Days 14 and 15 of the camino.

Sorry for not posting yesterday but I was exhausted.

Day 14 was a significant chunk, about 22km over the hills of Galicia through what is affectionately called cow country. Farm smells and sights abound, as I routinely had to stop and let animals cross the road, from herds of cattle being brought to pasture to sheep doing whatever sheep do.  Passed the 100 km to go marker! Gorgeous sunny day, with plenty of opportunities for resting and reading​in the shade. Had an ice cream pop to cool down before the final stretch a steep descent into the river valley, over a bridge and then agonizingly up a set of stairs. Picked a poor place to stay, much further off the Camino. The first alberque in portomarin was the one to go to. With what I was later told was stunning views of the river and a nice yummy menu.

Had a delicious dinner myself of Galician broth, a soup which had white beans, potatoes and veggies and some incredible pork, finishing off with my first taste of torta de Santiago, an almond cake famous here.  Not as good as the amazing razor clams I had in Sarria but good nonetheless.

Portomarin is actually a pretty interesting town history wise, as it was once where the river is now, but there was a big flood that killed many of the villagers. They moved up hill and moved stone by stone the 11th century church, now dedicated to a saint of drowning victims.

Day 15 was another grueling trek. I purposefully made this section harder to try and add room for the Camino finisterra. I'm now past that point and my next two days ease out. 25km today to palas del rei, named after a palace that used to be here. Lots of fellow pilgrims today, as saria is a popular starting point. Walked with a few German girls, one who started in leon like me but has somehow never crossed my path before, the other who had started all the way in St Jean the traditional start of the Camino. She told us horror stories of the pyranes being closed and having to walk all the way around.

Beautifull day again today. Stopped a few times for drinks and rest in bars in some of the small farming towns. Awful beginning of the day past a fertilizer plant. I was gagging for miles. Blisters nearly got to me in the end, I needed to stop by the time I was done. A bit of knee pain, ankle is achey and my calves are sore but I think I'll be good to go tomorrow. Pain is part of the Camino I think. Everyone has blisters at this point, even the people who started in saria were complaining about them! Perseverance is one of the challenges, through pain, weather and the smells of the region and fellow pilgrims. 68.2 km to go to the doors of the cathedral in Santiago. For me, 15km tomorrow to melide.  

Sorry couldn't upload pictures. Very slow wifi.