Camino de Santiago Day 25
Day 25: Since I went to bed early the night before, I woke up super early (around 4:45 AM) and departed the hotel monastery at 5:20 AM! This was my earliest departure and it was over an hour of hiking in the dark. It was all along roads (with one long tunnel which was cool) and I used my iphone as a flashlight until the early twilight hours. Around the 6 mile mark I was looking to have breakfast but managed to pass up the only place that was serving. Perhaps because I was hungry and had woken up so early, I got into a bit of a funk (bad mood) for a couple hours. Luckily, around mile 10 I found a great spot to eat and had two chocolate filled croissants and a coffee. About a half hour later I started feeling better and then started climbing a mountain. It was a 4 mile climb through the woods up a path typical of the Appalachian Trail. For whatever reason, the challenge of the hike actually improved my mood further. I stopped halfway up the mountain at a great place (Tito’s Bar) in the town of La Faba and had an electrolyte drink and talked with a guy from LA who has done 12 caminos throughout Spain and Portugal. It was great to relax, listen to Jack Johnson music, and talk for bit. After leaving the bar, I hiked up to the next town, La Laguna, and had several empanadas, lentil soup, and another electrolyte drink. I replenished my two liters of water at both places as I was sweating like crazy. The climb continued on from La Laguna and there were spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. I then passed from the province of Castilla y Leon into Galicia near the top of the climb. Once in Galicia, the camino leveled out a bit and then entered the small village of O’Cebriero, my destination for the day. I don’t know why I am still surprised at how awesome each location is, but O'Cebriero was no different. The village was founded in the 800s and has Celtic style houses. The music that they play in the restaurants and bars is also a mix of Spanish/Celtic. It’s very interesting and really cool. I checked into Albergueria Frade (great place again) and walked around the village multiple times (it’s less than a block large). I visited the church from the 800s, where a supposed miracle took place many years ago. The views from the village of the surrounding mountains and valleys are also spectacular. At night I went to Hotel O’Cebriero for dinner, watched the sunset over the mountains, and then went to sleep early.
Distance hiked: 19 miles
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