Day 9 - The commercial side of the Camino

Arzua to O'Pedrouzo: Distance traveled 13.25 miles. We were really spoiled last night. Miguel the manager of the Santa Maria catered to every wish and made the stay "perfecto". Dinner consisted of pumpkin soup, local cheese, veal for Mark and sea bass for me and I was just a little too excited to see fresh veggies on my plate. A very light strawberry dessert, coffee and great wine. The icing on the cake was an omelet for breakfast with fresh fruit. The Spanish people love their bread for breakfast and I have been craving eggs! Miguel even took our boots for night and dried them. Such a sweet treat!!

It took us nine days to figure out why we walk much longer than the guidebook indicates. Today was supposed to be 12 miles and yesterday only 18. Well, it is the commercial side of the Camino. We found out that bars, cafes, albergues and restaurants hijack the Camino. They will often redirect the path to pass by their business. And it would have worked "if" those businesses had been open but most are closed for the winter. In the summer time, I imagine they have a very healthy business trade for beer and food breaks. Today, we got wise a few times and said we are not going down into the little village just to have to hike out.

The rain in Spain had fallen mainly on our heads. So today Mark made us makeshift ponchos out of trash bags. They worked well to keep us from being drenched. I regret not bringing our umbrellas but we figured that they would be hard to carry and use our walking poles. Then saw a pilgrim using one quite well. It was open with the handle shoved down between him and his pack. Worked pretty well. But I think we looked great in our "ponchos"!

We lost our original Camino group and have been on the same timing with a solo German man about our age and two Asain girls walking together. The surprise new Camino travelers we saw today was a young family. The dad carried the two year old in a backpack and mom carried an infant in a moby sling. Absolutely no way I would ever have done that! The lime green is the two year old. They must have chartered someone to transport their clothes. No way they could carry packs as well.

Today, we walked through thick pine groves, more eucalyptus, chestnut and a neat area lined with peonies. Really pretty. We also got to share the road with some dairy cows. The lady was talking to them and giving them directions like pets and the cows seemed to follow her directions. I am sure the stick that she was carrying helped a bit.

I wish that I would have gotten a picture of the old farmer and his wife in a field. She was literally cutting tall grass with a scythe. That is tough lawn mowing! She was cutting it and throwing it in a trailer attached to the tractor her husband was driving. The tractor passed us on the path with the wife riding in the trailor. We were smiling big at her and she gave us a big toothless grin back. We were thinking I can't believe you were cutting grass with an old farm tool by hand and she was probably thinking crazy Americans walking in Spain in the rain wearing trash bags!

We are in another tiny town so we think the anniversary dinner tonight is going to be pizza at a place a couple of doors down. Then we will head out to finish our last day of the Cowling Way tomorrow as we arrive in Santiago. Again we are hoping for better weather tomorrow and it looked like the weather girl on TV finally agreed. But then I don't think my Spanish is as good as it used to be.

 

 

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