Last night after I posted while I was finishing up my dinner which had grown cold, a Spanish woman came up to me and asked me what country I was from. I told her Estados Unidos and then she asked me what part. When I said California I got the look I always get when I say California in answer to that question, the look that says either, "I thought so" or " that makes sense." I mean What? Am I the poster child for California grandmas? lol We chatted for a while and she told me she is from A Coruña which is on the north coast of Galicia. She introduced me to her two daughters, one of whom is living and working in Vienna. She asked me where I started the Camino and when I told her she looked suitably impressed. She asked if I was out here alone. I said yes, my husband is at home cheering me on. She laughed.
Last night in the Albergue I met a young man named Matt from Tustin. He's traveling wit a friend he's had since childhood. They both just graduated from CSUF and his friend is staying in Spain to teach English. He heard about the Camino from his friend. He said it is life changing to get out of the Orange County bubble and see a simpler way to live. We discussed materialism and conspicuous consumption. He seems to be an intelligent young man.
After the bike race entry, as I was walking through town it looked like they had a small carnival with rides set up in one of the parks. Later after dinner when I went out to have some helado and use the bar's wifi to see if I had received any posts, I saw a big bouncy house set up by the church. Then as I turned the corner I saw that some people were putting up a large stage for amplified music. Apparently Portomarín was having a large fiesta. This was not particularly good news for me because my Albergue was half a block from this stage and the speakers were pointed in that direction. In Spain these things usually start about 10 pm and end about 3 am with stragglers drinking and cavorting until 6 or 7 am. Sure enough about 9:30 the fireworks started. I went out on the balcony to watch, but there really wasn't anything to see. They went up with a fiery tail and made a loud noise like a bomb. That was it, no explosion of colored light, nothing. I went to bed. The windows were closed and the stone walls pretty much kept the sound out. I got up about 1 am and could hear the music from the bathroom because the window was open, but where we were sleeping, it was pretty quiet.
I woke up about 4:30 and couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up, stretched, tended to my two little blisters, ate a banana and a granola bar and took off about 5:30. I hiked alone in the dark for a couple of hours. The sun started coming up about 6:45, but I was under a canopy of trees. At one point I was startled by what I thought was a low hanging branch, but when I looked up my head light was shining on a big spider web with a huge spider in it about two inches from my face! I'm not usually bothered by spiders but this one was big and too close for comfort. I used my poles to knock him and his web down so I could pass. I didn't see another soul until about 8:30 when I stopped at the next Albergue/bar for café and tostada. Yum.
There was lots of beautiful scenery and nice people. I'm walking in the regular stages now so I'm seeing a lot of the same people every day and we all wave, smile, and say "hola" or "Buen Camino" I finally got to Palas de Rei about 1:30 and found a great Albergue with wifi downstairs in the bar and I have a single bed. It's Sunday, so nothing is open. I was having café in the bar when an English speaking woman asked me if I would like to walk about town and get a bite. Her name is Kay. She is from Australia and is an IT consultant. There seems to be a lot of them around. She started the Camino three years ago and got as far a Burgos and was injured. Last year she went from Burgos to Sarria and ran out of time. This year she started in Sarria and is going to Santiago and the on to Finnesterra. Her partner is also at home cheering for her.
I have 42.8 miles to go to Santiago. I can hardly believe the walking part of this journey is almost done. My knee and blisters will heal. I don't know if my toenails will ever be the same. They are a mess. I have a weird farmer tan. Half of the tops of my hands are white where the straps for my poles cover them, the other half up to the knuckles are almost black, and my fingers are normal tan. lol
I may try some pulpo (octopus) tonight if they start cooking it before I go to sleep. I love you all and would really like to hear from you. If you don't want to post on fb send me an email. nancy7484@gmail.com
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