Day 18, May 13, Ligonde to Melide

Day 18, Friday, May 13, Ligonde (mile 439.3) to Melide (mile 453.6). Walked 14.3 miles. 

We didn't do much today but walk and get wet. 

But we got to the albergue and got dry, so we had a happy day. 

Day 17, May 12, Mercadoiro to Ligonde

Day 17, Thursday, May 12, Mercadoiro (mile 425.7) to Ligonde (mile 439.3). Walked 13.6 miles. 

Today was mostly a rainy day but luckily no really heavy downpours. 

At our first very crowded rest stop we again ran into David and Jacques, who made room for us at their table. They shared the sad side of their relationship -- that they have been rejected by David's three children. River decided to add those children to her walking Camino prayer. David first walked the Camino 17 years ago, after his wife died, in memory of their having followed the Camino together by car a few years earlier. Photo 1 shows Chris and David. 

We kept seeing farms of what appeared to be Eucalyptus trees (photo 2 and 3).  River was very curious what they were raised for that might be marketable. 

Just before we arrived at our albergue our herd of human pilgrims paused and then followed another herd of cow pilgrims. (Photo 4). 

We had planned all along to end today's walk at Ligonde at the first alburgue we came too. But we were a little chagrined to arrive in a very small and somewhat strange alburgue where the smiling friendly volunteers in their orange vests seemed to outnumber the pilgrims. We saw only 6 beds all less than a foot apart the other four occupied by German young men in their early 20s (if that). There seemed to be a spiritual agenda for both the afternoon and the communal evening meal that made us uncomfortable (we were expected to share spiritual reflections after dinner).  Luckily we were once again able to extricate ourselves from a poor initial decision and to make our way to the other albergue. 

The young woman who runs this albergue had been extraordinarily welcoming and helpful including giving us a ride to the nearby bar when Chris' sore foot (which of course we are not going to mention) made walking there uncomfortable.  

Day 16, Part 2. May 11, Sarria to Mercadoiro

Day 16, Part 2.  Wednesday, May 11, Sarria (mile 415) to Mercadoiro (mile 425.7). Walked 10.7 miles. 

It was a beautiful sunny day with a blue cloudless sky in the morning, after a week of clouds and rain. 

Photos 1 and 2 show sights along the way. 

Photo 3 shows people working in traditional (low tech) ways. This area is an amazing mixture of ancient and modern that we both find moving. 

Photo 4 shows a field that we think may grow the greens used in the traditional Galician soup (potatoes, greens, white beans) that we really enjoy. Remind us a bit of kale but more tender and quite mild: chard? We don't know. 

Figure 5 shows a dog (I think a boxer) in front of an albergue In Mercado where we stayed 2012. River surprised and delighted herself by remembering the dog (she has few memories of this part even though we both know we walked it) -- he was stiffer and older, but the same dog. A whole group of memories of the lovely alburgue and its valley blossomed, Proust-style, out of the memory of the dog.  

Photo 6 shows a little table where fruit was offered free to pilgrims and photo 7 an example of the interesting crucifix/altar/art one finds along the Camino. 

The Camino was crowded with many pilgrims. Among the many were two men we passed walking up a steep hill who we right away guessed might be a couple. Later we saw them again and they confirmed that they had been together 9 years. Photo 8 shows David, an 80-year-old retired Anglican priest and organist, and Jacques, his very ebullient 52-year/old half English half-Lebanese companion.  Jacques spoke of how grateful he is to live in a country not at war after a youth and young adulthood in war-torn Lebanon.  

We stayed at a lovely Albergue in the country (photo 9) and had dinner at a communal table where we enjoyed talking with two American couples who met 5 weeks ago in St Jean Pied a Port and have walked together ever since. (A retired college admissions director and nurse from North Carolina, and nurse and physical therapist from Arizona). 

River felt almost reborn -- healthier than she had felt in many months. And very grateful to still be walking.  

Day 16, Part 1. May 11, Sarria to Mercadoiro

Day 16, part 1. Wednesday, May 11, Sarria (mile 415) to Mercadoiro (mile 425.7). Walked 10.7 miles. 

River isn't sure whether to attribute her miracle to the magical one-dose giardia cure, homeopathy, divine intervention (she had a beautiful spirit visit from her first soul-mate/spiritual friend Theresa when she was sobbing at her absolute nadir--Teri touched her cheek and let her feel that she was loved and that was enough), or unknown causes. She also doesn't know if it's one-day fluke or sustainable healing. But the miracle is no poop since yesterday afternoon! And lots of energy and feeling well in a way she hasn't felt in months. Maybe the parasite hypothesis was correct. 

Our original plan was to spend a day and another night in Sarria waiting to discover if River responded to the treatment. We had already received permission to spend a second night in our very special alburgue. So we slept late and woke to beautiful morning views from our albergue windows (photos 1-3). 

We went out for a late and leisurely breakfast to a four star hotel where they had an amazingly generous (for us pilgrims truly luxurious) breakfast buffet that reminded Chris of the breakfast at that wonderful hotel in Nafplion that we stayed in on Chris' Greek tours. Photos 3 and 4 show the breakfast buffet. 

After breakfast it seemed so clear that River was doing dramatically better that we both agreed that we would rather be walking than resting (bet you are all very surprised). 

Photo 6 shows the view looking down the stairs as we leave our alburgue (on right). 

Photo 7 shows a horse as we left Sarria. River wanted to photograph it because she didn't succeed in getting a picture of the horse outside our albergue window.  

To be continued

Day 15, May 10, Triacastela to Sarria

Day 15, Tuesday, May 15, Triacastela (mile 400) to Sarria (mile 415). Walked 15 mile. 

