Abadin to Vilalba, 21Km
Last night’s albergue was beyond excellent, I slept for over 8 hours and breakfast was waiting in the kitchen this morning. And yet there were so few pilgrims staying there. The Camino is not as busy as in the early days.
The day was dry but rather cold. I left Abadin along a grass path which took me through farmland. This is mostly cattle country with patches of potato. Soon there was an inauspicious moment. I came to a paddock by a farm building and saw a dead cow. There was one other cow in the paddock which looked distressed, pacing around without purpose. It was a grim scene, made worse by a man in the yard of the house opposite, leaning on the fence and staring at the animal. This is a poor area and the loss of a cow would be a bitter blow.
I caught up with an American couple from Seattle who I’ve seen before. We walked together and the conversation took my mind off the impoverished landscape. We walked into Vilalba. It’s the biggest town in the area and boasts nothing of interest at all.
Vilalba has the remnants of an old castle which is now a Parador hotel and that’s where I’m staying. The chain was established by the government in the early twentieth century to promote tourism in less developed areas and to preserve historic buildings. They’re luxury hotels but they have a special pilgrims rate which in Vilalba is 111 euros compared to about 14 euros for a bunk in the albergue. Nevertheless, the place has quite a few pilgrims, none of whom I’ve seen before. Perhaps they’re driving.
Pilgrimage 
Was the cow a Chelsea supporter?
How would I know? Probably would have been a better striker