Day 34 - The German Invasion!

So my albergue last night was pretty damn empty.  No more then 7 people. Only 2 in dorms, the rest in private rooms.  The gentleman that shared the dorm with me up and left sometime between 9:30pm and 1:00am.  So I had the entire 2nd floor to myself!  Two dorm rooms, bathrooms, and lounge...  ALL MINE, MWAH HAH HAH!!!...  Wait, it's the middle of the night, I'm going back to my bed and going back to sleep...  Well, that feeling lasted about 5 seconds.
Back to bed, I must say, I slept great!  Didn't have to worry about keeping anyone awake snoring - Didn't have to wear earplugs to avoid other snorers!  Camino can treaty you well sometimes...  WAIT!  What is she throwing at me tomorrow!?  Well, no sense worrying about it now...  ZZZZZZZZZZ.......

So, with the latter sunrise and cooler morning temps I allowed myself a later sleep and slower start to the day....
Mistake!  HUGE MISTAKE!  But more about that in a bit.

So I enjoyed breakfast at the albergue and was getting ready to leave when I hear "here come all the pilgrims up the street!"...   Now I did think quickly that I was in the lower part of the street, most Peregrinos should be ahead of me, but there they were!  A mob of Peregrinos!

This mob was more like an invasion, an invasion of 400+ German Touregrenos busing in for the day to walk their leg...  The SAME let as mine!  400 German Touregrenos, yammering the WHOLE friggen time, just stomping all along the Camino and in general just not being very Peregrino like at all - entitled monsters - but not Peregrino like.  It was truelly an invasion, and on a large scale.

So, to make sure I was not over reacting, I queried several long haulers and their reactions pretty much mirrored mine.  Ooh yeah, I also asked about the whole bad ass Peregrino thing, every long hauler I spoke with got the same feeling...  It's funny, cause as Peregrinos, we shouldn't judge others by how far they walk, a Peregrino is a Peregrino (a Touregreno is NOT a Peregrino but a pestilence on the land) and whether you walk 100km, 818km, or 2000+km if you are a true Peregrino you belong.  But that bad-ass attitude really came in handy a few times when maneuvering the few bars on the today's leg.  My last stop was funny, I walked in, plopped my pack against a stone wall and marched into the bar, standing right in the doorway, preventing the invasion from swamping the tiny bar area (most Peregrino bars have outdoor seating, this was no exception!).  Once the bartender cleaned the room, he smiled and asked what I wanted...  I couldn't resist
"Agua
Bottle
Sans cup"
€.50 for me, €1.50 for the yammerheads taking it in a glass....  Yeah, I did it on purpose, but I did want a new bottle for the pack.

Anyways, there were a few sections of peace and quiet, but largely the day was full of yammering although as we approached Portomarina group was singing which I found quite amusing and entertaining.  Ooh, I tried hard not to be a bad Peregrino, I even reached out a few times to some and offered assistance...  Like the girl with poles, attached to her pack going down a steep hill, she was walking in switchbacks. Which was smart, but I pointed to get sticks then mine and said good much easier it was.  I told her my sticks are in my hands if my pack is on my back.  Then I demonstrated how nicely poles help you down hills.

So, I might be thanking the invaders in a few days anyways, see, I am a full days walk ahead of many of my friends whom I wish to walk into Santiago with.  Because of their yammering, I am taking a 1/2 tomorrow to let a few catch up, then another 1/2 day Saturday and we'll be all back together for the big march into Santiago! (Our own invasion of you will).  So tomorrow, I'll sleep in a bit, catch a later breakfast and saunter a short 9km - AFTER the invaders bus back into town and are long gone.

OOH!  I am officially under the 100km mark (the one in the picture is now 106.9km due to path changes and one big airport construction).  I am expecting to arrive in Santiago sometime on Tuesday barring any unforeseen events...  Then...  THEN WE ROCK THAT PLACE!  Satisfy was described to me as a 24/365 Peregrino party...  Then...
Finisterre
Muxia
And time permitting, the Little Fox House!

And in two weeks from now, I'll be heading back home and readjusting back to a more scheduled existence but very happily to be with my family!  Going back to work will be a challenge, not because of the people, cause the big thing Camino made me realize, I love interacting with people!  No, going back I'll be sedentary again...  After walking 20-30km day in and day out, I'm now used to always being on the go and full of energy...  Maybe I'll start plannil nevermindng another pilgrimage, the European Camino network is massive!  Ir why people do this over and over, the existence here is magical.

Anyways, now I'm yammering!  Time to go to bed.

PHOTO DUMP :
https://goo.gl/photos/m6wtEzP1WHp8GAxZ9

Buen Camino!
Kevin

PS, that bridge, of all the ones I've crossed, was nerve racking.