Day 33 Palas de REI

No that is not another plug for REI, it’s the name of the town. 🙂

Today was overcast most of the day which meant for a very humid day. While fairly cool, the high humidity caused quite a bit of sweat and sapped our energy. We put in 24 km today bringing the count down to 68 km to Santiago.

While yesterday we welcomed the new hoards, there were even more of them today. Bus loads of them joined us in Portomarin. (Literally a dozen buses) We also have found ourselves in the midst of a large teenage group of near a 100. We have seen them before but were able to avoid the group by pushing ahead or waiting until they passed. Not today. With the new traffic on the path there is no longer the opportunity for solitude.

This morning we got stuck behind a large group of new pilgrims who all seemed to leave town 10 minutes before us. That meant spending the next hour passing them on the big hill just outside town. Sounds easy right? Nope, they walk 3 or 4 abreast and don’t seem to want to let faster paced folk pass. Lori’s description is it’s just like leaving a Seahawks game; everyone leaving at once.

Lori was so determined to pass the herd that she set off at breakneck speed leaving me huffing and puffing trying to follow her as she exploited any gaps in the herd, which usually closed before I could pass. Being the Camel for us I am carrying most of the water for the two of us… at least that’s my excuse for lagging behind. 🙂

So enough of the bad experiences… on the positive side we continue to be amazed at the hospitality of the Spanish people. From the great staff at the restaurants and places we stay, to the nice gentleman at the church who helped me by adding another page to my pilgrims credential. (I had used the last available stamp slot today and am required to get two stamps a day for the last 100km. ) Their hospitality is generous despite quite a few pilgrims who at times seem to take their hospitality for granted.

Not a lot of pictures today, due to overcast day…

I did get one pic of Lori ringing a church bell. I told her just one ring, but she pulled off two; and then we heard a door slam on a nearby house…. so we hoofed out of there before we could get caught. 🙂