Camino: O'Cebreiro to Triacastela

31/05/19
What goes up, must come down. That means a day of downhill today. We practice careful steps & using our poles to balance. We're blessed with no rain yet. We're literally sandwiched into small herds of cattle traveling from town to town. Villages provide frequent cafes.  Views continue to feed our souls.

The downhill continues but so do the views. FInally, as I near Triacastela, I find the old tree- confirmed to be over 800 years old. Its gnarly trunk is impressive. Our little aubergue is delightful. Our first floor (yippie!) window opens out to the courtyard where Asian pilgrims sit with their feet in tubs of cold water while other pilgrims seek a wifi signal. We hand laundry out our window & the host hands us extra pillows through the open window. It's so familiar & casual. We've forgotten it is a Friday & seem perplexed when we hear people out at the nearby bar after 10pm.  Crazy talk!

22k to Triacastela (population 900)

Over 800 years old.  The tree, not me

Camino: Trabadela to O'Cebreiro

30/05/19
In many ways, today is one of the tougher days on the Camino Frances. You've put together a string of hilly & rocky days to get to this point. In our case, temps are rising, making hikes a bit uncomfortable. I'll quit my bitching & get after this mountain.

We enjoyed a long stretch to Herrerias- scenic vistas, rolling hills, green for miles, motivational quotes painted on rocks & frequent small towns with cafes.

In addition to climbing to O'Cebreiro today, we'll be entering the Galicia region. Fiercely independent, Galicia has their own distinct dialect & different words than my Spanish so far. It's known for its gusty winds from the west, rain & colder temperatures and several unique dishes... caldo gallego (a local hot soup),pulpo (octopus dusted with olive oil & paprika) and tarta de Santiago (a famous almond tart.) And then there is the famous O'Cebreiro cheese & honey.  I probably should have eaten before writing this section.

Back to the mountain. It is possible to rent a horse for the steep ride up to O'Cebreiro. Those of us who don't opt for that approach get to enjoy the scent following the trail horses. We stepped gingerly on narrow trails. I'm a big "pull the bandaid off" person so I scampered up the miles of incline to end the pain quickly. I was greeted by welcoming signs to Galicia and then a bit farther along, with exceptional views of O'Cebreiro. 

This tiny hamlet barely looks as if it has been touched by progress. Rock buildings, thatched huts, stone paths & minimal overt tourism make O'Cebreiro seem as if it has been in a time capsule. The tiny church is lovely & is the final resting place of Don Elias Valina Sampedro, the parish priest credited with preserving the integrity of the Camino and clearly marking the route with consistent brightly-colored yellow arrows.

We were fortunate to have space in the tiny inn to avoid further travel that day. Betty got her first pulpo. We did laundry.  Life is good.

20k to O'Cebreiro (population 50)