May 1, 2023 – 2023 WynChar Camino

We like to walk for an hour or two before we have breakfast. And we like more than a roll or toast. We asked if they would make fried eggs and they said no. So we asked if they would sell us a liter of milk and if we could have cereal at one of their tables. They were fine with that although we’re sure they thought it was odd. So we bought the milk, two cafe con leches, and toast and had a lovely breakfast and they had a good pilgrim story to tell their friends.

Here is the nice couple who run the bar and sold us the milk.

And here is a breakfast, muesli, cut up apple, walnuts, and milk.

Seen in a bar

All the same brands that I remember from when we were young, except for Ducados.

Not your typical saint

Church cemeteries

We see a lot of churches. Almost all of them have a cemetery. Up to now the cemeteries have been separate and enclosed with a wall. You can easily identify them because there are crosses all along the wall.

But in the last few days we have started seeing churches where the cemetery is around the church and not separated from it. In fact, all the churches have changed to this. I guess it is some regional thing.

In addition, before the cemeteries were made up of arrays of small boxes, presumably cremated remains. Now we are seeing more full graves and some monuments.

Scenes in Galicia

Galicia is very pretty. We don’t know why it’s not more well-known. Here are a few photos from day before yesterday on the camino.

Wynette thought this typified inland Galicia.

We are lucky to be walking in the spring. So many things are in full bloom.

Eucalyptus as a crop

Starting with our first Camino in 2013 I have noticed how many eucalyptus trees there are, especially in Galicia. I have fond memories of eucalyptus trees from growing up in Los Angeles. But the people here consider them an invasive species.

But this trip we learned more about this. Eucalyptus is a cash crop in Spain. It is used to make paper. The people don’t like them but do like the money they bring in. An old story.

The photo below shows this clearly. The eucalyptus is in the foreground and another crop in the background. it is like wheat or soybeans.

The crop cycle is longer for eucalyptus. In this photo you see a young crop in the foreground and more mature trees in the background.

Personal water towers

We started seeing these on most of the houses. My best guess is that the water pressure is low and they use these towers to increase it. Any other guesses?

Topiary

Since we left the sea we have seen dozens of carefully trimmed hedges. We wondered why people spent so much effort to get them perfectly squared off. In the last week we have started to see a lot of topiary, even more work than hedges. Here are some examples.