Monday, October 09, 2023

Getting Their Camino Legs













 Day 67 - Palas de Rei 

     Breakfast was at the hostel.  Bacon, eggs and toast was a welcome change.  By the time we started, it was twilight, so we didn’t need headlamps.  The trail was already filled with pilgrims and some had already walked 7 kilometers and were eating breakfast at our hostel.  It was fun to introduce Calvin and Sassa to more Camino friends.  Many of them had heard about their joining us.  Manny continues to be the attention grabbing of the Camino.  Today a farmer came out of his field to give him some candy.

     Since we needed to only walk 11 miles (18 k) today, Calvin and Sassa decided to walk the whole day with us.  Manny was amazing. He got attached to one of my trekking poles and fit right in with all the pilgrims with ‘sticks’. He walked almost the whole day, only getting shoulder rides when the adults felt the need to pick up the pace.  We found that Manny is not the only little boy on the Camino.  He met Marco, a two year old who gets to ride in a backpack. 

     The scenery was similar to the previous day and had less walking on pavement. The scenic highlight was the ruins of an ancient Celtic fortress that preceded the Roman Empire.  It was situated on the top of a hill with a view of the surrounding valleys.  Manny enjoyed scrambling on the rock walls and hiding from us.  A lowlight occurred after watching a farmer manure spread his field.  The pilgrims were attacked by the strongest awful manure smell you can imagine.  Everyone had to cover their noses with anything they could find.  Just before arriving at our destination, there was a playground, a rare sight on the Camino.  The boys enjoyed the excellent zip line.

     We have two hotel rooms tonight. The location is not real convenient. on the outskirts of town.  But in the evening, we walked back into town and Calvin found us a nice restaurant where we enjoyed lentil soup and pork cutlets with a great flavor.  It was fun to run into Peter and Elaine with their friends who came to join them in Sarria.

    

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