Travels to the Edge

I have entered the Autonomous Community of Galicia - and Santiago is the capital. Galicia has Celtic origins and a mystical quality. It is renowned for its green landscapes, ubiquitous mists and scenic vistas - and stonework.  Walls, buildings and pathways use local stone.  It is everywhere, including under my feet.  These boots might be made for walking but their soles and stitches are wearing thin.  I am feeling every stone. Just a couple more weeks, dear boots,  that’s all I ask! At least the weather is looking dry and mid 20s for the next 10 days. I am happy about that. This morning was cool. I dropped into the church on the way out. Along the green lanes under the freeway. I began the climb to the border. Near the summit, I took the tunnel. Out the other side was Galicia. A wonderful vista opened up. Innovative stone work appeared- great for path bridge building, and just the thing for periods of wet weather. The walk into A Gudina was tedious, to be honest. My feet were not happy

Santiago must be getting closer - Hill climbing has begun and moss-covered stone walls are appearing.  The stone markers are counting down the kilometres. The castle shone in the morning light as I left Pueblo de Sanabria. Cool morning road walking for a couple of hours. I passed restored stone buildings. There are builders that specialise in this - good to see. A late breakfast stop before the climbing began. I could see that it would be an up-and-down day. I kept a steady slow pace. and eventually made it to the tunnel at the top. I made silly echoes inside the tunnel. Time for lunch, I saw a bar - great! Damn it was closed, so I improvised in some shade. The view gave me a sense that there is more climbing to come over the next week or so. As I descended, the path continued off road. This landscape is so different to what I experienced in the early weeks. The albergue was still a few kilometres away and I could hear a distant thunderstorm brewing- I could see it in the sky too. I ma

‘One step ahead . . . Stay in motion, keep an open mind.’ I needed to today. I had fallen a little behind in days and distance - I made it up okay, through a gradual, mostly roadside, shuffle. It was fine. In the early morning hours, I closed the door to the albergue, in the rain - what a cool start to the day. Shall I walk the road or follow the yellow arrows? To be honest - I have been spooked by my Levante experience - official paths can be so unpredictable - I didn’t want to risk twisting an ankle or falling into a ditch in the dark - so I took the road. The pre-dawn hours were magical - gentle drizzle, hardly a car. The sun rose over my right shoulder. I had breakfast at Mombuey. I felt safe in the presence of the Civil Guard. They ordered a tortilla from scratch while my toast was burnt. Oh well, I suppose I am an alien. The rest of the breakfast was wonderful. I had been light on food over the last day or two so it set me up for a big walking day. Gracias El Porvenir Bar! The 12