Ross, my husband and I walked from Vega de Valcarce to SdC last year Nov 26 (Thanksgiving in the States) – Dec 7. We took our time averaging 10 miles a day. Most of the time we walked alone and never saw more than a handful of other pilgrims at any one time. Those we did meet were wonderful and it is amazing how such a small number can still represent all corners of the world. We met mspath in Samos. Even at a restaurant you can pick out the pilgrims and it is easy to meet and strike up conversation. We met wonderful shop owners/managers who had time to talk because it wasn’t so busy. By the time you are walking this leg of your journey, you will have plenty of experience but here are our lessons learned.
Never walk past an open door (cafe w/ restroom in particular!) because there is no predicting where or when you will find the next one. Pack those snacks. Layer up with Merino wool …. Costco came through for us last year. Splurge on those water repellant boots. We used rain jackets/pants with hoods and wore caps (ie fishing / water repellant) under the hoods for better visibility. In the “who knew they made…” department of REI we found water repellent gloves that totally paid their way. Likewise the Merino wool buff was part of the daily regalia.
Members of this forum, fortunately for us, recommended staying in Tricastella so we could walk via San Cristovo do Real to Samos in the early morning. The lighting and colors of that morning were absolutely the most incredible we have ever seen. Though we went to Mass in the Monastery Church at Samos we found out later, it was in the chapel where the Gregorian chant was sung at Mass. This did frustrate me because we really didn’t want to miss the incredible music. So had to laugh when we learned such a simple and direct way of getting the latest monastery schedule ….just ask at the gas station! A very unique gas station as it is on a small slice of land next to the monastery wall as you walk into Samos. Should you manage to approach from a different direction …..Follow the wall until you are in the midst of it.
While it wasn’t our intention to have such a solo experience, there were benefits. The remembered sounds of our Camino are not walking sticks rather water running constantly everywhere. The birds shopping the fields, the cows mooing and giving us just enough time to step off the road so they could pass pilgrim free, the dogs barking and escorting us through the hamlets with such ownership!, the sound of wind bouncing off leaves, and yes, rain…though we must have found the Camino calendar wormhole last year because Galicia was pretty calm compared to the rest of Spain. Was it pain free? NO, we spent the coldest night of our lives in a hotel where the radiator worked away tirelessly and the window sucked out all its efforts. Every object touched extracted precious heat from our bodies….having survived that night; we have a brighter future after removing all the ice hotels from my bucket list.
The greatest blessing for me was walking the Camino for ten days with my best friend. Walking with the time to talk and listen to each other and to our God. Never had we received or given such sustained attention.
Buen Camino - m