Friday July 17: Fonsagrada to Cadavo Baleira (17 mi)

Ana: Our last day in the mountains.  Tomorrow we head to Lugo and a change in everything.  Lugo is a big city and the beginning of the last 100km to Santiago. We expect to have many pilgrims join us at this point. First, let me thank the California Cousins for the heads up on the hill.  That was equally as hard as any hill we have done so far, then what came as a surprise is the hill after, when my legs were jelly.  More on that in a while. We started our day as usual, in about 55 degrees and clear skies.

A lovely walk through trees, and pastures with beautiful vistas.  We climbed, then descended, then climbed again enjoying the peace of the countryside.

Birds singing, bells ringing, lost in our own thoughts, once again reaching a ridge lined with windmills.   At the top was the ruins of a pilgrim hospital.

We passed a pasture with this very busy fellow.  There must have been 30 babies who call him poppa.

There is a bar in this next valley that is a favorite of pilgrims.   It had been almost 3 hours of hiking so we stopped.  The owner runs the whole show, waiter, cook, clean up and bar tender.  We ordered a chorizo boccadillo, sangria, and a coke. It’s the simple things that are so enjoyable. We had been reading the guide and knew the “surprising” hill was coming up.  Yudi and Carola were still limping along and decided to stay on the road.  Carlos and I took off for the next adventure, filled with sangria and chocolate mentos.  We went up and could see the girls on the road below, then down and the path crossed the road.  Then down again and up forever.  I can usually attack a hill and keep going till the top.  I had to stop half way up to catch my breath, then invent a counting game to take my mind off the pain to reach the top.  Covered in sweat, panting, calves burning, and exhilarated that I had conquered the last big hill on the Primitivo.  WRONG, once again.  The Camino has a way of letting you know who’s boss.  Just as I was comfortable again, the path went up.  We walked another kilometer uphill with tired legs and empty water bottles.  A real smack down, I give in, the Camino wins again. At least I  wasn’t barefoot.  We talked with some American girls today, one was barefoot, walking the same trails that made my feet sore in high tech trail shoes.  I will try to get a picture of them when we get to Lugo. At the next coke stop we noticed there was wifi so I fired up the iPad to get the golf leaderboard.  Carlos was going to check email when he discoverd his iPad missing.  We all discussed where we had seen it last, even the American girls chimed in and we determined it was at a barn we rested at before the last uphill climb.  Carlos geared up and headed back.  First up the hill we just came down, then down the last hill that humbled me, then back up that hill once more, arriving at the hotel with iPad in hand.  An extra 5km for him today.

Clean up, clothes washed and hung out and we headed to dinner.  You never know what you will be getting even if the hostess speaks English.  Carola and Yudi ordered pork loin and was served fried balonga. After dinner, we arrived back at the hotel to turn in for the night when I discovered my underwear missing from the balcony.  I ran downstairs and into the alley looking for the delicates.  Carola, Yudi, and Carlos watched from the balcony cheering me on in front of the somewhat packed hotel bar.  Yes, I found them and acknowledged That in front of everyone.  Another exciting day on the Camino. Joe, I think it is time for a checklist, we are losing things far too often.

Just another day on the Camino