Fine day with a varied and beautiful landscape and the ascent rate ranging between gentle and “reasonable”. This is a stage with the most ascent, after the first one up to Roncesvalles. We’re moving through the Valcarce river valley and up to the O Cebreiro mountain pass.
Stopping for a night in between popular places leaves the whole road to us: we’re almost alone.
Soon in Galicia, can’t wait!
Funny thing up here in the mountains, though. The nature is breathtaking, which, coming from someone living in Norway, means something, I guess.
But it has this heavy seal of desolation upon everything past O Cebreiro, which, frankly, looks and feels like a freakish ride on the edge of a theme park, behind which there’s only rubble and broken bottles. O Cebreiro is, of course, one of the “recommended stops” and is equipped with everything from a bagpipe player on the edge of the forest up to a number of establishments, taking absolute advantage of tourists and pilgrims. The empanadas, for which we paid their weight in gold, I reckon, are memorable, and not in a good way. Further on there are villages one smaller than the other. In some there were 4 people in 1980-s, and now there’s only a church and a cemetery.
Albergues are as good as non-existent here. At the far end of the pass, right before the decent into Oribio valley, towards Triacastella, we were lucky to have found a nice and clean, albeit slightly cold room. Also, one of the nicest dinners so far with local cheese and local honey for dessert. Wine was easy choice: red or white? Red! From the fridge or “natural”? Hmm.. natural! No idea what we drank, but very good, actually.
Spain is playing England in Europe’s football Cup’s final tonight, but I’m not sure TV signal is coming this far, thankfully.
Tomorrow we’re hitting Sarria, the marker where the “last 100km goers” start. I wonder if “Disneyland camino” is a deserved moniker. We’ll find out tomorrow.
