Off we went bright and early, 32 hardy souls all hell-bent on walking salvation. We have been joined by Maria, our guide, who assures us that she is Galician first and Spanish second. We snaked firstly through the cobbled streets, passing open windows that revealed locals breakfasting or getting the kids ready for school, our brief glimpse into their lives.
Along the river path into more open countryside, quiet roads and eventually through some forest walks, a welcome coffee stop about half way allowed us to catch up with those who had moved ahead or taken up the rear.
We sang Happy Birthday al fresco to Michelle from Athlone, who has a ten month old back home and is here with sister Siobhan. I walked for a while with Michael from Silvermines, and we discussed topics as diverse as Pablo Escobar and Tipperary hurling. Liam from Tinahealy told me that he observed Sean O Brien, alias the Tullow Tank, dealing in cattle at Tullow Mart!
Michelle from Cork told me about a great Fleetwood Mac concert in Dublin that her son had given her tickets for at Christmas. Everyone a storyteller! Hell, even the usually shy Hubert from Wicklow regaled us with stories of his chosen Mastermind subject ...Refrigeration!
And on we walked getting closer to O Porrino and ultimately Santiago. We came into town along the lovely river bank and Phil mentioned that some of our lady walkers had been the recipients of presents of this trip from their husbands. Fat chance our wives would do that we thought, but maybe they would just to get a bit of peace!
Tomorrow... we trek from O Porrino to Arcade, 22Km and 5 Hours walk. Crikey!
To be continued....
