Day 27: O'Cebreiro and Alto de Poio

I sleep in until 8:48. Oof, what a comfy bed! What a good sleep! I shower in the morning (which I haven't done in over a month). Gather my things and head down to turn my key into the basket. I check out the dining room for breakfast where another family is eating. I prefer to just get going, so I leave. Breakfast later.

I walk a few towns ahead. These villages are gorgeous. So green and so well taken care of. I make it to a bar to have breakfast and use wifi. I was supposed to meet the gang for breakfast, but hadn't had wifi since I'd seen them. I get a message from Lainey saying they're 30 minutes ahead of me. I wrap up breakfast and go.

Today is a rough day. There is a 600+ meter ascent. That means lots of rests to catch your breath and slower walking. Your pack actually feels heavy, too. By now, my body is typically used to the extra weight, but not on those treks up the mountain. O'Cebreiro. It's a well-known mountain with an important Catholic church at the top. I go through the trees and the clouds of flies that buzz up as I step past the piles of horse dung.

Three towns and I make it to the top of O'Cebreiro. I pass horses tied up to trees by the equestrian pilgrims as I enter the town. When I get to the church, I spy my whole group: Lainey, Olya, Chris, Julia, & Dennis. Their faces light up when they see I've arrived. Within the church are various translations of the Bible (even in the Spanish dialects). Super neat.

We have lunch on a restaurant patio. The gang orders bocadillos and we munch on left-over grocery goods (cheese, chorizo, cucumber).

We head on the road again; Dennis and Olya stay back to visit more. We go through the towns and the heat. Up and down more hills. We rest occasionally.

We finally make it to Alto Poio, where we'll stay the evening. Chicken squawk and the German Shepherds guard the premises. We decide to stay in a hole-in-the-wall bar/albergue combo cause it's cheap. I shower, nap, Lainey wakes me up for a delicious Galician stew (that's the region we're in now, Galicia where they speak and have signs in the Galician dialect. They're known for their octopus, which I haven't tried yet), watch the sunset along the highway with Dennis, Lainey, and Chris, and then do laundry. Hopefully it will dry before the morning. I try to get cozy on the couch in the common room while all are asleep in the bunks room. A wool blanket that kinda smells. Blogging on my phone. Then my bed calls.