Neither of us slept last night although our albergue was quite quiet for a change. Light snoring but nothing remarkable. The problem? Drinking coffee too late in the day! Spanish coffee is delicious by most standards and is hard to resist but it's loaded with caffeine and deadly if you have it much after noon.
At any rate, we were up and at it at 6:30 and even with breakfast downstairs at the restaurant we were on our way by around 7:30. This was to be a day of climbing - about 700 meters- but in the past the beauty of it has always won over the climb. We pounded the pavement out of Trabadelo for at least a dozen kilometers and I was beginning to wonder if the country had managed to pave over the whole rest of the camino but eventually, after a few stops for coffee, eggs, water and whatever else we could think of we made it to an actual path. The path though, as so often happens headed steeply down at first, something that almost always happens before the uphill. But up it went eventually and up and up - in what felt like a tunnel of trees with rocks that were almost like steps underfoot. Up we huffed and puffed. It seemed as if this whole elevation was going to be in the last few kilometers. The beauty here is damp and green, with overhanging trees and bushes.
After La Faba we came into the open and it's here that the real beauty starts. The fields open up and roll down and up in all directions. The white heather and white and yellow broom follow the hills and valleys along fences and in dips. It's just like a fairyland! It is stunningly beautiful and very different from when I have been here earlier in the year. Early and mid May the mountainsides are covered in pink and purple erica as far as you can see. But now it's all white and yellow and equally beautiful. These pictures are all going to look very similar to anyone who wasn't there and I can see they're quite dark. So you'll have to take my word for the fact that it was magical to be there.
We followed the steep path up and along as it rolled its way up to the small town where we had made our reservation. Our day was 18 or 21 kilometers depending on whose version of the mileage you believe and we were surprised that we got here before two considering the uphill climb. With our lunch of the typical mixed salad - with tuna, egg, olives and soggy white asparagus over lettuce, tomato and onion, we tried the local taste treat of cheese and honey. It's made locally from cow milk and is kind of curdy like a firm cheesecake without the sugar. But with local honey and on bread it is quite a taste treat! Only 2 to 3 kilometers in the morning up to O'Cebreiro- a lovely little village where we will want to spend some time.
Today it was raining lightly (and now more heavily) for most of our walk. We're hoping for a clearer day tomorrow but certainly won't count on it.
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