Camino Day 38 August 29 Villafranca del Bierzo to La Faba 16 miles Total to date 413.3

Camino Day 38 August 29 Villafranca del Bierzo to La Faba 16 miles Total to date 413.3

Today was an amazing hike. We we following the river up into a mountain pass. We had the sound and sight of the river the whole day. And the countryside has become a lush green. Lush green in August! Amazing. There are miles of green pastures. The forests are not dry like ours, they are moist. The final two miles of the hike was 220 meter gain on a rocky path under a canopy of green. I kept thinking of all the forest fairy tales.

There are many people now on the same track as me and we chat in the evenings in a friendly way, if there is no language barrier. If there is a language barrier we kind of smile and wave to acknowledge one another. Today after I had done my usual shower, laundry, and market, two ladies had just arrived at the Albergue and we were talking a out how hard the last three kilometers were, but how gorgeous. They remarked that I must be a fast walker because I left the last Albergue the same time they did and they thought they were walking pretty fast, but I obviously got here long before them. I told them it surprised me because I thought I was going kind of slow. I guess I was going faster than I thought, but it was pretty much a steady climb and My knee does better going up.

Today I am a week from Santiago, if all keeps going well. We'll see. I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity. And I've spent a long time reflecting on how blessed I am and what an act of Grace my life is today. As far as I can tell at this stage this Camino has been about surrender and gratitude. Surrender, as most of you know, began a few weeks score I left home when I had an accident a threw everything out of whack. I was 't even sure if I could make the trip. It has continued throughout this journey from the bigger questions of my knee early on and the possibility that I might not be able to continue after just a few days to the little things like where I get to sleep and what I get to eat, along with people, places and things. I am surprised at how little even annoys me, except for the flies. They seem to want to fly in my face in the afternoon when I'm tired and just trying to get to my stopping place. I'm getting better about it, but it is the one thing about Spain I do not like.

Last evening I had an interesting conversation with one of the hositaleros about the Spanish Civil War. She's from Barcelona, so clearly in the Republican camp ( not Republican like we know them, in this case the Republicans were the farmers and lower classes fighting the fascists who were backed by the church and the monarchy. She said they were all dogs just different collars, they all killed someone. Interesting thought. In the Spanish Civil War the Republicans were backed by the communists and Franco was backed by Hitler and the other fascists. So they were probably screwed no matter who won.

Well it's time to stretch, eat and sleep. Tomorrow I have a big mountain to climb. Shortly after I start walking I will be in Galicia.