Camino de Santiago – Day 3 From O Cebreiro to Samos

Despite our amazing dinner, the night in O Cebreiro shelter was hard. First because I was full and second because the dormitory was full. It felt like if we were on a refugee camp, with the air thick as onyx and orchestral snoring included! So, waking up in the next morning, having barely slept, with snow, fog and proper cold weather outside and knowing that we had to walk a stage and a half (more or less, 31 kms) if we wanted to spend the next night in the Samos Monastery, was hard. Also, my comfort and confidence levels in myself weren’t yet recovered from the toughness of the previous day. But because this stage was supposed to be downhill, I decided to keep walking… This is actually a great lesson that I learned in the path (and that can be easily applied to life and help us to be less anxious): we always know when we start the Camino but we never know when or if we will finish! So, step after step, another day and another physical and physiological test was overcome.

We arrived in Samos before the sunset and even had time to visit the beautiful Monastery where we would spend the night, the oldest shelter in the Camino (the monks have been accommodating pilgrims since the 6^th century). It was a beautiful experience!

As well as the lunch we had, with some of the pilgrims that left in that same morning from O Cebreiro (some of the people who snored all night long!) and that arrived in Triacastela at the same time than us. We were a lot at that lunch table, all trying to get to know each other, while enjoying great food and wine. Another very simple moment, but as touching as this, was when in the middle of the morning we passed through a village with no more than 10 houses and a very old lady came out and offered us recently made pancakes with sugar and cinnamon. A humble gesture that helped us to keep going…

To see more pictures (without the LOMO fish eye), please check here.