portomarin

hi
this is my favorite part of spain- galicia. there is something so refreashing about this land after the dry, relatively flat meseta. there are mountain ranges that traps moisture from the ocean and makes everything green. the highest point of the camino after the pyrenees is o cebreiro. the walk is 3 km from villfranca and up. i wanted to walk an alternative route, a high route, because the first time i was here i skipped that option. so that was my plan. i left my albergue at 6:30 and as i walked by pauls algergue,he walked out. we talked about which route to take, and he decided to come with me. it was a very steep walk out of town, almost like walking up an alley, into the hills. the sun hadn´t risen yet and the light was awesome. we walked and walked and made it to the high ridge, and there eating an orange, sat darin. the three of us stayed together until 4pm when we finished on top of o cebrerio.it is a tiny village, with bells on cows and sheep in the fields, endless green hills rolling off into the distance and music coming from the bars, music of galecia, a mixture of irish and spanish sounds. it is magic. i would love to be there in the winter, in the snow,sitting by a fireplace. it was great accomplish that with paul and darin, we were very happy with ourselves.
in my guidebook it says there is always rain in galecia, rain or fog. both times i have been there it was clear and beautiful.
next day was down the mountain. then yesterday, i walked alone again through tiny old villages. they aren´t even villages, they are one or two homes tucked in a flat place, homes made of stone, dry construction with something stuck in for insulation. the stone looks like a brown slate for the walls and black slate on the roofs.i think of the patience it took to build such a thing. to gather the stone, to set it piece by piece to build a sturdy wall. amazing. and then there are the cows walking down the streets with dogs on their heels, if cows have heels. i love all of this, and the foxglove and wild daisies and butterflies. today, it was the same but with a slightly different stone to build with.
what a great day. except that today i said goodbye to paul. he has the urge to go fast and get to santiago one day before jessica and i. we had a goodbye party on the roof last night and yogurt together this morning. he is a awesome. i can´t imagine what he will accomplish with his life, but it is going to be good. he promised to take time to enjoy the way and jump in the ocean at the end. i am sure i will see him again.
darin can´t decide if he wants to go fast or slow. he does both. i know i want to go slow, to see as much as i can, because i don´t expect to come back here. i will be in santiago on sunday and finesterre next week and home on the 28th. but i´getting ahead of myself.
jessica is here, i don´t know where christine is, but i never know until i here her call my name. it feels so different this time, no excitement of crossing the 100 km marker or thoughts of santiago. it is more like every moment is the one i love. the stones, the flowers, the cows, the butterflies are what i dreamed of when i was home and now seeing them is perfect. santiago will be great, and i am really looking forward to seeing the ocean. and then my girls and their families. more later
mary