Day 26: Trabadelo to O Cebreiro

Today included the big climb to O Cebreiro, and entry into the region of Galacia

But before that, there was a mostly shady walk along the valley floor. It followed the road, but in contrast to yesterday, there wasn't always a physical barrier between the cars and the pedestrians

Sometimes there were three roads running in parallel: the 'main' road, the side road (for example the one that rang through Trabadelo, the village I stayed in last night), and the motorway - the latter usually elevated well above the 'main' road, which interested the engineer in me. The sound of traffic clattering on the concrete motorway was ever present

Once the path finally left the road, it wound through a forest, which provided welcome shade when the incline stated to increase

The forest provided cover for quite a while, but then we were out in the sun. The views back down into the valley were outstanding

There was an alternative to walking up the hill - a local leads morning groups up the mountain on horses. I met him coming back down with three of his horses, and a couple of minutes later a fourth horse came down by itself, no doubt having done the same trail many times

Near the top, the famed marker showing the boundary with Galicia appeared. It's only famed because I've seen it on multiple YouTube videos, but really it was a bit of a non-event

Then, round the corner, we were at the top, in the little village of O Cebreiro. There were several preserved/restored pallozas - pre-Roman circular stone dwellings with thatched roofs...

...and the whole place had a very different look and feel from previous villages...

...with a buzzy environment from all the peregrinos and the day tourists

In deference to my shin splints, I've stayed off the beer and wine for now, but now I'm paying a fortune for my 'zumo' - freshly-squeezed orange juice. A cold beer would have been cheaper and would have gone very nicely with tonight's lasagne dinner

Incidentally, I forgot to mention yesterday the Puerta del Perdón (Door of Pardon) at the church on the way into Villafranca del Bierzo. In the Middle Ages, sick or injured pilgrims could receive spiritual indulgences by passing through this door if they could not make it to Santiago. Could be handy if you want a spiritual indulgence or two!