Brrr. It was a little chilly this morning when we started out. But, we had a proper breakfast….with eggs…so we felt strong, despite the news from the night before.
For the most part it was a nice day. Lots of cows again. I really wish we could include the smells along the way. 🤣😂 Not only cow manure, but something called silage for cow feed. It’s kinda like an old bar smell with sour beer. For those of you Aggies out there….like The Chicken. We also saw some really interesting mushrooms. And a particular flowering bush that had several types of bees and flys and butterflies all over it. Bruce counted at least ten different types of insects.
We walked thru at least 10 villages today. Generally only 5 or 6 houses in them. Some with a closed albergue or closed cafe. Some that had milking facilities with cows either being milked, or getting ready to be milked. All of the villages had some interesting architectural detail that was interesting.
We also passed the 100 km mark today. Which means, at the time of writing this, we have less than 60 miles to go. Of course, that means we still have 4 more days of walking left. Physically, we are all actually doing really well. Bill is walking faster, and not as much of a limp, as when we started. All of us have lost some weight. Personally, I’m hoping for a pronounced “some”.
As we were finishing the last couple of kilometers today, there was a small village we passed thru. I saw one person, who glanced at us and then quickly scurried out of sight. We passed a house that had a sheltered car port type of area with some plastic chairs with with their backs to us, and some string holding them together that were being used as a sort of fence to keep people from using the area. There was a sign, only in English, that said, “Private property. Do not use. I don’t care if it is raining. There are more than six cases of COVID in the area.” It struck me really odd that it was only in English, given that the majority of the people on the trail this year are Spanish, French, and Italian. Universal language? Not really sure. But, it was rather ‘strong’, given that several doors down there was an albergue that said, also in English, “Sorry we are closed for all of 2020. Buen Camino! 🙂🌼”. Yes….there was a smiley face and a flower. 🤷🏻♀️
We arrived in Portomarin. We were expecting a big reservoir, but it was just a river. Evidently there is only a lake here during certain times of the year. They moved the old city up higher in the 1960’s before they built the dam, and right now, you can see the old Roman bridge, and the remains of all the old buildings along the river. Very fascinating to me.
At dinner, we got the news that Dad passed. Quiet and gentle surrounded by family. He’s out of pain now, and with all his family that have passed before him. And he will now join us on the remainder of our trip, where he wanted to be to begin with. Happy Trails, Pops.
16 Oct 2020 ~ 34,494 steps ~ 14.5 miles ~ 71ºF ~ 🌤
