O Cebreiro to Triacastela
We had breakfast this morning at our hotel. We had fried eggs, toast, and a couple of café Americano‘s. It was a great way to start the day! Our transfer to get back up to the top of the mountain was arranged for 7:45 am. It arrived promptly. While walking the Camino and crossing the roads, we have noticed the Spanish drive fast. I’ve often sang the Speed Racer song as I have jumped out the way while they sped by us. Apparently they’ve been our taxi drivers because both of ours drove like a bat out of hell.
The taxi dropped us off at O Cebreiro so we could start the Camino. It was still dark out. The buildings resembled something out of a Renaissance Pleasure Faire and it was misty at the crest of the mountains. It was cold and breezy for the first couple of hours of the trail.
During today’s walk I started reflecting on what makes something an adventure. Clearly it is seeing and experiencing new things. I also think it includes being outside your comfort zone. I am usually a creature of habit and routine. I enjoy having that challenged when I am traveling. An adventure is kind of like a box of chocolates.
I also started thinking about where the line gets crossed between being outside your comfort zone and getting into a stressful situation. I thought about thrill seekers who jump out of airplanes. I also thought about pilgrims who don’t book rooms in advance. For me it’s one thing to challenge your routine, but I also don’t want to add any unnecessary stress of not knowing where I will lay my head at night. On an adventure scale from 1 to 10, I am a six. I love experiencing new things and being outside my comfort zone, but I don’t want to jump out of an airplane or sleep on a church floor. We’ve met a lot of people who don’t find it stressful not knowing where they will sleep at night. That’s part of the Camino adventure! Different strokes for different folks. One of the unexpected experiences of day was the release of cows just as we were passing their barn. They were being shepherded by a gentleman who guided them down the Camino to get some lunch.
It is not uncommon for me to be walking along the Camino and turn around to see that Jim is nowhere to be seen. At first this was a little concerning. I would wait a couple of minutes and would see Jim sauntering up the trail looking like the cat that swallowed the canary. Apparently Jim has an addiction to wild blackberries. At first I cautioned him not to eat them as Lord knows what stomach ailment he could get. But he didn’t listen to me and he has been sampling the berries the entire length of the Camino (with no ill effects). Pro Tip: Galicia has the best blackberries on the Camino.
We checked into our room at our destination city, Triacastela, and had lunch. For two days in a row, we have had Caldo Gallego, or Galician Soup. It’s a brothy soup with white beans, potato with chard or turnip greens. With the cooler Galician weather, it hits the spot. It’s another thing I plan to make when I get home. Tomorrow we head to Sarria and then another rest day.
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AuthorsGreg and James live in Pleasanton in Northern California and are on a pilgrimage on the Camino De Santiago in Spain. Their adventures are captured in this blog. Archives
October 2021
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