Leiro

Started early again, but not until we had a cup of coffee from the local Cafe downstairs from our pension. It should be said that I'm not normally a coffee drinker but I'm open to new ideas. Then off around the corner as dawn arrived with stall holders setting up in the plaza of the cathedral.

I'm not going to sugar coat it: today was a very challenging day. It was spitting all morning but solid rain set in around lunch time. My shoes and socks were soaked and I developed a blister under my little toe. My rain suit worked well, no complaints there.

The trail itself was beautiful, and uphill most of the way, with much walking through forests and country lanes, and yet one more scenic diversion thanks to Brierley, which was very off the beaten track. How lucky are we to enjoy his legacy, keeping the original Camino tracks alive, that have been wandered for hundreds of years. Sadly John Brierley passed away 2 years ago. His daughter is continuing his work by keeping his guides updated.

We are so surprised at how green everything still is, we were expecting a lot more autumn colours; we have seen very limited evidence of autumn or winter so far. It is a joy to walk through the forests though, the paths are lined with many beautiful trees, including chestnut trees. Currently they are dropping their bounty with hundreds of thousands of chestnuts lining the paths. We have also seen a few fungi today, we suspect because the area has seen some rain over the last couple of weeks.

We walked through a few tiny hamlets today and stumbled into one delightful Camino themed cafe around lunchtime. We had already had our picnic lunch by then, but enjoyed a glass of Coke which supplied a much needed caffeine boost for a brutal uphill section just after. I'll post the Relive video and you can clearly see how we had to turn around at some point, back to the cafe, to retrieve our walking poles 🙄

The rain slowed us down and we arrived much later than expected at our accommodation. The town Hospital de Bruma was named for the first pilgrim hospital on the Camino. It is a beautiful stone building that is now used as the public albergue. Hospital de Bruma means Hospital in the Mist. Very apt name, especially today!

I am thankful today (and every day) to have Mariette with me. She is such a calming presence and so easy to talk to. Together we figure out solutions to any issues that arise, and it is so comforting to have her with me, especially when trying to follow Brierley's trials and getting lost along the way.

Dinner was great. The little restaurant in this tiny village has a set menu each day: today was a delicious vegetable soup and bread for starters, chicken (or pork) and potatoes main meal and ice cream for dessert. And a full bottle of wine between the 2 of us for 18 Euro per person, for the lot.
At last, real food!

Here's our Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/vevYpZDYdJqRead more