Marcón

12.5 miles today along some country roads and through a lot of wooded areas. It was a beautiful day to hike, in the 70's with a breeze, and beautiful scenery. The nicest day we've had since we left the coast.

There are many more pilgrims on the trail since the two different paths merged. It is not crowded, but you can always see people in front of you and behind you. It is also an opportunity for locals to sell things along the way making it a little tacky. There was a long stretch through the woods without any where to stop and one local took advantage of it by selling fruit and drinks and set up places to sit. It was a popular place .

Today we met Alek from Perth, Australia and walked with him for a few hours. He worked in land management and then at the age of 50 he went back to get his PhD in Environmental Science. He said it was the best thing he ever did. You are never too old to do something new, I guess! Nice guy and he knew all about the plants in the area.

We also learned about two things that we have seen a lot but didn't know what they were.
The first is a Horreo - a small building found in farms and most country yards. It is a grainery used to store corn, grains, and root vegetables. It is on pedestal legs so rodents can't get to the food and has vents to keep the food from molding. The oldest one dates back to the 13th century.
The second is a lavior - a public washing area. They are big squares filled with water usually from a spring or other water source and have a covered roof. People used to wash their clothes there. These date back to at least the 17th century. They are in every older town. We did see one lady washing some towels in one.

We didn't get our full of walking during the day so we probably walked another 2 miles or so during late afternoon and evening exploring the town.

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