The ride from Ocebreiro to Samos was insanely fun. The morning began even colder than predicted 7 or 8 degrees Celsius, mid 40s farenheit, wet and cold and foggy! So it was a real adventure and I got to wear my new rain slicker!
It’s 22 kilometers to Triacastela where we planned to stop for lunch and then another 12 to Samos where we were staying for the night.
My new rain slicker is awesome, hands down the most useful and needed last minute pretrip purchase I ever made, perfect for horseback riding in wet, cold nasty weather. It’s long so it covers your legs down to your chaps with a strap to hold them tight and it has a hood that fits perfectly over your helmet. And most importantly I look so cool with it on!
Although the weather report said the sun would emerge within a couple of hours, it didn’t. It was still wet and foggy when we arrived at Alto Sao Roque where I had my picture taken near the giant statue of the medieval pilgrim gazing over the Galician countryside in the direction of Santiago.
And it was still wet and foggy when we stopped for our morning break at Alto de Poio but when I removed my slicker my riding pants and helmet were bone dry!
I had a cana (small draft beer) and a slice of empanada, so delicious. Empanada means Galicia to many, almost their national dish.
And it was still raining and foggy when we got to Triacastela for lunch. I had the Menu Pellegrino, mixed salad, albóndigas and flan for dessert, €12.
The sun did show its face briefly in Triacastela but it was overcast and raining again when we mounted up until the sun came out and was shining brightly just as we reached Samos. Samos is so picturesque. The small town is dominated by the Benedictine Monastery. Dating to the 6th Century, it is one of the oldest and largest monasteries in the western world. The monastery is enormous and beautiful. It once housed hundreds of Benedictine monks and it’s still in operation today but with only 6 or 7 monks in residence.
And the Mozárabe Chapel known as the Capilla Ciprés (Cypress Chapel) is in the park by the Monastery. It’s called the Cypress Chapel because out front there’s an enormous cypress tree. Legend says that anyone who hugs that cypress is guaranteed to arrive safely in Santiago.
Tomorrow we cover the last half of Stage 28 to Sarria and then Stage 29 to Portomarin for a total of about 34 kilometers.
To get your Compostela you have to cover, at a minimum, the last 100 kilometers into Santiago either on foot or horseback. Sarria is the largest built up place on the Camino more than 100 kilometers from Santiago so it’s a very popular place for people to begin their Camino. Which means that starting tomorrow we are going to be seeing a lot more peregrinos on their way to Santiago. And as we get closer to Santiago the numbers of Pilgrims on the Camino will continue to grow.
We’re now just 4 days of riding, 123 kilometers from Santiago and I know we are going to arrive safely because we all hugged the cypress tree.
Buen Camino!
