This morning I decided that if I plan on finishing the Camino with little to no pain, I have to skip over Triascatella, and start the day with Sarria. The initial plan was to take a cab from O'Cebriero to Sarria, spend the night there and start walking in the morning. However, the Camino had its way, and upon arriving in Sarria at 11am, I decided to walk with Lauren and Matt past Sarria until my feet got tired. So the feet got taped up, the toe covers went on, and on we went.
Let me tell you. With each passing day, the landscape of the Camino becomes more lush and more beautiful than before. Although I don't think anything can ever beat last night's sunset over Galician mountains with an Italian man singing a peregrino song redone to the tune of La Bamba. When I can get on a PC at home, I'll post the video of this man and his Camino friend singing the song to us. He was wonderful. In the meantime, here's a picture of Leagh Ann and I with the lovely La Bamba men.
Anyways, the walk today was completely different from the landscape I've covered so far. It was a wonderfully green and tree lined path through the Galician countryside. After a about an hour of walking together, Lauren and Mat went ahead and I had the Camino trail all to myself. The birds and the running streams were my orchestra for the day.
After about 12k My feet started talking to me, and asked that we end todays walk soon. So I listened and called it a day and stayed at what probably is the only albergue in a tiny tiny village called Ferreiros. The hostess was wonderful and I met some new Camino Peregrinos today.
There was Barbara who is on her first day of the Camino. She arrived in Sarria yesterday to join her 80 year old mom and cousin Nicky (both of whom have been on the Camino for the last 60 days and started at St Jean Pied de Port two months ago. Barbara is from New Orleans and an absolutely wonderful soul. She has a great spirit about her and is quite funny too.
I also met Peter from DC and Gerd from Germany. Peter started walking with his daughter, but she was taking it easy and they spit and agreed to meet in Santiago. Peter had been thinking about the Camino for the last 17 years and finally had the time to do it. Gerd from Germany is another kind man. He is in his early 60's, and had been thinking about the Camino since he was 40 years old. Until now he hadn't had the time to do the whole Camino, but now that he's retired, he started in Germany on bicycle two and a half months ago, traveled by bicycle through France, and once he got to Spain, he decided he will walk the rest of the way to Santiago.
Today I also read the letters given to me by Mahiliaire and Malika. I am actually glad I opened them on the same day because Malika's letter had a picture of the three of us from my birthday trip to Vegas a couple if years back, and Mahiliaire write me a lovely poem, and recounted some events that we shared together. So today I shared the day with both of my lovely friends and I am so glad I could take the two of you on my Camino with me. Here is the lovely poem that Mahilia wrote that had been my contemplative thought for the day.
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