Day 40: Santiago - Vilaserío, 34.3 km.
Julia found Marina and I in our coffee shop and we all set out on our new Camino together. This one had such a different feel to me. Almost like a Camino that would be a vacation from the Camino Francès. I said it often enough I think we all believed it.
We started out with a spring in our step. Very quickly we were out of the city and on a lovely wooded trail. The Camino tends to be a leap frog game as we run into people we know when least expected, like our horseback peregrino compadre. He was crossing a particularly narrow, very low rock bridge and his horse slipped off. It was terrifying for me but he's been doing this for a very long time and kept the horse safe and worked it all out. He let Marina help and we just stayed out of the way and prayed. Whew.
As we rounded a corner on top of the first big hill we gasped as the Cathedral towered over the land...we had the experience we wanted but didn’t get when walking in. It was majestic. The entire day was filled with surprises as this part of the Camino is entirely unknown to us...we have nothing much to reference. All we do is look for the signs to tell us where to go next. The treasure hunt continues.
This Camino is beautiful, far more remote with much less access to supplies, blissfully peaceful, uncrowded and quiet. It's also a long way between places to stay. This was my longest day yet and I became a proper peregrino once again. No vacation Camino this one…it was a mcdnkscasckljdsfpejfejfedjffflong, hard, beautiful day. I have been re-initiated and once again hobbled the last, endless 3.5 km to our best surprise of the day. A beautiful albergue with the most amazing, nurturing woman who greeted our tired, sweaty bodies with big hugs, and she serves vegetarian, gluten free peregrino meals. The miracles just keep coming!!!
