Olveiroa

Another beautiful day on the Camino!! But before I start with today, I'd like to talk about last night. A younger pilgrim (early twenties maybe) was already asleep in her bunk when CJ and I arrived to the albergue yesterday afternoon. She would moan from time to time and then started puking. She had a fellow pilgrim who seemed to be tending to her, so I offered her the tissues I had and left things alone. After her third round of puking, however, I felt bad for her (and the rest of us ... she was puking in a bucket in the room full of bunks) and decided to see if I could help. I asked her if she knew why she was puking (something she ate / drank) or if was random, if she was dizzy, etc. I also noticed she was really weak and a little spacy -- she hadn't peed all day and was super dehydrated. I gave her some Dramamine to help the room stop spinning and told her it was really really important that she try to drink water / sports drink and eat something salty. I showered and left for the store and cooked dinner, and when CJ and I returned to the room she was sleeping -- which is better than puking. But the poor kid got worse as the night went on and around eleven she fell out of her (bottom) bunk and got sick again. Thankfully some Spanish speaking pilgrims stepped up to help out, because this girl needed IV fluids and antiemetics. By about midnight they took her to a hospital -- the point of all this is twofold: First, if you could all keep this girl in your prayers; I'm not sure where she started or where her home is, but being so sick when your not with your family or in your own bed is miserable. I hope they got her feeling better. Second: this is why CJ and I were not up early this morning -- we were up late with all the commotion. 

So, this morning we got up a little before seven, ate some fruit for breakfast that is picked up the night before, packed up our packs, and headed on our way. Today was a long day with many many kilometers to cover, but we did it AND we did it without getting grumpy. ☺

After leaving our albergue around eight, we quickly knocked out about twelve kilometers through forest paths and pastures finally arriving at a cafe for breakfast. We spent some time resting (frequent breaks are the key to covering lots of ground!) and playing with the kittens before going back out on the trails. 

The weather was perfect for walking: cool breeze, sunny enough for the sky to be a brilliant blue but enough fluffy clouds to ensure the sun didn't get too hot. And though there were more ups than I like (I mean, I really would prefer no ups at all -- which makes accessing my favorite mountain trails a bit of a conundrum), the inclines were steady. We ran across many more pilgrims today: from Germany and Czeck Republic and Italy and the United States; we also ran into the nice couple from Sweden; CJ and I stopped to rest at a bench where they were resting, too. She gave us a handful each of salty pub mix; she said we were losing lots of salt walking in the afternoon sun. haha We stopped at a second cafe for a drink about ten kilometers after the first then powered through the last thirteen kilometers. Sure If we had woke and left earlier we would have arrived at the albergue earlier, but as it was, we checked in right around five pm. Not too shabby for a thirty five kilometer day with two hour long breaks and lots of mini breaks in between. 

After we checked in we assessed the damages: a few blisters, some sore feet, and sunburn. Could have been worse! After a shower, a foot rub, and hanging up clothes to dry, we went down to the cafe for dinner: finally, a pilgrim menu!! With full bellies we returned to our room -- CJ is already sleeping; I'm not far behind him. Some pictures from today: 

Statue when leaving Negreira this morning -- it is meant to represent immigration. 

Hello beautiful Camino!! 

mi amante 😍

I love those waymakers!! 

You can see a huge lake off in the distance. Such a beautiful day for a walk. 

Gorgeous green pastures; we also saw a lot of cows today -- I think we got moo-ed at more than we got barked at today! 

Lentil soup -- one of my Camino favorites! 

Tarta de Santiago -- breakfast staple, pilgrim menu desert. 

And my bed for the night. 

Tomorrow is not such a long day of walking -- our feet will be glad for that! And tomorrow I think I will remember to put in the sunscreen. Until then, I shall sleep. 

Buen Camino.