Learning to Walk 31

CAMINO FINISTERRE – Cee

(38,093 STEPS – 29.17 KMS – 18.11 MILES)

The Pastoral Walk

Two days into this walk to the end of the earth and I can say that it is one of my most favored walks in the world. All the beauty of the Galician countryside, no cities (but enough villages with coffee), and not crowded at all. Even those dreadful hills leaving Aguapesada and arriving in Lago were beautiful in retrospect. They always are.

Sheep grazing in a green pasture in foggy Galicia. — *The pastoral walk from Lago this morning.*

The Middle

We walked a little over 6 kilometers this morning to Olveiroa, the normal stopping point from Negreira. It was easy to see why it was recommended, a nice, well-equipped little town. And it was equipped with an open café right on the Camino entering town. Perfect for second coffee. Of course, the perfect albergue in little Lago sent us off properly with a good breakfast.

My new walking companions had a different style of pilgrim-ing than me. They were accustomed to long walks straight through to the destination, grinding out the day. My style, ease into the day, grind it out for a couple of hours, take a break, then grind it out some more. And still arrive timely at the destination, whether it was 20 kilometers or 40 kilometers. They were not fans of the stop for 2nd Coffee. Eventually they adapted and maybe even enjoyed my gentlemanly (lazy) way of walking. Their method would have been better than the stop in Olveiroa.

As we enjoyed our coffee and free breakfast pastries at the sidewalk table, we watched the arrival of two large, double-decker tourist buses at the edge of town. The timing was not in our favor, we had just sat down and begun 2nd breakfast. From our table we watched a never-ending stream of people disembark from the buses, all wearing iridescent green t-shirts (some were also wearing iridescent orange safety vests). Our instinct was to guzzle our hot coffee, grab the pastries, and hit the trail in front of the mob. I mentioned to our group that these crowds generally:

Are slow walkers. It will be easy to pass them.
Only walk 5 kilometers or so, just along a pretty stretch of the Camino, then back on the buses to the next pretty stretch of the Camino.

We sat back and enjoyed the 2nd breakfast as the horde passed us by.

After breakfast (2nd), we were back on the Way. Through Olveiroa and on the other side of town, we caught up with the stragglers. We wound our way through them and set our sights on the middle pack. We passed them as they clambered up one of the ever-present Galician hills. Now clear of 80% of the group, we still had to conquer the frontrunners (I can be a little competitive). Fortunately for us, they had stopped at the top of one of the hills to allow the rest of the group to catch up, probably at the good advice of the tour guides. We passed them like they were standing still (they were), proclaimed a “Buen Camino,” and resumed the lovely pastoral walk.

Several kilometers ahead, we came across a café/bar that claimed to be the last stop for 13 kilometers. The next opportunity for refreshments was Cee, our destination for the day. I confirmed with the owners that this was indeed the last chance café, they confirmed. You can’t always trust the signs along the Way. We decided to stop for coffee and lunch.

As we enjoyed our coffee and bocadillos-con-jámon-y-queso at the sidewalk table, we watched the green and orange throngs crest the hill behind us. Seems I was wrong on both projections earlier, this group was moving fast and farther than 5 kilometers. We watched them pass.

The Great Divide

Not far from our lunch stop, we arrived at the Great Divide. This is where the Camino splits – turn right to Muxía, or left to Finisterre. Had I not changed my plans because of the potential mission (still not confirmed at this point), I would have turned here towards Muxía. From there, I would have walked down the coastline to Finisterre, and then back to Santiago. The best laid plan.

We turned left.

After several turns in the trail, and ups and downs through the hills, we came across the Swarm having a picnic lunch in the shade of the Capela de San Pedro Mártir. We easily passed them as they lazily ate.

After a few more turns in the trail, and ups and downs through the hills, we came to an unusual statue in the middle of nowhere, the Esculture del Vákner. Had I known of the legend of this werewolf that terrorized pilgrims in that dark walk to Santiago, I would have walked more cautiously.

The Escultura del Vakner between Olveiroa and Cee, Spain, on the Camino Finisterre. — *La Escultura del Vákner*

Soon We’ll See Cee, by the Sea

50 meters past the Vákner statue, I bought a beer from a donativo in the woods. I’m always proud to support the donativo economy, but it was the worst beer I’ve ever had. If I could remember the brand, I would link it here as a public service. Rest easy, though, it was not any of the major beers of Spain.

After a few more turns in the trail, and ups and downs through the hills, the Atlantic Ocean made occasional appearances. These views were amazing! I was so satisfied with this part of the walk that I picked up my pace, separated from the group, plugged in my headphones, started a great playlist, and enjoyed the eye and ear candy all the way into Cee. It was a fine afternoon!

I was proud of my clever Heading for this section, generated while walking this part of the trail, but as cool as it is, it is wrong. The proper pronunciation of the town, Cee, is like “say“, not “see”, or “sea” in English. Also, not like “sí” or “si” in Spanish.

After a few more bends and hills, we arrived in Cee (Say). It is nestled in a bay between the mountains that stand against the Atlantic. We stopped at the Albergue Moreira, the first one in town, and secured our beds for the night. The albergue was cool, one block off the bay and with unobstructed views of the surrounding mountains and ocean.

After settling in our home for the night, we spent some time at the beach and then walked into town for dinner. We found a good spot on the plaza, the Restaurante Pizzería Mac Rober, it was a combination of a good pizzeria and Red Robin (burger chain in the US), except cheaper, and probably better. Spain has really stepped up the burger game, maybe in competition with Portugal, or possibly in response to my burger Odyssey of 2017 (recorded in the early issues of this blog).

I realized at dinner that this was the last pilgrim night, the last night in an albergue. Tomorrow, we walk to the end of the world.