Day 38

I saw a lot of enchanting things in my 20 mile wander today...fields with stone walls that remind me of Ireland, the reconstructed (long story, involves Franco) Romanesque church of San Nicolas in Portomarin, and a creepy garden that I am positive is the setting for the first part of Rapunzel. But the best was yet to come! Actually the best thing after 20 miles is a beer and a CHAIR, so let’s call this a close second: Castro de Castromaoir.

“Castro” is the word here for hill top fortress, and this one, atop a punishingly steep hill, has long, windy views in every direction. It’s only partially excavated and even those excavations began just a few years ago so it’s fun to walk over all the weirdly shaped lumps in the grass and imagine what’s down there. The site is ringed in those lumps (walls in a circle shape, protecting the inner village) and then the middle of the circle is half of the lumps and half exposed archeological dig, the remains of part of a village coming up to about your knees in a maze of doorways and walls. Not much is yet known about the Castro, other than the hill has been under human use since at least 2,400 years ago.

This human was the only one using it this afternoon, and it felt like pure Camino magic to have it all to myself. I would very much like to return after they dig out the rest.

(Author’s note: “When in doubt, two guidebooks, but when prepared, three” is usually my motto and today is such a good example. Guidebook #1 said Castro de Castromaoir was one of the highlights of the Camino and had two whole pages on it, Guidebook #2 mentioned that the town of Castromaoir had a “trace of” a Roman-era encampment nearby (LOL guys), and the third has such a broad country-wide focus it isn’t even mentioned.)