We were concerned that it would be quite rainy today. Not so. The weather was perfect. Nice and cool in the morning, that pretty well continued most of the day. A few sunny patches, and a bit of rain. Really, perfect walking weather. If we could have this the last few days, we will be thrilled!
A gentleman from Oregon who had a bunk next to Mom last night, was a friendly guy. We talked with him on and off throughout the day while walking. Karis decided his name would be Rooster because of the saggy skin under his neck, but we soon learned his real name was David. Karis says she likes Rooster better. Rooster has been walking from Saint Jean like us, and is also feeling the excitement of nearing Santiago. I wonder about Rooster’s story. I hope to learn more about why he is walking in the next couple days.
There us also 7 loud Americans walking along our trek. One does not have a backpack and likes to prance by us at a fast speed. She is the one who said it looked like I had a turd in my pants yesterday. I’m trying not to judge because like I told Karis today, everyone has their own story and own camino. Maybe she has just had back surgery and is needing to ship her bag. We just don’t know. This group did grow on me a bit today. Even though their loud voices disrupt the peacefulness, they do seem nice enough. I’m sure some people find us disrupt-full at times with our singing and laughing. We laugh loud – a lot.
A lady from our albergue last night named Eva is from Quebec. She spends a lot of time walking with Rooster. She is a sweet lady with a nice smile. She also carries with her a blow drier. Bizarre. I watched in awe last night as she pinned and styled her hair after blow drying it layer by layer. I’m not even carrying mascara in my quest to keep my weight low. To each their own!
The landscape throughout the Galicia region is beautiful. Because they generally have so much rain, it is very green and lush. The vines and moss that covers the trees and rock fences are breathtaking. Lots of birds singing all of the time. Creeks and rivers with cute bridges to cross. Rolling hills and mountains for as far as you can see. Many photo opportunities.
We passed through many villages today. Had tea at a few of them. The one that we had lunch at served fries. I went in to order for the three of us and somehow messed up our order. I have been feeling confidant in my Spanish when it comes to placing an order, but I guess its still not that great! We ended up with 4 plates of fries instead of 3 and Karis’ nestea iced tea was a hot lemon tea with milk. Oops!
We are settled into an albergue tonight in a room of 12 beds and it’s just the 3 of us!! How lucky for us!! We skipped by the first albergue and went to the second. I think this was the trick! The 7 Americans, Rooster and Eva are all at the first albergue. We might just try that again tomorrow night!
Tomorrow we hope to go just over 25km. We did 24.5 today. With just over 75 left, we are hopeful to be in Santiago by Wednesday night or Thursday morning. The terrain is significantly different from some of our previous days on the camino. Much flatter now. It’s amazing how uphill climbs and backpacks can impact your speed and distance. Happy to report that we have not used the baggage taxis once. We have never shipped our bags. Every step they have been carried. 
