Day 15 (10 April) — Into Galicia — 19 Miles

This walk was almost as difficult as the one two days ago. Have you seen a mountain stage of the Tour de France? For most of the stage, the course is somewhat flat with some hills thrown in here and there. And then dramatically, the mountains appear. The riders had sped easily on the flats though they used a lot of energy. When they went up the mountain, they summoned the last ounces of their strength to get to the top.

Our walk followed a similar pattern. Flat for about 13 miles that quickly changed to a 2000 feet elevation gain in the last 6 miles. Certainly a significant challenge. However, I would take the long uphill rather than the long downhill of the other day. Thank you Delia for our hill training and the power walks on the Trexler Outer Loop.

I started off at 8:15 after taking a photo of Oscar Ramirez and his 15 year old Juan Pablo. They are from Guadalajara. Oscar is an attorney and is growing a wine importing business. In addition to walking the Camino, he will meet his wife and his three other children AND meet with selected wine growers. Sweet on all levels.

The flat part of this stage followed one of the rivers that flowed through Villafranca. We walked in a valley flanked by tall mountains. Although warm, we walked mostly in shade — the perfect condition for long distance walking.

I need to digress a moment. In one of the villages, a white cat approached and threw herself on ground. She invited petting and I gladly complied. I received my first dose of kitty love in 16 days. I miss my Rooster.

After easily walking on pavement and level ground, we began our climb to the village of La Fada. A pilgrim sculpture marked the beginning of the long uphill.

I met up with Keith and John just before La Faba about a third of the way up the mountain. We all needed to fortify ourselves before the final climb to O Cebreiro. Keith and John had cerveza while I opted for two cans of Coca Cola. My friend, Eddie Rodriguez, a devotee of long distance cycling told me that my body will call out for Coke at some point during these long distance walks. I needed two cans to replenish the energy I used up to this point and to stock up on carbs for the uphill still remaining.

Near the end, I entered Galicia. Every time I looked back, I was moved by the beauty of the Spanish countryside. I reached O Cebreiro at 5:00 including three breaks. Pacing was important today.

O Cebreiro is a quaint village whose buildings are made of stone with thatched or wooden roofs. They are renovated structures or constructed to recreate an architectural style of earlier times. They do give a particular atmosphere to the village.

Dinner was my usual mixed salad, Galician soup with leafy vegetables, and white cheese covered with honey. The highlight though was the sunset that colored the sky from reds to blues. You can also see the rain falling. I loved seeing the people exclaiming oohs and aahs as the sun dropped in the sky.

No rain fell during our two days in the mountains. How fortunate we were.