Pagans on a Pilgrimage

A great night sleep. Ear plugs and masks and working well. Up at 6:30 and out of the albergue within 20 minutes. 10min walk to an open cafe. Meanwhile, Ribadeo's youth are filtering out of the clubs and bars. They wish us Buen Camino as they pass. Cafe con leche and tortilla. Then on the road by 7:30am. Our longest day ahead…29kms. We are ready. 7km on road and we reach out first village. They have chocolate cake. We order coffee and buy bananas for later. The bar owner seems quite put out by the pilgrims keeping his business afloat. Continue on, we are on dirt road surrounded by gum trees. It smells like home. The 12km section is a mixture of road, trail and a loooonngg climb gets us to our next rest stop.   The cafe has great views of the valley and is the perfect spot for a weary pilgrim passing through. The owner is very every eger to help pilgims. There are hot empanades (kind of like a pasty), sandwiches, cold beer, and f...