Ourense

Weather: 1 - 13 degrees and sunny. 🌞🌞🌞
Clothes: Same as yesterday
The walk - feels like three days in one - 7.30 am start.

Let me start by saying that the sun has been shining all day and the sky is a wide bright blue.

The morning - and what a morning.
The route again consisted of tracks and trails that went through the most wonderful mountain scenery - but today had so many more ups and downs which were much steeper than yesterday - finishing in a long long uphill to the border of Galicia. I didn’t take many photos- after all how many beautiful sections can I post - but just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, carefully navigating rocks and streams, and climbing up, up and up. It was a real workout. Phew. 😮‍💨
As I went higher the frost was still present quite late in the morning. I am so pleased with my clothing which continues to keep me snug and warm. At one stage this morning I was reminded of Tibet and walking around Mt Kailas. This morning was not that hard…. but still hard. And truth be told I was worried about how long this uphill stretch would be - would I be ok?
The way was well marked but at times very rugged and along what looked like dry and not-so-dry stream beds; and overgrown with trees so that I could barely see the sky if I happened to look up. My eyes were mainly looking for where to put my next step.
I kept wondering if I had in fact wandered off the path to some new unknown land. I guessed even if I was off track I would end up somewhere where there were people- but it felt more like I would be walking / climbing like this forever and end up in the middle of nowhere with no help around to be found. It was one of those stages that feels like it will never end …. and then it suddenly does.
Thank goodness for my online map so I could regularly check that I was actually on the route. This section would be impossible in the rain and probably just miserable if the weather hadn’t been so good.
Never have I been so happy to see the tiny sunny meadow at the top of a mountain that is the border to Galicia.
The middle section
And of course once in Galicia the way was very well marked and water obstacles had bridges, stepping stones or raised granite blocks creating a dry pathway.
In Galicia the way markers tell you how far you are from Santiago - kilometres and metres. The marker at the border said I had 244.471 km to go.
The pathways from now on were wide and clear and of course still beautiful with many streams and small rivers. In Galicia you hear the sound of running water most of the time and there are plenty of fountains so no need to carry lots of water. There were also a lot of fat cows in small meadows along the way.
I finally got to Vilavella about 13 km from Lubián - which still felt like a long way to go. I stumbled across a very expensive and flash hotel/spa and drank two coffees. Did I mention that all the Bars till now had been closed - this was my first coffee of the day. ☕️☕️. Another reason it felt like a tough morning.
I had food with me so had sustained myself throughout the morning. However there were no more food stops till Lubián. So I got some cheese and a tomato from the shop a few doors from the hotel and some bread from the bakery around the corner. Perfect for a picnic or two later in the afternoon.
Last leg to A Gudina.
Initially this section was along more picturesque and ancient tracks but soon left the lush country and climbed into rocky hills. I had quite a few stops for rest and food. The country was so different from this morning- here it was high up in open rocky country under an expanse of blue sky. Stunning in a new and different way.
Eventually with a few more down and up hills I got to A Gudina. This is another town with interesting architecture and many stories to tell.
I followed my notes and found the Albergue only to find it had moved - but not too far away. It’s located in some sort of centre next to the swimming pool and is completely new with excellent facilities. It’s warm and it even feels like there is under floor heating in the dorm. There is one other pilgrim- Spanish Juan. We met in Vilavella. I’m not sure which route he took - I just followed the arrows- but he arrived before me.
Given that I had been eating on and off all day I didn’t actually need a meal. However I went to the local Bar for a vino and tapas and to use their Wifi. 🙏
A pretty amazing day. It took me 10 hours to walk 26 km but I feel OK and nothing hurts - and the first 6.5 km were really slow and hard - took around 3 hours.
Today I learnt that as long as I have plenty of breaks I can now successfully do longer distances and more challenging routes. Tomorrow is 18 km so I can have a more relaxed start to the day. I wouldn’t have been saying that at the start of the VDLP. 😅😂

Buen Camino

PS. I have found the people in Galicia friendly and Camino focussed. Today I crossed paths with two older ladies who greeted me and asked about my Camino. I explained I was from Australia, had started in Sevilla and was walking solo. They asked - what if I fall over somewhere and hurt myself. I pulled out my phone (indicating I could call for help) and they were happy with that. By the way this conversation was made up of a few Spanish words from me and context, gestures- along with words - from the ladies. It always amazes me how we humans can communicate even when we don’t really speak each other’s language. ❤️Read more