing the fireworks!
The proper walking soon got underway an alternating sequence of tree lined paths, roman looking stone paths, both ascending and descending, sandy paths and bitumen. The walking was easy as we joked and talked and stopped to take photos. By 12.00 we were at the monastery… mass was finishing, then followed a small procession and then we were given a guided tour of the monastery. An hour later we were ready for lunch and probably a snooze… but we needed to reach our next destination.
The afternoon as you can imagine was challenging because of the same challenges that the morning had thrown at us with the added handicap of full stomachs (we just wanted to sleep), the increase in heat and humidity, and the steeper climbs and descents.
We stopped at 5pm and resume the walk tomorrow… 73 kilometres to go! All three of us very happy with the day but even more with our drinks and amazing meal the locals have prepared for us. People are truly amazing.
pindun on the road to Santiago de Compostella 