On Tuesday the 7th of May 2013, Harold and I walked from Pereje to O'Cebreiro; Pareje is the first village after Villafranca del Bierzo and it is about 5 kilometres after Villafranca del Bierzo. The Brierley distance today was 30.7 kilometres. [Note: The Brierley distance was 28.7 kilometres and not 30.7 as noted in the diary.]
The one eatery open when we looked for breakfast in Pareje was crowded with tourigrinos and we had a long wait for breakfast.
Celtic instrumental music was blaring from loudspeakers as we entered O'Cebreiro. This part of Spain had originally been inhabited by Celts. The music was very similar to Irish instrumental music.
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I was nearly at the top of the very long climb to O'Cebreiro when this photo was taken of me. I was saturated and exhausted. The year after I walked the Camino, the doctors told me that I had a leaking heart valve. In 2018, I had open heart surgery to repair the valve and to give me three bypasses. No wonder I always ran out of breath immediately I started going up the slightest uphill slope.
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The street lights were still operating when Harold and I walked the streets of Pareje on our way to O'Cebreiro. It had been raining all night and the rain got stronger as the day advanced.
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Immediately after we left Pareje, the Camino took us along a major road. The cement barrier in this photo separated us from the continuous traffic. Harold said that before the barrier was made, the local authorities used taxis (at the cost of the local authority) to ferry peregrinos past this dangerous stretch of Camino because there had been accidents.
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Tuesday the 7th of May 2013 was an extremely wet day for walking the Camino; this photo shows low lying clouds. It was definitely not mist.
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Another photo of the water world we walked through on that Tuesday.
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Once the Camino ceased following the highway outside of Pareje, it became a goat track that most vehicles could not drive on.
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As the Camino goat track wound its way steadily uphill, gorse bushes increased in number. The bushes were very prickly and sharp, but the flowers looked very pretty indeed.
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View from the top of the mountain at O'Cebreiro. The countryside of Galicia province was spread out below us. It never did stop raining on that Tuesday.
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Another view from the top of the mountain at O'Cebreiro
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Entry Made on Tuesday 7 May 2013 at 5:12 pm
We arrived at O'Cebreiro at about 2:30 pm after leaving Pereje at about 7:00 am. The Brierley distance today was about 25 kilometres. [Note: The Brierley distance was 23.8 kilometres and not 25 as recorded in the diary.] This was a very tough day of walking. It rained for most of the walk and it was all uphill every step of the way.
O'Cebreiro is perched right at the very top of the climb - about 1,300 metres above sea level. We entered the province of Galicia about 1 kilometre from O'Cebreiro. The village of O'Cebreiro has wonderful views all around - it has mountain top panoramas. We arrived here very wet and very cold after the difficult climb. We are staying in the municipal albergue.
Distance Walked Today: 23.8 kilometres.
Total Distance Walked So Far: 606.6 kilometres.
Total Distance Covered So Far: 627.8 kilometres including the 21.2 kilometres by taxi.
Soul Song Number 28 - Gaining Ground into Galicia
(7 May 2013)
Once again you climbed a mountain today.
It took the whole of the day's walking.
It took a large proportion of your strength.
The rain started before you even started walking.
It persisted throughout nearly every moment of your walking.
Move your legs.
Move your feet.
Keep your body moving.
Ignore the rain.
It doesn't matter.
Ignore the cold.
It can't hurt you if you keep moving.
Ignore the steady upward climb.
There is nothing you can do about it.
If you follow the Camino today,
You have to climb the mountain.
If you follow the Camino today,
You have to climb this particular mountain.
Drip, drip, drip goes the rain.
You can feel the rain in your shirt.
You can feel the rain in your trousers, your socks and your underpants.
You tell yourself that it feels good.
That is a lie of course,
But for a little while it helps.
As you walk steadily,
You gradually gain ground into Galicia.
Now you become King of the Mountain.
Walking into O'Cebreiro, at last the rain slows.
You have finished your day's travel.
This King of the Mountain is exhausted.
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Admission ticket for the municipal albergue at O’Cebreiro on Tuesday 7 May 213.
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