Sunday, April 14

Laza to Xunquiera de Ambia, 32.7 km, 20.3 miles, stay Albergue de Peregrinos de Xunquiera de Ambia.

Being on another route means no more Alma from Mexico – who became part of our family until she stepped up her game with “super fast Spanish dude”, (though we still saw her often). No more Anna from Germany, or the Colombian ”Smiley Guy” and his Spanish walking buddy. Now we crisscross paths with the lovely Portuguese family of mom/dad/daughter/son, the couple from Montreal who are out for three months walking the Via de la Plata – having started in Seville, and who will go to Santiago de Compostela, on to Finestere and Muxia and then go away from Santiago along the Primitivo and finish along the Norté back to its starting point of Irún!!! We seem to be in sync with Barbara from Munich and her walking partner André of Denmark and also have made acquaintances with a foursome from Portugal.

Today was another long one with ample robust climbs in the morning and constant drizzle. Yet it was such a welcome stop when we finally made it to El Rincon in Albergueria – where my group stayed and had a most memorable “Baccus” night during my first Camino in 2017 and where the infamous “Camino Blues” was birthed. Proprietor Luis still played country music and it was sublime to sit by the fireplace amidst all the perigrino signed shells! And of course we added our own!

The sun came out to accompany our generally flat and downhill trek into our last albergue stay as a group of six. Tomorrow we join up with the other group and we will be twelve – Yikes!!