We didn’t see much of Ribadeo, preferring to stay in our apartment, chilling and eating in for a change. The others appeared pleasantly surprised by my spag bol, at least that’s my interpretation, as they wolfed down two helpings each! The town did look special in the morning light though, as we looked back at the sunrise from our vantage point in the hills. 
I’ve acquired a new hat, having carelessly left my much loved legionnaires cap at a Pension a few days earlier. A couple of nights later in our albergue, an Israeli girl ‘Shimmie’ was having a clear out of excess kit, and I’m now the proud owner of a tatty but rather characterful straw hat. Thanks Shimmie, it’s been a life saver in the afternoon sun. 
After the last few days trekking predominantly on tarmac and too many main roads, turning South West towards Santiago has been such a pleasure and we feel re-invigorated.
The local authorities are working hard to build new trails to bypass the busier roads on the Camino del Norte as it becomes increasingly popular, but there are places where it’s not possible. At times we had to squeeze up to the barriers on tight bends to avoid being side swiped by speeding vehicles. Not my idea of a good walk.
So I was singing away whilst enjoying the beautiful scenery, much to Jannik’s annoyance. “Peter, please don’t sing so early in the morning” he demands. “Don’t you like my singing Jannik?” “No, especially in the mornings.? Occasionally he strides ahead to create distance between us to avoid listening to my warblings. Personally, I don’t understand it, but he’s still young..
We have left Asturia and are in Galicia, pronounced ‘Gal-ee-th-ia’… It is advantageous to have a lisp when speaking Spanish. To confuse the peregrinos, the concha (shell) signs are now reversed, so instead of following the direction of the shells where the lines converge, it’s now the other way around. 
We reached our day’s destination of Lourenzá at the back end of a local artisans’ fair and were happy to bump into our recent new friends Leonardo, Liz and Susan who we got to know at previous albergues. Leonardo is a typical Italian waiter, currently plying his trade in Vienna, a pretty cool guy and quite the charmer, always smiling and chatting with everybody.
Liz and Susan are two delightful American girls, not so long graduated, who are doing the Camino as part of a longer European trip. They seem to be having a lot of fun along the Way, always laughing and giggling together, great company and a joy to be around.
Our paths also kept crossing the next day as we kept climbing, admiring the magnificent mountains ahead of us, until realising we had to somehow get over them, and not a cable car in sight!
Earlier that morning we had passed by the local cemetery with the crosses eerily peering over the wall at us in the mist, like ghoulish wraiths. A cold shiver went through me and I moved quickly on. 
Fortunately the rest of the day was much more tranquil, walking along farm tracks and quiet local roads, only briefly kissing the autopista (motorway). And the weather remains benign, a big bonus in Galicia which, rather like the Lake District, relies on regular rainfall to make it so lush and green. 
We stopped for coffee in the square in Monteñedo, in front of the impressive 13th century cathedral, containing some of Galicia’s oldest frescos. And yes, guess who we bumped into?! In fact, it turned out to be quite a meeting place for pilgrims that day. 
The final climb to our Pension in Abadin was long and steep but it didn’t feel too strenuous, despite the height we gained, thanks to the distraction of our beautiful surroundings. Max’s calf muscle seems to have improved, Jannik is managing his blisters and I’m smugly walking better than ever. We ate well in our Pension, joined by the Famous Three for the Peregrinos’ menu. 
Sadly, the ‘Quatro Amigos’ will soon be breaking up. Jannik and I are planning to reach Santiago by Friday, so 5 days to cover the remaining 140 kms, a quite comfortable 28kms a day. Max and Anton don’t plan to get there until the weekend… time is the privilege of the retired.
Today has been wonderful. An easy 21 kms morning stroll in the atmospheric mist to our excellent albergue in Vivalba, and the afternoon spent exploring the town and playing by the river, once the hot sun had broken through. 
Tomorrow will be much tougher, 35 kms to an albergue in Miraz run by volunteers from the Confraternity of St James, an English organisation devoted to promoting the pilgrimage to Santiago. I’m looking forward to spending some time there relaxing over tea in the garden! So an early night is due.
Peebeecat 