The walk today was beautiful, even when mostly on tar-paths. The surroundings were waving grass land, heather fields, oak-bushes and also some marshland, and all the time on the horizon white mountain tops, that we pass on the north side. They are for tomorrow (1495 m).I am now in the refugio, a nice one with a patio, where I am writing now. Many people from yesterday here, people are talking or writing, really relaxed atmosphere. Still, I am looking forward to putting up my little tent in Santiago. I am staying in refugios more because it is very cheap and good camping sites are much more difficult to find in Spain than in France.
I don't remember if I mentioned the bridge at Hopital de Orbigo the day before yesterday, it is magnificent. I took pictures (see Astorga), but couldn't get it on one photo, it is 104 m long and build in a curve.
This morning the Austrian hostess (normally it is run by a British couple) put out a nice breakfast, you could take what you liked and see for yourself what you wanted to pay for it. On my way, as the last one again. I really don't need to overtake anybody, but when it is going up in a winding way, my tempo is going up all the time, so after an hour and a half I had passed most of the others.
When I came to the Cruz de Ferro, I like everybody else added my stone with some names on it. It is a long wooden pole with a small iron cross, rising out of a meters high pile of stones. This site is almost more important for pilgrims than Santiago the Compostela, and I felt a bit emotional. Maybe also because of the scenery, really the most beautiful after the Pyrenees, I think. The path runs through the fields and through sometimes completely deserted villages, some of them in decay, others are being restored. Many, many impressions.
Then the town, always a downer for me, but a nice shower in the refugio, run by a Dane. Strolled around the town and looked at the church, they don't do much for me. The Castle of the Templars looks impressive on the outside, but I don't feel like going in
Yesterday upon entering the town a little girl stood still somewhere in front of me, looking down, then up to me. I wondered what was the matter, and when I came closer I saw the reason: a snake and she was clearly afraid of it. I think it was poisonous too, but it was only a small one.The town is nice and the church beautiful. The hostal I am staying in is from the 15th century and from my window I look out over the town. Close to the window is a spruce-fir with a storks nest with three young. So nothing to complain about, but I am worried about my leg, because tomorrow I would like to go on, and the path is going up rather steep according to my guide. We'll see...
Held a siesta this afternoon, good Spanish custom, every now and then I heard the sound of the young storks, mimicking the old ones, the sound of castanets. I look outside often, for a Dutchman this is a unique sight nowadays. The fact that they are nesting in a tree even made me doubt, pretty stupid. The churches here have too much archaeological value to harbor such a nest, and also they produce not a small amount of waste, neatly sitting on the edge of the nest with their behind pointing outside.If I don't hear the storks, I sometimes hear the clicking of a pilgrims stick on the cobblestones, and that makes me edgy.
When I started walking I was alone, hardly met anyone, so none of this rather competitive business of how many kilometers did you do, did you see this church, and so on. I join in myself against my will, don't like it. Santiago must be the summit of this, of course it may be very nice also to see again many of the people you have met on the way to Compostela. I am curious how it will be, but first I will have to get there!
But the weather was bad, part of the way followed the N6 and we were going up from 511 m till 1300 m. So I had visions of myself sitting alongside the road in the rain, holding my leg. But I took it slowly, and all went well, even the muddy parts going up very steeply, in the rain. What helps a lot is the scenery, also this prehistoric place is very nice.So today I actually passed the Galician border into this old Celtic land, with its surly people, who I like and sometimes hate,
but at least think I understand. And then the colors in the rain or without rain but with threatening clouds and rain in the distance. Yes, this is it, the evening land, where reality stops and fairy tails begin, where something is hiding behind every rock or tree, where after every curve my eyes search for something, don't know what..... This country evokes a longing for a child's world, but then seen by an adult. Yes, I hope to really enjoy the days to come.
ContinueWhy not let him know you are following him on his way?