Galicia

We are in the final stretch! Yesterday and the day before we completed thirty kilometer days and only have three days of walking left until we reach Santiago de Compostela. A few days ago we crossed into the province of Galicia. Everything here is much different than what we have encountered in other regions. The landscape is made up of spectacular mountains and is more dramatic than the others. We have been high enough to look out on the surrounding mountains and see exactly where the clouds cast shadows. The weather is also quite different. In the mornings it is cold enough that I wish I had a winter coat, hat and gloves. However, one warms up very quickly climbing a mountain, so I usually end up in shorts and a t-shirt within an hour. The other main difference is the language. The primary one is Gallego, although everyone is at least bilingual and can also speak Castilian Spanish. I enjoy reading the signs and magazines written in Gallego, as it is a challenge to decipher them using the Castilian that I know.
Last night we stayed in a town called Portomarín and saw the first body of water since we flew over the Atlantic. During the Franco regime a reservoir was built and flooded the town. The residents disassembled the church brick by brick and carried it up the hill before moving the entire town. While it was a gorgeous view, the several flights of stairs to get to the town were not fun after a very long day of walking.