I forgot to mention that yesterday’s story was written, and the images processed and uploaded, from the small bar across the street from my room. This was the only place with connectivity in the hamlet along the Camino that I was staying in. Furthermore, I got to plug my computer into a power outlet, and to warm my back against a radiator while the dark-eyed and buxom hostesses plied me with olives, fried doughnut things, and a clear Galician drink they described as “double fermented” that packed a wallop.

It was cold overnight, with a hard frost on the ground when I woke. After yesterday’s rain and hail, I was hoping for better weather on the Camino de Santiago. As it turned out, it was crisp but sunny with high, scudding clouds—perfect weather for walking.

The stone cross in the photo below is a cruceiro, examples of which are found all over the Galician countryside. Cruceiros are intended to ward off evil spirits of the dead, and protect travelers, although apparently drinking the double-fermented beverage I mentioned is also thought to help with this task, particularly if the drink is preceded by a brief prayer.

The yellow flowers in my next image are cultivated Rapeseed, from which Canola oil is pressed. (They really should change the name of this plant.) But Yellow! You can see what a wondrous day it has been!