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Published: October 26th 2015
4 October 2015, Stage 29, Sunday Valcarce to O'Cebreiero.
GPS: 13.17 miles From Hotel Valcarce to Meson Anton
Fitbit: Miles: 10.9, Steps: 25.058, Stairs: 290
As forecast we awake to rain. Bags down by 0800 was a bit of a challenge since decisions on what to wear for warmth and dryness delayed packing. But we managed and had breakfast in restaurant. For a truck stop all was very good. Karen thought eggs, ham, tomatoes, and tortilla was way too much food. So we gave half our tomatoes to a couple from Eugene, Oregon. She is/was a Doctor and they lived in SE Portland.
Karen has on rain pants and we are both wearing rain coats then our backpacks with ponchos over everything. We are along the highway, climbing gradually, until Herrerias. The rain reduces visibility of the mountains above the Rio Valcarce valley but the lush meadows and woods along the river are a calming influence from concern with the weather. We match pace with Ingrid from Germany who is living in France, a nurse. She is in her second year of walking the Camino. Last year she started 300 kilometers from St. Jean Pied de Port
and walked about half the 1200 kilometers distance towards Santiago and Cape Finisterre. She is now completing the second part of her Camino.
At Herrerias we start a much steeper climb. We have been climbing the entire time but now our pace slows as the rains increase and the wind picks up. There are walnuts and sweet chestnuts strewn along the road. A sample of a walnut is a mistake as it causes Karen tooth and jaw pain. In Herrerias we stop for OJ and chocolate croissant and the aseos (potty). We must now decide on the shorter, steeper, muddy and slippery route to the village of La Faba or the longer bike route on the road. After consulting map and text we choose road. Three Spanish and one Korean pilgrims come back down the road explaining we are not on the correct path. We continue on. At La Faba we see them just joining the road. Here we stop for coffee con leche and bathroom. Our climb continues unrelenting but now on rocky path with a stream of water and frequent cow pies to negotiate. The wind picks up to gusts of 40 or more kilometers per hour.
We are on the edge of Galicia but not yet over the boundary. Brierley who also experienced torrential rains here explains it by saying the winds have nothing to slow them for 5000 kilometers across the Atlantic until they meet the Galician mountains.
Finally we come to Laguna de Castilla where we stop for much needed hot "caldo de Galicia" soup. The albergue, restaurant, school also has open beds so Ingrid elects to stop here as there is a known shortage of beds on O'Cebreiero. As we suit up with our coats, backpacks and ponchos the rains and winds resume with a vengeance. We are still climbing steeply to the mountain pass when we reach the sign signifying we have officially entered Galicia. Finally we come to O'CEBREIERO and see the 9th century church with a lot full of tourist buses and cars. This is the oldest church on the Camino. There are exhibits of Bibles in more than 40 or 50 different languages inside.
A sign, at the entrance to O'Cebreiero, shows all the European Camino routes on one side and the picture of the typical round stone buildings with straw roofs on the other side. They
are called pallazos. We have few photos for the day because of the steady rain and high wind making photo taking difficult.
After finding Meson Anton we check in, take bags to room and explore the town, population 50. We have climbed 1200 meters since Villafranca, 750 meters today. It is not as high as the Pyrenees nor as steep but it is work!
Karen shops for memorable piece of jewelry from artisans shop described in one of the International Travel News articles we brought with us.
Somehow O'Cebreiero came up in caps in the paragraph above. Perhaps that is a significant 'happening' as we are now in Galicia and the spirits of the pagan past are always in the background, influencing the present! As Brierley states, "Deep respect, even veneration of the natural elements remains as evident as the elements themselves----The countryside is reminiscent of other Celtic lands with its small, intimate fields and lush pastures grazed by cattle with sheep, pigs, geese and chickens all foraging amongst the poorer ground."
O'Cebreiro has a mystique for Camino pilgrims. Perhaps if there is an area where, if you might encounter wretched weather on your sojourn, O'Cebreiro
will likely be a candidate for the encounter. It is also one of the most lovely of small villages. One can hear Galego being spoken. Rick Steve's, the travel writer, has called it a "hobbit hamlet." It is one of the most isolated. It has a small church with an illustrious history. Pilgrims will often inquire of each other, "Did you find lodging there?" "How was the weather?"
And now to the famed church in this little village of fifty residents in dwelling. The Santa Maria la Real is said to be the oldest church along the Camino Frances. The interior, although spacious, is quite plain. The building is embedded into the ground with the sunken floors serving as protection against the extreme climate.
The baptistery is separate from the main part of the church. The font itself is large, for immersion baptisms. And now to the local miracle as explained by Steve. "12thc. A peasant from a nearby village braved a fierce winter storm to come to this church for the Eucharist. The priest scoffed at his devotion, only to find that the host and wine had physically turned into the body and blood of Christ, staining
the linens beneath them." The golden chalice and reliquary are displayed. The church is also the resting place of Don Elias Valina Sampedro, the village priest who is regarded as the moving force behind the 're-birth' of the Camino. One of the practical aspects of his endeavors was to use bright yellow paint for arrows to indicate 'the way' that had almost been obliterated over many years.
There are soft Gregorian chant music being played and a priest will stamp your credential. There is an incredible air of peace in this little church and it is used by many pilgrims. More than one has written of having a life-changing epiphany in the O'Cebreiro Iglesia.
We are spending the night at the highest elevation we will stay, at not just walk over. We want the heat on and it comes on about 6 PM. We are able to find a restaurant that will serve dinner, pilgrims menu at 1900. After experiencing our first taste of Santiago almond cake we head back to our little attic room. I feel like Heidi under all the covers and the big black beams overhead. A friend had stayed in the same place a
week earlier and she said her thoughts were that the place could use some cleaning. I think this is a good example of how your environment can influence your thinking. They had beautiful weather over the pass, we were just so thankful we had a reservation anywhere in O'Cebreiro that chilly, rainy night--I never saw the dirt!!
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
I plan to complete my Camino...
a year to the day from this date. Now I know what weather to be prepared for...hot at the beginning of September and cold/wet at the end. Thanks for providing such a complete account of you walk thus far.