Day 39 on the Via de la Plata
14km to Laza
The day started off with a gentle but spooky ascent back up into the mountains, surrounded by thick fog on all sides.
Though it was neither sunny nor warm, it was a gorgeous day. Mountains, fog and cosy clothes weather are the essence of Galicia for me. Not only that, after walking in the cold for so long at the start of the trail and having such bad experiences in the heat recently, I’ve come to genuinely prefer cold weather. I used to be such a hot weather person, that person who is always cold, but I feel myself acclimatising to the cold and perhaps even changing. We’ll see if it lasts.
The fog slowly descended as I went up until I could hardly see a few meters in front of me, and I precariously followed a small mountain dirt road for a while that dropped away on one side. It was the deep and faraway echoing of sounds that hinted at the tremendous landscape I was in, the depth of that drop though I couldn’t see it - birds crying from miles away, and loud, jarring sounds of clashing metal from what must be more railway construction works.
As if perfectly timed, the fog suddenly lifted while I was walking the path and it seemed like the whole world opened up in front of my eyes. My favourite thing is to be in the mountains, especially in weather like this. I walked slowly and enjoyed it all.
This day wasn’t meant to be so short, but when I arrived in town for lunch I found my pilgrim friends there and they let me know that the albergue in the next town was closed. Damn, and also lucky, because coming up was the steepest bit of the Camino so far and I would've been really pissed off had I arrived after that with nowhere to stay! The cold weather wouldn’t have been so enjoyable then.
So, I enjoyed a nice short day, a fancy lunch with friends and then some food shopping in the afternoon in the village shop. Later on, Michel, Robert and I cooked dinner together and it was another luxurious meal, we made a tasty but hefty spaghetti along with delicious sides to prepare for the big climb the next day. Trying not to think about the little time I have left.
Until next time,
A x
About me
Hey! Ameena here - I’m a freelance portraiture and documentary photographer based in London. I enjoy telling stories about adventure, the outdoors, and our relationship with the natural world.
In this newsletter, I’m digitally retracing my steps on the Camino de Santiago. From March to May 2019, over 45 days, I walked over 900km along the Via de la Plata (the Silver Way) route of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain.
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