Camino Day 39 La Faba to Tricastle 16 miles Total to date 430

Camino Day 39 La Faba to Tricastle 16 miles Total to date 430

Left the Albergue before sunrise in a drizzle I thought was the heavy fog (can you have fog when you are not on the coast?) but no it was the beginning of rain. There is nothing do exciting as hiking up a steep grade of slippery wet rock. It wakes you right up. lol but it's not really cold, or I'm not cold, because of the physical exertion of the climb. I have a good rain jacket and cover for my pack. I had to put Mr Burple in the pack under the rain cover so he doesn't get wet and catch a cold.

The scenery, once the sun started coming up, is magical. There are islands of mountain tops surrounded by an ocean of very dense fog. Even after the sun came out it stayed pretty cool the whole day. There was a very brisk breeze. I stopped and had café so many times I may not sleep for a week.

The first stop for café was in Laguna de Castilla where the cows way out number the humans. I hope they never realize the strength in numbers. This village defines Cow Town. It can't be more than two or three thin blocks long hemmed on by the mountain on one side and a cliff on the other, literally hanging on the mountainside. In this tiny space there are about ten large cow barns, cow poop every where, and in the rain the dried cow urine ran in rivulets down the stoney path. The odor was earthy. Very rural Leea. lol I was glad I did not hike this at the end of the day yesterday. In the afternoon the flies must be unbearable.

Shortly after this village I entered Galicia. This is probably the poorest part of Spain, but surely in the running for the most beautiful. I thought today was going to be a steep climb,a flat several miles and then a steep decline. What it has been is a slow roller coaster of steep inclines and declines with each turn in the road presenting yet another stunning vista. At one point a guy was moving his cows to a different pasture across the road. One of the cows and a calf weren't moving faster so his German Shepard dig went and herded them. It was fun to watch. Another time I was hiking up the path and from around the corner in front of me a cow appeared, then another. They looked at me like what are you doing on our path. There about eight all together moving down the path be herded by a woman with a switch. These poor cows had bags with tenets almost dragging on the ground. There's a lot of cows out here and a lot of caca de vaca (cow poop)

The last seven miles were downhill and by the end of it my knee was a little cranky. I think the guide book underestimates the final distances. It always seems longer than the same distance at the beginning of the day. lol. But I got to Tricastle and found a really nice Albergue and was greeted by the family I met the night of the bed bug drama. It's a doctor and his wife and their five children, the oldest is sixteen and the youngest is seven. They all seem very bright and nice. They are from Pennsylvania. They invited me to have dinner with them. This was a much better experience than the German.

In Galicia they have a marker every kilometer telling how far it is to Santiago. I think the last marker I saw was 131 kilometers. Tomorrow when I get to Sarria I think I'll have a little over 100 kilometers left which is about 60 miles. So it is time to sleep. I was on my hike for ten hours today, longest day yet. Even longer than the day I walked 19 miles. It was all the downhills on the roller coaster, especially the last seven miles. Nitey nite.