Day 34: Ponte de Campana

This is the second time I’ve written this post. Somehow the first neither saved nor published. Augh!

So in Gonzar I met a mom, Jody, and her son, James. James was 11 and we kind of hit it off, so I agreed to sleep in till 7 so I could walk with them. But in the morning Jody said James wasn’t feeling well and they were going to stop walking altogether.

I was annoyed. Here I’d gotten another late start so I could have company, and I wasn’t going to have it. Especially when I saw them in walking gear later. Maybe that was Jody’s way of ditching ME.

Here’s my morning picture. I’m taking pictures of markers when the “tens” change. Somehow I didn’t post 89. I think this is 79.There have been frequent memorials on the Camino. Sometimes benches with plaques, sometimes just a paper picture. This is one of the most poignant. I ate lunch here. Yes, the chickens scratched and pecked around me.So I knew that some pilgrims rented horses, but I’ve never seen them on the Camino. I have, however, seen their poop from Day 1.

It’s not just from pilgrims though. The Guardia Civil patrols on horseback. I didn’t get my phone out in time to get their fronts.The picture of the horse’s butt is actually from a few days ago. It’s waaaaaaay in the distance.

When I was with Dalilah, she talked about how people are buried in a crypt, and then when it’s full they are removed and others put in. I think this is what she’s talking about.The silvery trees are eucalyptus. Beautiful, but considered parasites. They have a tremendous need for water and keep other plants from getting it.Who needs cathedrals when you’ve got this?Or this?The albergue in Ponte Campana serves a communal dinner. Vegetable soup followed by platters of salad, potatoes with green beans and peppers, tortilla patata, and baked chicken crisp with oil. No, I didn’t take pictures. I ate and enjoyed it. Mostly because no “sin mochillas” were there.

Instead there were Americans who also started from St. Jean, Pablo, a couple from Russia who started in Leon, and Enrique. Enrique has done the Camino eleven times, each time starting from a different point. He lives on Tenerife in the Canary Islands.