The walk from Xunqueira to Ourense was well signposted but through an urban landscape and industrial estates.  Ourense is a beautiful and ancient city, with many fine buildings and a working Roman baths.  It certainly deserves more than our overnight inspection.  We left in driving rain, which followed us the whole way to Santiago.

In Santiago, I stayed in the Seminario Mayor.  At 23€ per night including breakfast, it was my most expensive lodging so far.  However, it is situated a few metres from the cathedral, and with the constant wet weather, well worth it, for the convenience.

Santiago is a wonderful city, but it is clear that the huge baroque churches are now museums or tourist attractions, rather than places of worship.  They certainly meant nothing to me, compared to my experiences on the Meseta, welcoming the sun in the morning and living in the moment.

Walking the Via de Plata, on the old Roman road, some 1000 kilometres, almost the length of Spain, has been a lifetime experience for me.  It is difficult and should not be undertaken lightly, however, it is well worth every step.

Before leaving Laza we explored the dark and mysterious romanesque  church and cloister. It was dripping with ancient tombs.

It was another beautiful walk, well signposted, along minor roads, through scenery, heavy and green, with a constant threat of rain in the background, it was Galicia.

We passed through tiny villages full of huge stone houses, most of them empty and collapsing back into nature.  Little ladies flitted around, too shy to speak to us, but we got the occasional, Buen Camino!  Xosé, Alberto, and the horses caught us up, walked alongside and then dropped back, in turn, all the while chatting in Galician.  In Xunqueira, there was a purpose built hostel, and  bars and shops in the village.

Sonia and I left Gudina at daylight, but full of breakfast, the bar opened early.  Xosé and Alberto were still getting the horses ready for the day and would catch us up later.  I found a young bird on the road.  I hid  it in the long grass and hoped it lived to sing another day.

The walk to Campobecerros was on minor roads with little traffic, through spectacular scenery, very steep mountains sweeping down to  enormous bluish green lakes on every side.

Campobecerros is an ancient but thriving village, with bars, a hostel and, surprisingly enough, plenty of young people and children.  However, on our way to Laza we passed through many deserted villages, in ruins, or just clinging on, with a few old ladies, very happy to talk about the Camino and to pass the time of day.

Laza is a busy little village.  The Xunta hostel is excellent, with all facilities.  You book in at the Protección Civil. There are two bars, which do good food.  The horses spent the night in a field just beside the hostel.  They were able to see Xosé and Alberto through the window and vice versa.  The night was filled with interesting horse conversation.

Today, we crossed the frontier into Galicia. When we left Lubián, it was well below zero, and we had a beautiful, but difficult, hike to the frontier, at 1260 metres. However, the sun came up and we had an excellent walk but mostly on roads, it had rained overnight and the Camino was impassable. We […]

via Camino de Santiago-Via de Plata (Lubián to A Gudina 25 Kilometres) — dandowlingblog

Today, we crossed the frontier into Galicia.  When we left Lubián, it was well below zero, and we had a beautiful, but difficult, hike to the frontier, at 1260 metres.  However, the sun came up and we had an excellent walk but mostly on roads, it had rained overnight and the Camino was impassable.

We stopped at one village which had only 30 inhabitants but had a very well stocked, shop, bar, and restaurant combined.

 

 

We reached Gudina to discover that the municipal hostel was closed for disinfection- bed bugs ( chinches), the curse of the pilgrim!

I left Puebla with Sonia, Jorge and Nani and the two on horseback, Xosé and Alberto, were not far behind. Sonia, is a Basque girl, very lively and very kind.  She entertained me by playing rock music on her phone, in between texting her boyfriend. I could feel that what passed for the real world was crashing in all around me.

Those heady days on the  Meseta seemed very far away, but such is the Camino.  Jorge and Nani are from Murcia, and were on a short walking holiday.  Xosé and Alberto and the horses were on their own cultural adventure to preserve Galician culture.  They spoke Galician and were delighted to hear that I spoke Irish.

This was a hard walk on roads, at first, but then through beautiful, remote countryside, where wolves still roam free, to Lubián.

Puebla de Sanabria is a beautiful and ancient town.  The walk was well marked and trouble free and when I reached Puebla, I had no problem finding the private hostel, Albergue Casa Luz, which is excellent and has all facilities.  However, I was now getting nearer to Santiago, and I noticed that several people were already booked in, including two travelling on horseback. My days of living in the moment and walking alone or with Victor across the huge expanse of the Meseta were over.  The world and what passes for reality were crowding in again.

 

This is a beautiful walk through many ancient villages. When I reached Mombuey, I had a meal in the bar and stocked up at the local shops.  There are no other bars or shops for the next 27 kilometres.  There is a municipal hostel in Mombuey but it looked in very poor condition.

I walked on to the next village,  Cernadilla. I found three old people sitting in the evening sun, on a deserted main street.  They told me that there were very few people left, that the church and the hostel were closed and that I must walk on to the next village,  San Salvador de Palazuelo.

San Salvador is a  more substantial,  with a small hostel at the bottom of the hill, near the church.