And also sheep and cows and birds. (Ovejas y vacas y pájaros.). Walking through farm country, the sounds and smells are as vivid as the sights.

This fellow (or gal) gazed placidly at me through the fence.

I have been hearing roosters crowing every morning for the past few days and finally got a picture of one in all his glory.

Came across a whole passel of goats, hanging out with the chickens.

Saw a HUGE stork nest, with a stork proudly guarding it.

Also some sheep just hanging out.

Many more birds big and small. And of course, the cows. I had to be careful when walking on the road, as cows had left their calling cards everywhere. (Sorry, no pictures of the dung. 😁)

Rain was predicted for today starting around noon, so I got started around 8:00am to try to beat it. The sky was gorgeous and there was birdsong (and rooster crows) as I walked along the path.

The path was muddy in places, but fairly pleasant and not difficult (yet.) Much of the time, I was walking along the road and through a couple of tiny villages.

After not too long, I saw Sarria in the distance. Sarria has the distinction of having the largest number of pilgrim accommodations on the Camino. Many pilgrims start their Camino here. It is also (in)famous for the long staircase into the city.

I wasn’t staying in Sarria but in Vilei, about 2 miles (and a climb!) beyond. It was steep, but through a gorgeous wooded area. With more Ents!

(It has come to my attention that some people are not familiar with Ents. So here’s a description: Ents are a race of beings in J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy world Middle-earth who closely resemble trees. They are similar to the talking trees in folklore around the world. Their name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for giant. The Ents appear in The Lord of the Rings as ancient shepherds of the forest and allies of the free peoples of Middle-earth during the War of the Ring.)

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Everything was incredibly lush and green.

I finally rounded the top and the path flattened out and gave onto a large field. I could see the little town of Vilei and my albergue around the bend.

I had had an unfortunate spill earlier in the day, so I had to sacrifice part of my bandanna to make a patch for my pants…

Tomorrow will be a bit longer day just because of how the albergues are spaced out. But slow and steady and I’ll get there! I’m feeling okay, me and my slow self.