To Triacastela Alone..well,with about 8000 others this month

I knew there had been three castles but that is all I knew.  I didn´t know that I had to climb a big hill before breakfast, which set me in a fine mood. I got to Alto del Poio and had my usual cafe con leche with lovely toast and jam. Then I started again, swearing if I saw another big hill, I was running for the hills but not to climb them! What seemed like 25 km, which might have been 18 or 20 tried my nerves as I was meeting herds of cows with cowshit everywhere, the smell enough to knock you out. It was hard to walk around it, as it was everywhere and more garbage than the rest of the camino. I walked with an Indian man for a while and heard about his wife having to give up earlier in the trip because of bad legs.  He had travelled to all of India´s holy sites and many others.  He wasn´t impressed with the camino.  Nothing to do once you got to the villages, he said. Often no mass and if there is I can´t understand a word! I met up with the Italian senior and we decided to look for an alberique with blankets as she had no sleeping bag. It was a pension and it was 15 euros, which I didn´t like, and also there must have been one hundred steps to the room.  I said no and went on my merry way, finding Alberique Obrigio, named after the river.  I quickly had a rest and shower, and went out to meal of the day with two Australian ladies who invited me. We had squid rings and octopus, firsts for us, and cheese of the region with honey.  That was yummy! So turning in with a full alberique I wondered if anyone would be robbed and held my valuables close to my chest. Two couples had been robbed at Alto del Poio, 200 euros out of a coat pocket and 33 euros from I forgot to ask where.  I felt so bad for the young couple that I gave them a little donation.  They had walked with me the day before and I liked their spirit of kindness to me. So why not reciprocate? I went to the supermarket and bought sardines, yogourt, cheese, and a can of coke.  I shared the yogourt with an Austrain lady name Beatrice who was taking the bus the next day due to injured shins. She shared her bread.  I shared more yogourt and cheese with a British Columbian woman in the morning. That´s the camino way!

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