Some pics from our ride from O Cebreiro yesterday (Oct 10, 2014). This shows the final two passes we had to ride though and SOME of the beautiful scenery we saw. Here is a little blub about O Cebreiro : O Cebreiro has grown from a small and ancient village of dairy farmers into a small and ancient village of large scale tourism. With luck you will arrive in a shroud of fog and leave with an abundance of sunshine; both suit this village well. It has played an important role throughout the history of the camino. It was in fact the parish priest, Father Elías Valiña Sampedro, who is most responsible for the resurgence of the camino. It was he that first painted the yellow arrows and the tales that surrounded him doing so are the stuff of legend. Once, in 1982, he and his white Fiat van (with license plates that identified him from Lugo) were parked along a trail in the Pyrenees. It was a time when Basque separatists were trading blows with the Guardia Civil and when they came upon him suspicions were aroused. He opened the door to reveal cans of yellow paint and identified himself as the parish priest of O Cebreiro (a long way from home). When asked what he was doing his answer was simple: I am preparing a great invasion! It was he that orchestrated the installation of the concrete mojones as well. His death in 1989 meant that he only got to see the trickling start of his invasion. The parish church he presided over tells of a miracle on it own. According to legend The Holy Grail was hidden there, and in the 14th c. produced a miracle that was certified by Pope Innocent VIII. It tells of a peasant from a local village, who during a snowstorm braved the hike up to O Cebreiro to hear mass. The priest, less insightful than Elías, chastised him for endangering his life for a bit of bread and wine. At that the bread and wine turned into flesh and blood, cementing the reputation of this small hamlet.
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 05:27:06 +0000
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