Laza to Vilar de Barrios 23 km

This morning everyone is up early again but the French group have decided to take a taxi today rather than face another gruelling uphill slog. One has a sore ankle and the other has asore back. The French lady who snores was too exhausted from yesterday and I think without the others she decided a taxi was the go too.
We have our breakfast of muesli yoghurt and juice plus a croissant and set off. After a good nights sleep I feel ready though a little daunted by the description of the path. My mind does a what if and I visualise a struggle but I then get a grip and just take it as it comes. 

.Corn drying on the verandah  our first lot of Horrees- Galician drying boxes

In fact while it is a tough slog uphill with few flat spots it is a spectacular walk. We quickly gain altitude though Peter slips behind. I suddenly hear a step and turn thinking he has caught up but it is the lovely young man from Portugal. He tells me Peter is about 25 mins behind me and we chat for awhile. He is doing the Camino from  the Portuguese border. He did it once before with friends but this time he wants time to think so he is doing it alone. He is pondering religious questions and life. He walks so strongly I feel a twinge of envy.  I catch up with Andrew and we wait for Peter  so we can all walk into Albergueria. Here we find a delightful bar completely covered in pilgrim's shells with names and dates. The guy who owns the bar and runs the Albergue here is a lovely friendly fellow. We order our coffees and write our names on shells, I finally buy a shell for my pack. I have been looking for one since I started and here we are less than 200 kms to the end and I get one.

We continue on and down to Vilar de Barrios which was way below in the valley. The Albergue is another fairly new one and is well set out. This time there are doors on the showers but you need to step out into the public area to dry yourself. It doesn't matter because we are the only people here. We have the whole Albergue to ourselves.  We decide on a menu del Dia lunch and find this little restaurant that hasn't changed for 80 years. It was started by the father of the present manager a dear old lady who cooks us a lovely meal of soup, steak, eggs and chips and dessert with lots of wine, and a glass of house brandy to finish. She is so lovely we can't refuse. She insisted on topping up our wine when I knocked over my glass sending the wine flying onto floor and bench and Andy. We were busy mopping up but she wasn't concerned. Our table was a special table for playing cards with a raised slippery top and indentations on all four sides for chips or money. When I moved my glass to make way for the salad it went flying off the edge. She was like your favourite granny, warm and hospitable and really cheery.  The locals had been in there when we arrived so it had a family feel. Nothing has been spent on the place for years but the charm was priceless.

 Feeling pretty boozy we retreat to the Albergue to write and sleep expecting some other pilgrims.  No one comes, what joy. The pilgrims who took the taxi must have gone much further.  Tomorrow Ourense , but another 34 km downhill walk. Thermal baths here I come.