One more leg completed. We now have only about 42km remaining, and will complete in two days.
I think we are ready to be 'done'. Both of us are fighting some minor, but nagging, physical issues, and we are looking forward to some rest. Mentally, I think we are also ready to be done. We have made some very good friends, and not seeing them regularly will be a loss - but there is always WhatsApp, and in some cases a visit will be in order.
But the Camino is also changing. Multiple paths are converging (the one we took - the French route - is a primary route; but other routes, like the northern route, have already merged). Additional paths will continue to converge until we all meet in Santiago.
And then there are the many, many, many folks who started at Sarria (120km), those who started at 100km (the minimum required for the Compostella certificate), and those who started at 50km. There is no longer 'silent' time in the woods. There is always someone ahead or behind by a few dozen yards. More folks singing, playing songs on phones, talking, and more folks who did not put plastic/rubber tips on their metal poles.
We are now in the process of being consumed by the deluge - the spikes out of Sarria are flattening, and we can no longer be between groups. There are now lots and lots of teens and 20s folks who are having a terrific party (and some aged folks, too). Don't get me wrong - I am very happy that these folks are having a good time, and that they are doing this as an introduction to Camino, or as a pre-test to a longer walk, or because they have limited time. However, it does mean that opportunities to quietly listen to nature, or to take time for a photo-shot, are more limited. The Camino has changed.
Today was 14 miles. Some nice forest walks, and some walking next to roads/highways. Again, a lot of farmland and very few wildflowers/insects (so I took pictures where I could). At the end of our travel for the day, both Jana and I were ready to be off our feet. A good lunch, a good shower, laundry, and dinner all help. And in morning we will be ready to continue. We have two more days, about 12 miles each day.
The first of our friends from our early cohort finished today. Others will finish tomorrow. We are hoping to catch them before they leave Santiago.
Birding today was a bit more challenging. 25 species. None new, but a couple of good looks and a couple of good photos. Maybe things will change as we get closer to the coast; maybe not.
Now for the photos:
We left this morning at 6:57 AM, A bit before sunrise:
Much of the early walk was along grassland or on forested paths:
An early morning Song Thrush in low light, a bit off the trail:
And a European Robin. Out towards the start of our walk, robins were terribly shy; now they are less and less timid:
LOOK OUT!!! In about 12 minutes, there is going to be a horrific collision:
As I took a picture of this milage marker (59.559 km), a European Robin landed on the top. See - Not shy.
One of the first early bunchings today:
We started seeing these yesterday. Like big chicken-coops on stone legs. We found they are for grain storage, and the elevation deters rodents.
A creek crossing on a stone bridge. That means that the next section will be uphill.
Today's walk also included some paths along industrial districts and through cities:
This bridge is really cool. The Puente de San Xoán de Furelos was built in the 1100s. It has 4 arches (each of different size) that span 50m.
We passed a few of these now, described in a prior post, stone troughs for washing clothes. Women would meet at these as a sort of community social event.
Lots and lots of cows in Galicia:
A Meadow Brown Butterfly:
The number of pop-up commercial stands have increased dramatically in the past two days:
A Bumblebee working at some flowers:
The path becomes a little busier:
My first photo of a Spotted Flycatcher. This bird was clearly making the noise, but it has a darker chest than a normal one - AI and Merlin photo ID are not being helpful on this one.
A dragonfly straddling two leaves:
One of a few small patches of wildflowers seen today. And another day with no poppies:
A Common Buzzard - It seems I'm starting to see more of these over the Camino path:
Approaching our bed for the night, a clot of folks on the bridge:
Saw this guy at dinner on the rock wall of the building - I thought the colors were striking (blue and red). It appears to be a Ruby-tailed Cuckoo Wasp - Like the cuckoo bird, they lay their eggs in nests of other species, where their young eat the larvae of the host. Unlike other wasps, this one is unable to sting.
The final milepost we passed today: 41.724km. 95% complete.
Two moderate days remaining.
And we still need to figure out what 'after' will look like. Will keep you posted.
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