The Lush Green Mountains and Hills of Galicia

The walking thru Galicia on the Camino has been splendid, delightful and lovely. A bit like England I´d say ! Yesterday I walked to Sarria the long way via Samos. The Camino between Samos and Sarria was especially nice. I saw no other walkers on that section. Most pilgrims stop at Samos to stay a night at an albergue located within the monestary there. I debated staying but it was early and the walking pleasantly splendid. Like I said, a bit like England ! By time I arrived in Sarria I took my time looking for a place. I visited 5 different albergues before deciding on one. Travel Guru Rick Steves says if you have the time and opportunity you should always look at 3 places before deciding on one. Anyway, I was happy with my choice and 7 Euros is within the budget. I then set out for a meal. I often try to find a menu de Perigrino for dinner. It´s usually a pretty good deal with some sort of pasta or salad, entre, desert and a bottle of wine. Water if you do´nt want wine. It usually runs between 8 & 10 Euros and I´ve always been satisfied except for one occasion. Anyway, I stumbled into a place and noticed a Brit I´ve seen here and there over the last few days. He was sitting alone so I joined him. He had just ordered so I got my order in quick and we each began drinking our bottles of wine. His name is Clive and he´s 52. He works only 12 weeks a year and spends 6 months of the year living in Goa, India. While in India he gets around on his Royal Enfield 350 motorbike. He warmed up quite abit when he found out that I know a little about the joys of a riding Royal Enfield in India. I´ve never riddin one but I know a little about the culture of owning one. They break down often and in India that´s part of the fun. We swapped stories as we finished off our bottles of wine and headed back to the albergue I was staying out for a glass of grappa. I then played guitar for a group of Pilgrims sitting by fireplace while I sipped my drink. It was nice evening... How did I feel in the morning ? Remarkably well actually ! Go figure. Bread and cheese all day. Pasta, greasy chicken and fries for dinner washed down with a bottle of wine and a shooter of grappa before bed. Fuel for the furnace I suppose. I burn alot of Calories walking the Camino and sometimes thats just what the body needs !.... This morning the hills and fields were full of fog and mist. Alot like England! I was feeling quite grand and thought about my final days of walking to Santiago. I´ve decided to slow the pace and just enjoy the Camino to the fullest...I figure I´ll reach Santiago on Friday. With less than a 100 km to go there are two kinds of walkers. Those racing to the finish and those who slow it down. I´m slowing it down. I made 3 lengthy leisurely stops today at three different bars. First stop cafe, Second stop tuna empanada, Third Stop Lentil soup, rice and beer. The villages were frequent today and I took advantage of what they had to offer. By noon the sky was all blue and full of sun. The 23 km walk to Portomarin was fine with me so I checked into an albergue for the night......On a another note I´d really like to thank everyone who has been following my blog and have posted comments. Unfortunately I´m not able to respond directly to all who have posted. I do not recieve a return email address for anonymous posts. You can email me direct at: worldtravelerandthinker@yahoo.com .. David Petersen ! Yeah man ! Send me your address.... Cheers !