I have now walked for a month without rain. So far, the only rainy day was the first day when I crossed over the Pyrenées from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles. I do not count the evening at Ayegui, however, which had a thunderstorm but only some light drizzle as it passed by overhead.
House in the fog, Liñares.
Galicia made true of its reputation of facing more weather than the other regions the pilgrims pass through on their way to the tomb of St. James. Yesterday we crossed into the region and today we have rain.
Alto de San Roque, hold on to your hat.
From O Cebreiro the route goes on an undulating walk until Fonfría, from where the descent to Triacastela begins. The woods are dark, misty and mysterious as we walk through them in the morning.
Descent from Alto de San Roque.
Out of the woods, the world is the mist. We pass by the remains of a stone house, where someone has put up a wild camp next to, which looks bedraggled. The small hamlet of Liñares appears out of the mist by a house and the gleam from a streetlamp.
An emerging landscape near Hospital de Condesa.
Alto de San Roque is another iconic location on the Camino Francés. Here you find the monument of a pilgrim braving the Galician weather, a fitting scene for today. Normally, I would expect the views to be excellent from here, but the statue does not hold on to its hat for nothing today.
Approaching Hospital de Condesa in the mist.
Leaving the weather worn pilgrim behind, the clouds are beginning to clear. Not to expose a clear blue sky, but enough that scenery appears in the horizon. Ridges appears above rivers of clouds.
Only to disappear again when we walk into Hospital da Condesa. We find a bar behind the white walls of a building blending in with the fog, where we also find a hot cup of coffee.
Herding cows in the mist.
On the descent from Alto do Poio to Triacastela, it is all Galicia, both in weather, in landscape and the appearance of the villages and farms. Farmers herding their cattle are crossing over in front of us, a woman leading two cows walks ahead of us in the mist. The cattle leave their signatures on the Way.
Ermida de San Pedro do Biduedo.
We have lunch in a bar in Fonfría. Passes by an old chapel in Biduedo, Ermida de San Pedro do Biduedo. Further down we emerge underneath the cover of the clouds. By the time we arrive in Triacastela, the clouds have begun to disperse and blue sky greets us.
Camino on the way towards Triacastela.
Triacastela is another nice village, or maybe small town, on the Camino. The municipal albergue is situated in a field just outside. It is nice, and we like the common room at the end of the building, with large windows providing views of the surroundings.
Passing through a galician village.
You will not get many points for guessing what the name of the village originates from. There were three castles that once stood here. They no longer exist, and were probably destroyed by Vikings a long time ago (which apparently were later defeated at O Cebreiro). We, on the other hand, come in peace.
Triacastela.
Despite the inclement weather, today was a nice day. It brought a change of atmosphere.
<- O Cebreiro
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