Resting Places...

Since leaving Ferreiros on Monday morning, every day has brought  new experiences. Misty mornings have cleared to bring warm sunny afternoons. 

How lucky we are!

 We continue to enjoy beautiful countryside - very green with hints of Autumn on the hedgerows and trees, fallen apples and paths strewn with chestnuts. The camino is now more gentle compared with our first few days, but we still have had some steep and rough ground to cover.

On Tuesday we stayed at the town of Portomarin, which has an interesting history. In the 1960's the river Mino was dammed to create the Belesar reservoir. The old village is now under water. The most important historical monuments were moved brick by brick up to the new town. 

The following day we continued to walk through more stone villages - their grain stores on stilts, the farmers working their land. On this stretch of the trail we reached our half way mark!

 On Wednesday we had another opportunity to leave the camino to spend a night in the countryside near Ventas ...a quiet little farmers hamlet.  Unlike our last trip off the trail, we had a very pleasant drive to our destination

 - Pazo de Ludeiro..

Every night night so far we have enjoyed comfortable accommodation and good food. Compleja La Cabana - set right on the Camino path, just before the descent into Palais de Rei, surrounded by pine and chestnut trees, was our next stop. This time we were in a log cabin! 
(with a window that just fell out ... more about that another day.)

Off The Beaten Track...

Ferreiros, an extremely remote hamlet on the Camino, paper in hand, phone number to contact, but no reply, again and again and again!
Less than helpful bar staff in the Casa, one of only two inhabited places the other at the bottom of a long, steep hill!

 We tried to phone a taxi company, but abandoned our efforts 'non comprendi'.
A young Italian, a fellow pilgrim, tried to interpret for us. Eventually a young Spanish girl took pity and phoned a taxi for us. Two hours later a taxi arrived!

  There after it felt like we were on the film set of a James Bond car chase.  An expected 3km ride extended to a half hour roller coaster ride. Very scary! The mad Spanish chauffeur eventually stopped the car in Portomarin, 

our next days destination! 

 He laughed at our efforts to tell him there must be a mistake, that we were going the wrong way.  However, our panic subsided when a young Romania pilgrim joined us at this point. This was no ordinary taxi driver but the owner of Foilebar, our overnight accommodation.  When we arrived at his beautiful home, high up in the hills, he explained that his property name meant

 'House of the Wolf!'

We needed time to recover from the panic and travel sickness before enjoying a wonderful meal in the company of new  companions.  We prayed for forgiveness for lack of faith and in thanksgiving for our safe arrival.

But in the middle of the night when there was a loud banging  on the door we wondered if we were on the set of an Agatha Christie murder mystery or maybe too much wine!

All jokng apart it was a privilege to enjoy spending time in this beautiful home with such friendly, hospitable people.

The next morning we were taken back to where we had been picked up to continue our Camino. 

Hola, Hola, Hols!

Thank you all for your comments and words of advice. We appreciate some of you are unable to make a comment as your texts indicate but thank you everyone for your thoughts, best wishes and prayers.

It was a misty morning as we left Sarria on Sunday. It just so happened, as we walked down the hill leaving the town, we met Christina. She was starting out on her journey, experiencing the same emotions as we had at O'Cebreiro.

 We travelled together as far as Morgade. On the way she shared her reasons for making this pilgrimage. The road is so much busier now, pilgrims from around the world... Some walking alone, others in groups, young and old, many languages, so many different reasons for being here but the shared thread of fellowship and caring uniting us all. 

Barriers broken in the sound of 'Hola! Hola!' 'Buen Camino!'

                                            

Sadly most of the churches we have passed since Sarria had their doors closed and locked but many shrines have been created, wooden and concrete crosses, stone  cairns and a collage of stones, fir cones and wild flowers. All representing feelings, memories, hopes and prayers. We ended our days journey at Ferreiros where we waited and waited and waited...

There was no friendly 'hola' this time....

 

 

...but that's another story!