Sarria

I haven´t had much time to blog since Hospital ´de Orbigo but have to tell you it has been fantastic.  We are now in Sarria the starting point of the last 100 km. before Santiago.  We have had so many wonderful things happen since Hospital,  they might seem small to some but were wonderful experiences for us.  We started out from Hospital a few days ago. To be frank, all the places we have stayed are starting to run into one another so that it is hard to remember when things happened unless one can blog regularly.  Our walk out of Hospital had us walking through some wonderful farm country, right through farmyards.  We saw cows and chickens, farmers planting their crops and the wild lavender that grows on the side of the road is something to behold. We picked lots to place in our hats and on our pillows at night to help us sleep, not that we need much help after all the walking we have been doing.  On our way from Hospital to Astorga we came upon a lovely, very much needed oasis.  It was a little cantina in the middle of nowhere that was run by a lovely young man named David.  He offered  -just for a donation, dried figs, nuts, muesli, milk, herb teas, fruit, coffee, you name it, he had it. All organic and also a lovely place to rest and listen to a fellow pilgrim play the ukelele.  We sat down, ate our fill and listened to the music and then we were on our way.  It had been very hot during those days so it was nice find a place rest for awhile.  He even hung up a hammock for us to rest in, but we had to be on our way to the next Alburgue.

A few days later we made the climb up to cruz de Faro.  It was a spectacular walk.  Beautiful scenary.  We found it to be one of our favourite walks, high up into the mountains of the highest point of the Camino. 1800 feet.  The view below was spectacular.  Cruz De Faro is a very special place, very spiritual for some, religious for others.  It is a place where one usually takes a rock or some other momento to place at the cross, all for very personal reasons. 

Another of our favourite places was Ruitilan.  We stayed in a great Albergue. Were fed Spaghetti Carbonera and a wonderful squash soup for supper  and also woken in the morning to Ava Marie along with a lovely  breakfast and our room  all for the princely sum of 15 euros.  It was a hot day 30 degrees so we donned our shorts and went down to the ¨beach¨¨.  A little place to paddle by the river than ran down from the mountains, all the while being entertained by a beautifully coloured rooster and his harum of hens.  Running back and forth across the little bridge that crossed the river.  After our wonderful supper it was bed time and ready to climb another mountain  - O Cebriero.  Again, another wonderful walk. The scenary changed drastically once we were over the mountain. We could be in Ireland.  It is much cooler on this side of the mountain, it is celtic country.  We are in Galicia.  The food has changed and they even play music reminiscent of Scottish or Irish roots.  Where we are now is Sarria. We arrived this afternoon.  Lovely walk through little hamlets.  We went up to the market recommended by our hospitalaro where we tried pulpo for the very first time. Octopus boiled and sprinkled with salt, olive oil and paprika, washed down with vino tinto.  I cannot begin to describe how delicious this is.  We are just relaxing now, doing what pilgrims do when they arrive at the next Albergue, hand washing, deciding where we will stay tomorrow, mingling with our Camino friends.  Tomorrow is another day, with what  I am sure will be lots of more new things to experience.