Galindo y Perahuy

When I got out of the cab and put on my pack I really felt like the Camino was starting. It was another short day, about 18 km, and all of it was on the Cañada, a long series of connected paths that shepherds walked with their flocks to take them from northern Spain down to the south for the winter. These routes are now protected by law, and the general public can use them along with the flocks and herds going south. This is called the transhumancia, though I don’t think it is much used for that purpose anymore. Much more common to see cyclists and walkers than anyone working with animals.

It’s been a beautiful day for walking, with a cool breeze and bright sun. I passed several people working in the fields and met a cyclist out for his morning ride. He has walked many of the same Caminos I have, and we actually had a few friends in common if you can believe that! He told me not to worry about the bulls, and that I would likely be seeing quite a few in the next few days. I told him how some friends of mine on this Camino had seen one in front of them and had squeezed under a fence to avoid walking right next to him. This guy said that the fence wouldn’t have stopped the bull from charging if he had been interested, so that I shouldn’t waste my time and dirty my clothes by squeezing under a fence. 😱

I passed many fields of sunflowers, but unfortunately they were all black and hanging down. Every now and then I saw a few late bloomers with bright yellow flowers, which picked up my spirits. Actually the fields reminded me of an art exhibit I had seen in the Bilbao Guggenheim years ago– it was a room filled with vases of sunflowers dipped in lead. The ones in the fields looked a lot like those in the museum, and neither was very attractive.

The albergue is in the old school building. It’s very basic but it has two beds, a bathroom, and a shower -nothing more needed. There’s a cafeteria on the highway about a kilometer away, so I will probably walk over there to get something to eat. There’s also a little shop in town but that’s about it. I haven’t seen too many residents, but thankfully the wife of the mayor was at home when I knocked to get the key to the Albergue. Based on the registry, it looks like there are about two or three people a month coming through here. No moving Pilgrim sidewalk on this Camino!Read more