Ups and Downs

I left Villafranca in the cold dawn, and managed to find the high route without difficulty. Almost immediately it angled itself at an apparent 45 degrees and continued like that for a long way. I´m sorry if I can´t be more acurate regarding angles and distance, but frankly I hurt too much to take proper measurements. I was alone on the track climbing up and up, for ever, it seemed, and watched the rising sun paint the sillhouette of the ridge that I was on onto the mountains on the other side of the valley. Having taken an hour or more to get to the more exposed and more gently sloping upper ridge, this was the first time in my whole camino that I put on an extra layer, for warmth, over my short sleeved shirt.

Eventually, having crossed under some buzzing power lines, the route took me out into some chestnet groves, ancient trees fenced in a way that few other parts of the walk had been - a potential valuable crop, i guess.

The descent was less pleasant, for themost part zig-zagging down an old road, cutting out the hiapins of the new one. then the route joined the easier road route from Vilafranca, and it was on then to Ruitelan, about 22k. Here I stayed at an albergue with a disctinct Buddhist touch, including the offer of Shiatsu massage, which I took up to compliment the Reiki massage I´d had yesterday. They were both effective.

Here I met up again with John, a 67 year old Londoner, who walks faster than most people - aided by his 5-iron as a walking stick. He had a hip replacement a couple of years ago and hasn´t looked back since. He came on the camino thinking that he´d be pleased if he managed to do the first 80k to Pamplona, as far as he´s concrned anything more than that is a bonus ... and it looks like he´s going to go all the way to Santiago. He´s out-walked most of the poepl he´s been with, the only way that he and i met again is becasue I gained that 50k by train to Leon. he walked it. What an inspiration!

John and I walked most of the next day "together", in reality like most of the camino partnerships, you might start out together but after a while you separate, catching up at the next cafe of break area, or perhaps onl at night, at the next albergue, or if there is an option of accommodation you might miss each other altogether at this place and not meet up until the next day, or later .. or never. That´s the camino.

This day John and I climbed to O Cebreiro, the steepest climb of the camino. Frankly, it was less steep than yesterday, but John leapt ahead of me like a mountain goat. The view from the top was phenominal, looking down over a sea of clouds. I shall post some pictures eventually.

whilst the tendonitis in my right leg is a whole lot better, my left foot and leg is now playing up - I don´t know if its simply a recurrance of the problem i had before leaving home, or something else. The pain has spread to the back of my calf, above my achilles tendon. I´ll just have to keep taking the pills, and the ointment, and the spray, and the ice ....

Last nights albergue, at Hospital de la Condesa, the first in Galicia, wasn´t very good, with a distinct lack of empathy on the part of the hospitalier, who tuend away a very tearful woman and 8 at night, who had nowhere else to go. The rooms were crowded and stuffy, with beds far too close together. however dinner at a nearby bar was excellent, and John and I had the company of a Swedish nuclear engineer, Chistine, whose Eglish was excellent - as it is for most of the northern Europeans. Puts us to shame.

Next day I walked some of trhe way with John and some with Christine, ending up in the old monastary town of Samos. I treated myself to a night in an hotel, and had a good sleep.

Although due a rest day, this wasn´t the right place, and Iwalked on again today. however the discomfort of my leg underlined the rightness of my decision to make is a short walk. I started at 10.00am, but trhe supposed 12k to Sarria seemd an awful lot longer. Perhaps it was the heat. I am in what seems to be a very pleasant albergue in an old property at the top of the town, fountain and jaccuzi in the garden, no less. And still just 7 Euros. Having washed meyself and my clothes and caught up here, I shall now have a siesta, and contemplate another short walk tomorrow, but this time starting early (which you hgave to do in the albergues) and avoiding the worst of the heat.

Galicia is composed, largely, of lots of small farms. The route takes you past many cowsheds, and through many cowpats on the road. It all smells very agricultural.