Day 31 - 26k - Ferrerios

Samos is a lovely town that is dominated by its Benedictine monastery. It is still a working monastery with at least 12 monks we saw last night at Gregorian chant. The monastery is the oldest in Spain, built in the 7th century. We went for a guided tour yesterday at 4.30 which was in Spanish and cost 3 Euros. Didn't understand hardly anything so I was able to get creative when it came to the history of the place. They have a 90-bed Albergue in the Monastery which probably keeps them ticking over. The monastery is huge.

There was a fella from just outside Tipperrary where we stayed last night who was cycling from St Jean to Santiago. He was feeling a bit poorly as he had come off the bike that morning. It was very honest of him to say that he was looking at 2 girls at the time. I was going to tell him never to cycle through Italy or he'd kill himself but decided to leave it. He was hoping to get to Santiago tonight if he got on the road by 7am. Tony cooked last night in the Albergue so we stayed in for a change. After that we went to Gregorian chant and then off to the bar where we had lunch for a glass of wine (top bunk last night). Headed off at 6.30 am and managed to have breakfast in the town. The Galician dialect (language) is very different to the Spanish that Antonio Banderas speaks, didn't manage to understand a word at breakfast. Had a quiet walk to Sarria along the road, no traffic. The man from Tipp passed me on his mountain bike at 8.15 am. He must have had a later start than planned; up late watching the Eurovision I suppose. Passed 4 English girls in Siarra and one of them said "Girls, we are on it" referring to the start of their Camino. I trundled past them with nearly 500 Camino miles behind me doing my best not to make a condescending comment. The Galician countryside is very like Ireland. In the last few days the Camino has gone through country lanes connecting farmyards. Went through quite a few dairy farms which were the first I'd seem on the Camino. Pulled into Ferrerios and stopped in the Municipal Albergue for 5 Euros. Only 98 Kms to go to Santiago.