Ocebreiro. Les and I were here 32 years ago. On November 1, 1982. I remember because we slept in the one little hostel next to the church - colder than in our Volkswagen bus - and in the morning there was snow on the ground. It was magical and the one place I wanted to revisit. There were no pilgrims as that was before the resurgence of the Camino.
Today Ocebreiro is a tourist town - albeit still tiny and gorgeous. And there are lots of pilgrims. I don't mind - that much - as very little does or should necessarily remain the same.
But we do have a new mix of pilgrims as we near Santiago. Our big room is packed with many new faces - one came in with a rolling bag....and most did not climb the mountain with their pack to get here. Lots of these folks are having their bags shipped ahead and/or taking a bus to skip certain sections.
And it was a very hard climb. The first 20 kms through a very green valley and the last 8-9 kms up the mountain. But we did see a little "queseria" sign - went off the path and bought a delicious local goat cheese. I was tired at the end because, as usual, we scurried along and were among the very first to arrive.
There a lots more pilgrims because a large percentage just walk the last 7 or 8 days. I am trying to maintain the appropriate Camino attitude, but I think from here to Santiago we will avoid staying in the usual stops to keep away from the crowds.
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