Days 24-25 - Trabadelo

I found those Irish ladies again later that night. They'd taken a cab to the village. I was happy to see they were safe.

Yesterday I walked 15 miles to Cacabelos. Longest walk so far - Maybe I could've walked faster but I took an elderly woman (a priest) under my wing who couldn't stand the simmering heat. Arrived in town around 6PM. Enjoyed some homemade pizza and a a glass of Spanish wine for dinner.

So far I've had two hospitaleros who didn't pay attention to where they were putting their stamps. A pilgrim's credential is a very personal thing and many have their own system. Mine is top-to-bottom, and I indicated to them where I wanted it, but they put it somewhere else as though they didn't care. Argh. One stamped upside down. It's a picture of a walking man, so it's pretty noticable.

There are more and more people on the Camino in this neck of the woods. It's so crowded here, this is not at all what I had expected or hoped for. Today I decided to take a little detour and walk an alternative route to the next village. This one went through the hills and was definitely a lot steeper than the regular route, which followed the freeway down below. Many thought I was crazy for doing this, but I have no regrets. I feel fine, and wow, I wouldn't have missed that view for the world (a contradiction in terms, yes). These mountains are really beautiful, full of flowers. I ultimately ended up in Trabadelo, after 12 miles, along with all the other pilgrims who went the easy way.

This hostel is very nice. It's run by a really sweet lady who insists on waking everyone at 8AM and wants to have a group dinner at 8PM. This place is brand new, and half the building isn't open yet, but they're allowing us to sleep here anyway. Have to tread carefully through all the building materials :)

A 107 miles to go, as the Nazgul flies.