Camino Diary Entry #31

#31 Emails home from the Camino
Day 22 June 22nd ( Rest day in O’Cebreiro)
With not a lot to do today, all day to do it and noting the thick mist we were encased in, we took the opportunity to sleep in.
By the time we made it to the breakfast room, although our allocated table remained set, the lights were all out and there seemed no plan to turn them back on. For a pleasant change along with juice and bread was half a queso – shaped in a chef’s hat, the local cheese. Not unlike a very large goats cheese, bland to taste and soft. There was even honey supplied to pour over it.
Wandering out into what was by now bright sunshine we again went and sat in the warm church. Truly the most welcoming and peaceful church we have come across in several hundred kilometres.
Now this whole Camino thing obviously affects you, like it or not! Here we are taking a rest day from the constant walking and mountain climbing and what do we do? Yes! We walk up the nearest mountain to visit a towering wooden cross and sit in the sun gazing down on the amazing landscape.
We caught a brief glimpse of our singing boys who since Burgos had hired bikes. They sailed past us keen to make Santiago on Sunday (tomorrow) they still had about 140 kms to go when they left yesterday afternoon! They all said that it has been great but they could hardly contain their excitement about getting on that flight home on Monday. As one lad put it ” it will be so good not to be sleeping on poured cement”!
Somehow the whole day disappeared on us! We sat outside Meson Anton where the octopus had been highly recommended. I’m unsure why it is a well known delicacy of these parts when we do seem to be an awful long way from the sea! Anyway, Anton got a big bowl of octopus from somewhere, carried it across the road to his shed to cook it and it was then delivered by a very unhappy, unattractive, one toothed Mrs Anton who I suspect does not love her job!
Over the course of just a week or so we have gone from the giddy heights of gins with juniper berries in stemmed goldfish bowls, to house red in marmite jars! As we dined various randoms turned up and we ended up with quite a ‘session’ in what was by now blistering sun. By 5 pm Dennis and Jacob from Croatia got back on their bikes to deal with another 40 kms. The Dutchman adjourned to ‘bunk 77’ and we have no idea where the olive oil grower from west of Sydney got to with his broken rib! ( That had something to do with a fall carrying a very heavy backpack which caused him to hit the rocks at an acceleration greater than anticipated). Given my personal experience with broken ribs I was able to assure him that they come right after 3 weeks!
Despite our best efforts, we could not do justice to yet another meal so settled for a tortilla potata and half the football game at the pub. The pub closes at 10 pm so no one ever gets to see the whole game anyway!