We’re
getting within the “maybe this will happen” range of fulfilling our
long-held dream now- the N 525 sign in town says “Santiago 20 km”! This is the
closest we’ve ever been to success. Four years ago, it was emotionally crushing
to break down physically only 100 miles into our first pilgrimage, but now,
after having (Joan & I, combined) undergone a shoulder replacement, an
ankle replacement, a knee replacement, intestinal cancer removal plus the sad
fact that nobody is getting any younger, we both feel in great shape and expect
to make it! Today will be our longest walk -25 km – but we all feel good and
ready for the challenge.
Coming
out of Bandiera, the path-marking yellow arrows quickly darted off the main road and we three – Joan,
me and Elaine Hopkins - walked through fields and woods most of the way, down
and up but nothing too strenuous. There was one lonely section with some of the
strangest trees we’d seen, straight out of the old movie “Wizard of Oz” – trees with
huge mis-shaped burls and oddly twisted branches – that felt a little creepy,
but we made it through unscathed.
Soon
we came to the hamlet of Leiras and spotted a man outside the Café Leiras,
cleaning the garden. We asked him if the café was open and he led us inside to
a sparkling clean and shiny bar area. He turned out to be Andres, the owner of the café and
he made us the absolutely best café con leche we’d had so far on this trip! The
albergue was empty, as all the previous night’s residents had left earlier but
it looked bright and well organized. Should we do this pilgrimage again, we’ll stay here!
We’d
been warned earlier by our friend Karin Mctaggart, who was walking ahead of us,
that Punta Ulla was the lowest point at 65 meters on the Sanabres, and would be
followed by a big climb up to 385 meters over the next five km. However the
toughest part for us seemed to be coming down into town, and as we approached the
lip, the huge trestle spanning the Ulla River valley gave testament to the
difficulty awaiting us ahead. Finally after getting to the bottom, we crossed
over the old Roman bridge into town and eagerly sought out the first bar for some
much needed shade and a short rest. The bar O Churrasco de Juanito filled the
bill nicely, and our waitress brought us bread and a complimentary plate of the
Galician specialty, stewed octopus tentacles, to go with our cold bottles of
Kas Lemon soft drinks.
We stopped for
lunch a hundred meters away from the bar at the nearby town park and debated
whether to take the stone-paved pathway that led straight right up a hill or to
stay on the N 525 around a gentler curve to the left. We went right and then up,
one long & sunny “up” after another (although nothing as bad as that killer
21 percent grade we experienced on Day 1, coming out of Ourense). Team Turtle member
# 3 – Elaine- was much fitter than we were and she slowly pulled away and out
of sight around a bend in the road. It was a hot muggy day and at one point, as
I sat resting again on a rock, “me & myself” had a debate as to whether the
two of me could continue. But Joan talked me (us?) down off that futile self-debate
cliff and we all slowly continued walking, until reaching the top, there was
Elaine waiting for us. Soon we were on the flat again and walking through cool
forests and gentle glens refreshed in both body and soul.
Just
outside of Outeiro, where Elaine was booked for the night at the municipal
albergue, there was a massive ancient water fountain, embellished with
religious icons andy a carving of a saint, where we refilled out water bottles.
Joan had to be restrained from taking a shower there! She and I had another 3 km to go to the
village of Cachosenande (Lestado in
Spanish), where we had booked a room at the Casa de Casal, strongly recommended
by our guru & guide Cheryl as a place for a good room and great food. Both
turned out to be true.
As
we stepped out of the woods and onto a lane leading down to the small town
below, there was a sign proclaiming that “Sacro Pico” was off to the right.
Looking back & upwards, there it was, the “Sacred Peak” of mythology,
folklore and some historical fact. The relationship between the Compostela and
the Sacred Peak goes back to the rediscovery of St. James the Apostle’s tomb in
the 9th century, when Bishop Sisnando I founded a monastery near the
summit. The crumbling remnants of a tower dating from that period still stand
on top, originally built to overlook & protect the entrance into Compostela
on the Roman Silver Road from marauding Visigoths and brigands.
According
to the legend told in the Codex Calixtino, famous deeds took place on Sacro
Pico. In those times, Queen Lupa, a mythical leader allied with the Romans,
dominated the area. The apostle’s disciples appealed to her to provide them
with a cart and oxen so that they could move the body of St. James and the
stone boat that had transported him from his death in Jerusalem the long miles
from the coast of Galicia to Compostela - the “field of stars” where he was to
be buried. Legend tells that the Queen instead sent them to Pico Sacro, a lofty
height where a fierce dragon and bloodthirsty bulls ruled the mountain and
would kill any who dared to approach. The disciples, about to be killed by the
dragon, showed the creature the sign of the Cross, bringing about the dragon’s
death and the taming of the bulls, who instead were used to haul the stone boat
and the saint’s body to its final resting place. The Queen was converted to the
True Religion and her tribe of followers her as well.
Walking
down into Lestado, there was a very helpful signboard and clear directions to
the Casa de Casal, our destination for the night located a few hundred meters
away. The casa turned out to be a family-owned small estate with orchards,
flower gardens and the casa itself – a beautiful big house with 24 guest rooms.
We were greeted by our host Patricia, who showed us to our big bedroom (and a real
shower with hot water!) overlooking the gardens and asked what we wanted for
diner – a gracious change from our recent experiences in albergues and small
hostels. We were the only guests that night and Joan savored a cool local wine before
dinner, sitting in the upstairs balcony. This was a great way to spend our
final day before heading off some 14 km to Santiago the next morning.
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