Leisurely breakfast and then we are off on our walks. The keen and faster walkers walk right from the hotel for their 14km journey to the lunch stop. A couple of us start from the 7.5 mark and some of us at the 6km mark.
Today is much cooler at 17C and cloudy with a slight drizzle. The drizzle lasted only a couple of minutes but the clouds hung out for the day. It was perfect walking weather. We passed small meadows or farms enclosed by slate and rock fences and, combined with the rolling hills, the effect was heavenly. The tree covered lanes took us through small hamlets and villages – it was like walking back in time.
As we are now only 100km from Santiago, the number of Peregrinos on the trail has increased significantly. As each person passes they say Buen Camino and the whole atmosphere is a friendly community all walking towards the same goal. What a great feeling, we all felt the special atmosphere today, the camaraderie, almost a peacefulness – very special. A couple of days ago Ruth asked a lady what brought her to the Camino. The lady’s response was “we think we choose the Camino, but the Camino chooses us”.
The group has been fantastic and I believe everything happens for a reason. Brian and I walk together and we are slower than the others. This helps him achieve his Camino, and just today I said “carry on ahead Brian, I haven’t had a lot of opportunity to take photos and I like this shot, I’ll catch up”. As he passed by me he said “that’s why I am here, to give you that opportunity!”
This is only Day 3 and I can see things happening, in myself and in others; mind shifts, ‘ah ha’ moments, achievements, compassion, camaraderie, friendships, laughter – it has been really quite magical! To me, this is what the Camino is about.
So yes we had a great day………..absolutely fabulous food at both lunch (Casa Cruceiro in Ferrerios) and diner tonight, great scenery, getting into our walking stride, staying at an incredible country manor house, but these pale to that special feeling we all seemed to feel today.
We are at the Casa Roan in Lodoso, a distance from the main road, and Camino which is an absolute gem. It is an old manor house from 1863 and was just refurbished in 2004. Each room is different and has loads of character. Jose, who owns the property is a fantastic chef and extremely hospitable host. We are the only guests here and several of the group want to stay on for good!
After too much food, just the right amount of laughter, and a couple of renditions of our Camino song (tune is A Long Way to Tipperary), we all went off to bed. Tomorrow is another day!