Day 28- Absorbed
Today I decided to just walk and melt in to my surroundings. Sounds weird, I know. Sounds spacey, I know. But here it is. As I set out, I decided to skip describing, labeling, identifying and comparing the things I was seeing. I stopped trying to find that perfect picture to take, looking for that money shot. Instead I just walked with an empty head and the trail just kind of absorbed me. Today’s route lent itself to that- pretty good conditions, mostly flat, gentle slopes on the hills, almost no towns or villages, mostly forest and fields. I didn’t need to focus on my footsteps. I just walked through it all, at times almost in a trance but that got me in trouble because I missed a few turns. I enjoyed that feeling for several hours. About halfway through I came to a point where I could either take a detour and see some ruins or keep on course. I sense the end of this Camino coming on so I decided stretch it out just a little bit more and headed deeper into the woods. Glad I did. For some reason, today I really appreciated the Camino itself and the journey it lays before me. I am staying in a nice hotel; Lugo is a big city. My bathroom has a bath. After walking about 440 miles in 28 days, my body is pretty worn out. I took a bath. There, I said it, I took a bath. If you think it’s not macho for a man to take a bath, you should watch a few of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns where Clint Eastwood smokes a cigar and shoots bad guys while taking a bath. Es mas macho!
Saw this leaving Castroverde. The sculpture seemed pretty fitting
A couple of Christian rest stops on the Camino
Seemingly deserted little village so common on the Frances and VLDP
On the detour
15th Century ruins of a castle built on the site of a Roman fort
On the detour. Church built on pre Romanesque structure
Entering Lugo, today’s destination.
Lugo is a walled city, some 2,000 years old
These are shots of the Cathedral of Santa Maria. Construction began in the 12th Century. It is currently under repair and so long and huge, tough to get a good shot. I visited the inside and it was incredible. Taking pictures in the cathedral is prohibited. Being the good Pilgrim I am, I didn’t take any.