Day 33, 2016 - Las Herrerias to Alto do Poio

THE VALUE OF THE STROLL

Like the story of

the turtle and the rabbit

everyone arrives.

Lucky for me, today I was challenged to take it slow up the last of the steep climbs of the Camino. Walking slowly is generally not my nature. I'm the type who wants to get my work done so I can play, which translates into muscling up a mountain as quickly as possible to then rest at the summit. However, I'm learning that the story of the turtle and the hare rings true since most the time, I am passed at the top by those who have kept a measured pace.

Today, walking up to the town of O Cebriero and the gateway to Galicia, the choice to walk slowly with head up instead of down made a difference. I looked around and watched as the fog rolled in, adding magic to the landscape.  I noticed the round, stone huts with thatched roofs, called pallozas and the great examples of Celtic design. I stopped to taste queixo do cebriero (cebreiro cheese), the local soft and creamy cheese served with honey or a slice of quince jelly. I paired cheese with a San Miguel before walking on to yet another (albeit shorter) climb to Alto do Poio. There I met up with others of my "tribe", some who had walked faster and others who instead of stopping to savor the traditional cuisine just kept an even pace. Either way, fast or slow, we all ended up at the same place. We shared a meal, our day's experience and finally a beautiful sunset before our heads hit our pillows and we awoke to start it all over again. Tomorrow, I will again walk slowly and savor the final days before reaching Santiago.