I was surprised but today was a very nice walk. I figured as I approached Santiago the way would be more commercial. Instead the walk was through very nice wooded pathways away from the road. The landscape may not have been as nice but it was very enjoyable. Since I’d stayed in a small village with a small albergue I walked much of the day alone.

I did notice that the houses are much nicer. I realized that while it may take me days to get there these people can arrive in Santiago in 10-20 minutes. So these houses are nicer, pretty gardens (more flowers less vegetables) and nicer cars.

I have continued to be fascinated by the horreos (thanks to Kathleen for the identification, I’ve been wowing pilgrims with my local knowledge). I finally spotted one being used. An old guy was carrying vegetables to store.

I also noticed today that some of the horreos are larger. Kind of like a double or triple wides.

I had a nice surprise today. I usually try to stop around 11:00 for a snack. As I walked up to the bar I saw a familiar face. It was Kathy and her daughter Halley from Canada. I had walked with them several times early on but hadn’t seen them for about 20 days. It was like as reunion.

Later I came across Lisa a Pasteur from Minnesota. She walks very slow and sometimes I walk with her for a while to rest. While walking today I passed the town where I planned to stay. Now I’m only 20km from Santiago. I’ve decided to go ahead and walk in tomorrow. I’ll take it slow and try to appreciate the final leg of this stage of the camino.

I also got a text today from Martin. I passed him so hopefully tomorrow I’ll see him and Jane on the way into town.

And finally today I saw my friend Marco from San Marino. He is too funny. He was dragging along. He said he walked until 8:00 last night. 6 hours longer than me to cover the same distance. He said he needed a coffee for energy and if God was good there’d be a cafe. Around the next corner there was a cafe, he was very happy. He insisted on getting a picture with me before I departed. I hope he makes it to Santiago.