Day 28

Today's destination is one of the most memorable along the entire Camino. With its stunning vistas of the valleys below from 1300 meters up, the ancient pallozas (pre-Roman stone dwellings built by the Celts), the fog which descends to envelop the village in an enchanted mist even in summer...few places along the Camino are as enchanting as O Cebreiro! The village is the site of a Eucharistic miracle that occurred in the village's little pre-Romanesque Church of St. Mary's around the year 1300.

The lush valleys and rolling green hills of Galicia, Spain's Celtic region, bear more than a little resemblance to Ireland. Nestled in a tranquil valley, our destination today is Triacastela, founded in the 9th century following the re- conquest of this the area from the Muslims. Today nothing remains of the three castles that gave the village its name.

Two great and memorable climbs don't diminish the beauty. Our group is scattered over several hours but Lynn, Sue, Bill, Diane, Susan and Duane (as well as new friends the Law's) regroup for lovely fabada (bean stew) before the final march. A huge downhill tests every blister.

To the west of Triacastela, some 7 kms away, lies the Benedictine monastery of Samos, one of the oldest in all of Spain and an important symbol of Galician culture. We shuttle ahead to sleep in a family run hotel beside the Rio Oribio located in Samos.