Camino Day 14: Castroverde to Lugo

Our planned route for the daywas 22km of rolling hills. Not too bad, of the weather didn't get too hot. As you'll see, I added on a few accidental kilometers by taking a wrong turn, then was told that the trip from Castroverde to Lugo was actually much longer than 22km in the first place.

With limited services on the route, we stopped to buy some food at the grocery in Castroverde, before we left town. The store blasted Lady Gaga's Bad Romance, and we sang along: "walk walk fashion baby!"

Heading out of town at 10 am, we were intrigued by a rest area that featured a strange little door in the side of the hill, and stone benches outside it. I tried to speak friend and enter, but to no avail.

Immediately afterwards, we passed a baby fox that we assumed had just recently been hit on the highway. He was laying there perfectly intact, like he was just sleeping. So sad. We took it as a warning to watch the highways carefully.  Fortunately, the path was mostly off the highway.

The path was wide and shady, but I ended up between two pairs of chatty pilgrims. At Souto de Torres, I noticed again how Mary was on the back of the crucifix. That has been ubiquitous here. And every church is named Santa Maria. After Souto de Torres, I pulled ahead on a downhill... to end up behind another pilgrim. He saw me and paused to tie his shoe so I would pass. I was reminded my dog Rory: "dum de dum, I'm just doing this thing over here..."

After that I ended up behind yet another pair of pilgrims, but mercifully they were walking in silence.

Just before the turnoff for the detour to Soutomerille, I spotted big really raptors in the sky and caught pretty good photos on my camera. I think they were Common Buzzards and Kites, like I saw last year in France.

The vending machines were either gone or I missed them. However, the detour to the 17th century "ghost town" of Soutomerille was well marked. The ruins reminded me of Lord of The Rings.

I realized I'd walked 7-8km already. It was so easy on relatively flat ground in the shade of the forest.

As I exited the detour, two pilgrims were on the main road eating their lunch. They asked if I had gone to see the church. I guessed the main path continued straight from where I left off it for the detour.

With Lord of the Rings on my mind, I laughed when entered Gondor!

I found the vending machines this time, although I didn't need any supplies. I was amazed at the vending machines! They held cured meats, sandwiches, even soups and pastas, with a toaster and microwave to heat them up.  I sat in their shelter and had my lunch, which was mostly bread and cheese, since my banana turned out to be too green, even for me, and I forgot that I had a can of tuna spread in my pack. By 12:15 pm, I was back on the road.

Sadly, I had missed the church in Gondor, and I was pretty sure I had missed the "love fountain" too. Fortunately for me, I had already found the love of my life! ;)  I could see the church as I was leaving town, but decided not to go back. I hoped that was not where the sello was, because I had not gotten a single sello all day. I asked another pilgrim and he said he hadn't seen any either.

Good thing we were still before Lugo, the critical 100 km point, after which a pilgrim needs two sello per day to receive a Compostela.

After Gondor I must have taken a wrong turn. I had guessed it was near this truck and building with tires on top. I ended up on the highway with no Camino signs in sight. Looking at my GPS, I decided to take a little street back up towards a rest area pin I had made in Bascuas.

Only a little way up the road, I found a Camino sign. I assumed that the path had gone straight West after Gondor, and I had somehow gone South. I was pleased to be back on the trail, but not long after I saw a sign for a "rest area with cold drinks 100 m."  I figured it was worth the effort, and was rewarded with a sello and a cold beer (price listed at 1,5€ but it gave me 0,5€ back!).

Soon, all the other pilgrims I had seen that day (and more-- 13 in total!) appeared from the other direction!!  I waved them in, and they were all happy to get a sello. I couldn't understand how I was following Camino signs on a different Camino, but we were all together at last. From the relieved looks on their faces, my other pin for vending machines in Bascuas was misplaced: they had certainly not just passed another rest area like this. What a fortunate accident that my misplaced pin brought me back on track! Their rush for the sello also told me there was likely no sello in Gondor.

One Italian woman eyed me up and down and asked, "Lugo? Albergue?" When I said, "Lugo, si, but hotel," she nodded and declared, "fashion!" indicating my outfit. I laughed, "quick dry!!"

I wished everyone Buen Camino and left. I had had to pee since not long after Castroverde, but the trail had been thin and narrow, and I was constantly surrounded by pilgrims. None of the rest areas had toilets. Finally, about 6km out of Lugo, I got far ahead enough of the group to pee on the side of the road. Camino problems!  Lol.

The last few km into the outskirts of Lugo I was alone in pine forests. Marvelous!!!

Then I was annoyed how the path wound around and around the highway, seemingly putting on extra unnecessary kilometers. Then I realized it was designed that way so that pilgrims could cross the highways via overpasses. As I looked down on the busy highways, I could see the logic.

Arriving at the hotel at 3:30pm, however, it did feel like MUCH more than the 9km I thought it was from Bascuas... oh, maybe because I had misread the map and it was actually over 13.5km? The hotelier laughed when I said I had walked 22km from Castroverde. "Castroverde?!  No, it's much farther than that!!"  And he didn't even know about my detours.  ;p  So I don't know: all the maps say 22.2km. Maybe he was thinking we came from O Cadavo instead.

Our room was fantastic -- the view out of our window included the city wall and the spires of the Cathedral! I was eager to check out the walled town, but my legs were eager for me to lay down. Lol.

After about two hours, I did a tour of the walled city. There were some neat buildings, but also a lot of shopping. Cat arrived around 6:30pm, and messaged me. I was already nearly back. She has used the HERE maps to navigate in town!! :D

We went to the evening mass at the Cathedral at 8pm. I understood more of it this time. There were about a half a dozen pilgrims there besides us. I heard one woman say in Spanish: "that's the girl... [unintelligible]" and the rest then turned towards me and said, "yes, it's her!" I couldn't figure out why I was so memorable! The girl who wears skirts? Walks with an umbrella? Came in "late" to A Fonsagrada? Anyway, I digress ...

The rest of the congregation seemed over 70.  I gave gratitude for this trip, this opportunity to heal, my health, and how well I was getting along with Cathleen. I prayed again for my adopted grandma who had just passed. Then I just sat and felt the energies of the church.  But the energy was a little odd. Strangely  struggling. Cat said she noticed it too. We were ushered out at the end of mass, and missed getting a sello. We stomped our "unfair!" (from our wellness list).

After mass, we went to dinner and had the menu of the day. We decided to take a small shell each from the scallops I ordered.  ;)