More thoughts on the Camino Primitivo

Other thoughts--Once on the Camino Frances, other hikers shipped big suitcases ahead, and just hiked with little day packs. Almost nobody did this on the Primitivo. And they talked--loudly to each other, on the phone. They listened to music on boom boxes. And the electric bike guys were the worst, speeding by, yelling at times. Complete jerks. A far cry from the fifteen people a day quietly walking near us on the Primitivo.

And I did attend a pilgrim's mass on my last night in Santiago, but they did not fly the botafumeiro {the huge censer) not sure why.

We also noted that the total climbing on our route is more than 27,000 feet, so almost an "Everest" for those who such silly things 

Food: Asturias was stews and meat, which limited our choices for Estelle, so we did lots of tortilla espanola and cheese. We got a little tired of that. The orange juice, on the other hand, was consistently excellent and fresh squeezed. Our friend Irene would point out that the oranges must be from Valencia.

We did order a lot of ensalada mixta -- a Spanish version of salade nicoise, that was usually available. Many hostels had vegetarian options, some of which were quite good. But Galicia had seafood, and we loved it. All kinds, from shellfish (scallops, mussels, calamari, etc.) to bacalao, hake, and cod...and always octopus. What a luxury.

Estelle -- I could not have asked for a better hiking partner: cheerful, strong, and always willing to help. She carried a heavier pack (she took most of the food) and made all the pension reservations flawlessly. And we took care of each other, reminding ourselves to eat, drink, and use my hiking pole on the descents! She was enthusiastic about so many things, she added joy to so many experiences. A true joy to be with her every day on the trail. Truly the best part of my Camino.