East of Triacastela

May 13, 2022

We started out from, Sarria in a wet mist that lasted until we reached Samos, a bit more than ten kilometers away. Those ten kilometers took two hours and set the tone for the rest of the ride. A few downhill but then more than a thousand meters of climbing with most of it over the last eight kilometers of the ride.

Some Galicians clearly object to the Camino signs being in Spanish and not Galego. Almost every sign we have seen over the last fifty kilometers has been disfigured in this way.

As we approached Samos the road leveled out and we road through some lovely countryside until Samos, which is a very pretty town with a long history.

The Monastery of San Xulián de Samos. Established in the sixth century and rebuilt a few times. Fought over between the monks and the local bishop, abandoned during the Muslim occupation but finally reoccupied by the Benedictines at the end of the nineteenth century.

This river runs behind the monastery and though Samos.

From Samos to Triacastela it was a gentle climb until just before the town where the gradient got more hectic. We bought some lunch and had a half an hour break to rest before the pull up the hill.

Leigh comment: "Hard day at the office".

We are staying in a lovely guesthouse at the top of the climb, just over one thousand two hundred and thirty meters above sea level. The most luxurious we have had for a while but at a surprisingly affordable price. The Camino passes in front of the the guesthouse and its restaurant but it seems we are the only guests for the night.

Rural views from the restaurant. These cows came home while we were enjoying a dinner of fish and calamari in the restaurant.

The garage where the bicycles are spending the night is also home to a lovely forty eight year old Citroen which is in mint condition. Only used on "los Domingos y Fiestas". The owner was insistent that I have my photo taken behind the wheel.

On the wall was this lovely old bicycle. I was allowed to take it for a spin around the farmyard.

Tomorrow we head for Ponferrada, another historic town on the Camino de Frances, with an old Knights Templar castle I would like to see.

Today's ride: 32 km (20 miles)
Total: 1,676 km (1,041 miles)

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