We got up early and walked through beautiful countryside for hours with the trail all to ourselves. What a blessing and how unimaginable after spending a night in a room with over 100 beds filled with pilgrims in O'Cebreiro. 

Photos 1 through 6 give you a hint of the quality of our day. Although we knew rain was coming later in the day, we arrived at our albergue before 3pm and were completely spared rain. 

Here are another couple of examples of the wonderful slate roofs (photos 8 and 9). 

For the first time ever we made reservations ahead for an albergue Chris had really fallen in love with four years ago. Alas however it was the wrong alburgue. But after considerable embarrassment and matrimonial challenge, we made our way to where we really wanted to be and luckily there were still beds available. 

Once we were at the alburgue, showered and resting, River realized that despite her efforts the diarrhea had gotten worse every day to the point that she did not think she could continue to walk. (At this point she was leaking into pads continually,  and the soiled pads were irritating her skin, despite changing them at every rest stop.) We talked everything over and decided that our next great adventure would be finding a way to head home early - bus to Santiago, new plane tickets back to Barcelona, new plane tickets to Seattle. Neither of us thought that diagnosis or treatment of River's condition would be simple or easy, and it just didn't seem possible to try to handle it here. We were actually both a little relieved to be facing the problem and acting on it. 

Then at the pharmacy where we stopped to get more pads (having used 7 in one day the supply no longer seemed so large) the English speaking pharmacist encouraged us to see a local doctor. Over dinner (which was exceptionally good) we discussed that possibility -- recognizing there was one plausible diagnosis that might be relatively simple to treat:  chronic guardia. River's diarrhea which she had self-diagnosed as lactose sensitivity actually began in the final weeks on the PCT last fall, so it was a plausible hypothesis these symptoms could be an aggravation of a chronic parasite problem. We looked up on the internet an NIH article and found that a single dose of a drug called Tinidazol was the recommended treatment when overseas. Back at the pharmacy to ask if River would need a prescription to purchase it: no. For under 5 Euros, we can home with the single dose, which River has now taken. Stay tuned for further news. 

Day 14, May 9, O'Cebreiro to Triacastela

Day 14, May 9, Monday, O'Cebreiro (mile 387) to Triacastela (mile 400). Walked 13 miles. 

Today was an easy, enjoyable, happy walk. It rained a little but not for long. River decided to pretend she was well -- to walk, talk, think (to the best of her ability) the way she would if she were well. Not a typical River way, but it worked beautifully (even her sphincter, though the diarrhea was actually even more liquid and frequent, managed to avoid leaking into the super-pads). 

Photos 1 and 2 show view from today's Camino. 

Photo 3 shows a little surprise we had when we heading downhill in the last mile toward Triacastela. We found a lightweight cord tied across the Camino barring our way. We waited about 10 while maybe 30 cows were herded out onto the way well-prodded by a very happy working dog. Then the cord came down and we walked behind a parade of cows until they reached their pasture maybe 500 meters down the Camino. Chris thought it was wry picturesque but admitted she was a little it impatient.  

The entire walk was gentle and downhill. In Triacastela  we have just finished one of our best meals so far and will soon go to bed purring. We also had our laundry washed and dried in machines. We keep seeing people from earlier on, and it just brings smiles and hugs to everyone. 

This is our halfway point in our Camino in terms of time (2 weeks of the allotted 4 weeks) though we've walked 220 miles and have only 86 left to Santiago and 139 to Finisterre and 154 to Muxia, in case we decide to extend our pilgrimage to Muxia, which we probably will. We're pleased with our progress especially given the health challenges. 

Day 13, May 8, Vega de Valcarce to O'Cebreiro

Day 13, May 8, Sunday, Vega de Valcarce (mile 379.7) to O'Cebreiro (mile 387). Walked 7.3 miles (with almost 2000 ft elevation gain). 

Our short day was nevertheless a strenuous one. It was a fairly steep ascent with lots of very muddy stretches. We had thought we might be wimps choosing such a short day but it turned out that was what almost everyone else had done. 

Instead of being the first ones out of the albergue we were the very last. And we discovered as much privacy as when we went first!

River forgot to post yesterday's photo of a typical slate roof. So here it is as photo 1.  We find then interesting and attractive. 

Photo 2 shows our walk partly along a river with frequent sound of cowbells. 

Photo 3 shows a moment of blue sky, rare and special during this rainy spell. 

We found O'Cebreiro with its ancient Celtic (pre-Christian, pre-Roman, 2500 year old ) round thatch-roofed buildings fascinating and beautiful. Photo 4 shows one of the restored buildings. 

We really enjoyed the beauty of the tiny mountaintop village. We hope photos 5 and 6 give you a glimpse of that beauty. 

The old pre-Romanesque church has a relic of a chalice connected with a miracle transubstantiation of the wine and host into the actual blood and flesh of Jesus, to substantiate the faith of a poor farmer who had braved storm and bad weather to travel a long distance to attend mass, and to correct the priest who (doubting the truth of the sacrament) had thought the farmer foolish to travel such a distance at such risk. Though not drawn to the literal story of the miracle, River related to it as a myth that suggests that strength from the invisible, infinite realm can come into our finite, incarnate realm and make it possible to bear suffering without rancor and malice, and even with loving kindness in a way that can be redemptive (her version of the Jesus myth) and that faith helps to make this possible. So River having her sickest weakest day thus far walked the for her most difficult walk of the Camino as a prayer for that kind of faith. So it was profound to arrive at the little church, listen to the chants being played there, light candles for her sister Bonnie (and all in need of healing) and her PCT trail Angel-mentor Meander and all PCT hikers, and to gaze on the "holy grail" of the miraculous chalice. Photos 7 and 8 show the church, photo 9 the candles (imagine Gregorian chanting). 

Many thanks as always for walking with us. We love to hear from you.