Day 9 - October 6 - The hunchbacks on the Camino

It is Tuesday, October 6 and as we head out from Sarria to Pontomarin - it is raining again. We are the hunchbacks on the Camino (all of us with ponchos or covers to protect us and our knapsacks from the rain). It is actually quite something, so many variations and colors, it is quite the sight to see, we look like hunchback whales with our covers draped over our back, turtles with large shells of various sizes, colors and shapes! Some of the travellers are discrete like us that wear our grocery bags between our socks and shoes to protect our feet from getting wet, but others wear the white garbage bags over their shoes and pants up to their knees! How they navigate the slippery rocks and mud with that I am not certain. We Canadians are more reserved and fashionable. Today was a great day for walking (outsite the periodic rain showers and drizzle), the temperature was perfect for walking (except those that have a windproof raincoat that does not breathe (I know what my kids felt like in diapers and rubber pants.....sweaty hot (and not the good kind of hot)! Our journey today was through many farmyards (we walked right through the farmyard, past the milking pallor with the music a blaring as they were milking) by the chicken coup as the roosters were trying to gather the hens, by the ostrich that wanted to bury his head and could not because of all the rock, and by many apple and chestnut trees. It was quite picturesque as we walked along. Out 25.69 km journey today was probably the best because of the terrain and the countryside. We had a few steep inclines and some slippery decents that were tricky, but all in all, it was a great journey today. The country side with the rock walls took us back to the 16th or 17th century. We could envision the King's men or the armies coming through these windy rock-lined pathways with their flags and horns. Moss has grown over some of the rock and it is even hard to believe that there is rock under that. These are OLD fences, quite unbelievable that they are still standing. Watch an old version of Robin Hood and you will get the picture of what we are seeing. We saw an elderly gentlemen chopping down weeds near his home with an handmade hoe and shared the pathway with a small herd of cows going to the next pasture. An middle-aged lady was carrying two small battery packs on her back that charged her cattle prod as she herded the cows onward. It was quite unbelievable. Needless to say, the cityfolk tried to stay clear of the cow's tails that were manure coated and prayed that they would not get swatted by these as the cows wondered by. Many of us scavenged the apples that fell from the trees onto the ground (me included), as you could often find several good ones amongst those that were severely bruised or damanged. They were delicious, crisp and obviously fresh and gave us the right boost of energy to take us to our next meal. We had only eaten a very light breakfast and felt that there would be several places to eat along the way. It was not until 12:15 or so that we found a place that we could order something to eat and have a place to sit, the food tasted even better as all of us were hungry. As we arrived at Pontomarin - over an amazingly high bridge (made me dizzy just to look down), we are excited to be here (we had been walking for about 5 or more hours), only to meet stairs into the town. Are you kidding me???? 50 or so stairs greeted us. Okay, so we put our heads down and started to walking straight up without watching how many more we needed to climb and before you knew it, we made it. Okay, now there is an incline to get to our hotel. Some of those with swollen joints were questioning their abilities, but happily, everyone today walked the entire journey and made it to our hotel. The next big decision we had to make was what time we were going to gather for our menu del dia. After our meal, we gathered in this lounging area and brought out the bottles of wine we had purchased previously and reviewed the highlights of the day. We decided that it would also be a perfect time to ice the joints that now are swollen and tender. One of the group went to secure ice for the white wine (dulce (sweet)) and for our joints. She took a grocery bag with her and came back with only three cubes of ice. This would hardly chill the wine, let alone ice the joints, but we managed to address what needed to be done. We shared stories, chocolate, nuts, chips and wine. Quite a feast I would say and we are still very much enjoying each others' company and companionship. We have now travelled 210 + km and are on our last 4 pages of our journey. We have passed the 100km marker to Santiago and are excited as the destination is nearing. Many of the pilgrims we have met today and those we have seen along our entire journey are getting excited, you can hear it in their voices. Tomorrow is supposed to be about 26 km as we head to Palas de Rei and there is NOOOOOO forecast of rain for tomorrow, although it will be cool. Hasta luego (see your later) Adios, Sandy