We had another great day of sunny, cool weather as we crossed more of the Galician countryside and entered the city of Palas de Rei.  As I mentioned yesterday, we have adjusted to this “new” Camino of many more pilgrims doing the final 100 kilometers to Santiago.    With more pilgrims there are more jolly greetings, more walking conversations and more kind gestures.  There are also more crowded cafes, more occupied rest rooms and more decibels of noise.  We miss the relative quiet we had the first 4 weeks of the trip…but we like the new energy of the larger crowd and we are looking forward to our last 4 days of walking.

An interested reader suggested a blog topic/question the other day… “what do we listen to as we walk 7-9 hours a day”?   The answer to this is directly related to our daily routine.  Generally, the day tends to be divided into three periods (similar to a long hockey game…without the fights and the zamboni).

– The first period is our highest energy time…so we are usually walking at a faster pace and talking with each other about a wide range of topics.  The discussion is very stream-of-consciousness.  First, I usually talk about topics I am interested in for an hour or so…then, I invite Sarah to talk about other topics that I would be interested in.  She is sometimes good at this part…but I often find myself talking about topics that she is interested in…which is generally ok.

– The second period is one of transition – usually a combination of bio breaks, small snacks, mapping out the route (for more bio breaks), projecting arrival times, and conversations with other pilgrims at the cafes along the way.  This is when the important logistical work gets done to keep us sheltered and fed.

– The final period, when we are trudging along in the afternoon, is spent reflecting and listening to podcasts/music.  Once a day, we say a rosary and stop by one church for 10-15 minutes of quiet/prayer.  We both listen to NPR’s This American Life, The Daily from the New York Times, and Pod Save America.  We have also started listening to podcasts from Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire Show) and Rev. Tim Keller (Gospel and Life).  Sarah also listens to Spotify playlists and The Minimalist podcast.  I separately listen to APR’s Marketplace and laugh at The Ringer’s Bill Simmons sports podcast.

The rest of the day is spent cleaning up, eating dinner and…trying to write a blog post that is at least grammatically correct.  Net…the days have gone by quickly and we are always tired by 10pm.  After so many consecutive days of the same process…not sure how we will act next week…will keep you posted.  Thanks for the question!

As we walked along today…a few random things caught our eye…

…I think we have just been invited to Spain’s Terminus…

We also came upon this ad for Japanese food products in the middle of a cattle farm…and our reaction can best be summarized by our young friend Rio (click on video below image).

 

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Lastly…a few days ago I shared a picture of a dog napping while “on the job” of watching sheep.  Apparently, Galicia has an incredible number of these “chill” dogs.  Here are just a few photos of dogs from the last 2-3 days…taken as Sarah and I brazenly trespassed on their property.  Their lack of concern made us want to report them to their owners…but we decided…of course…to let sleeping dogs lie.