How things can change in a few short hours  

I set off quite early, although it wasn't really necessary. Totally dark, no one else around, just me and the head torch. I was still well up in the hills, and the tiny lanes and tracks are a labyrinthine  I knew I had to be careful to follow the signs and was peering carefully in the dark, which was made worse by the trees and steep valley. Eventually I was walking happily down a small lane, when a car coming up the valley,(the only life I had seen) slowed down and stopped, and inevitably told me I had missed a turn. Thankfully it was only a couple of hundred metres back up the road, but if the car had  not arrived, goodness knows where I would have ended up. Another Camio angel. Needless to say, I was happier when the sun rose, and then enjoyed a mostly solitary mornings walking. 

I am not quite sure when things changed, but all of a sudden, the whole world was on the trail. 

If you complete the last 100km of the Camino, as proved by stamps in your pilgrim passport, you are  entitled to a certificate of  completion. This means that the numbers on the last 100km swell hugely, and inevitably the vibe  changes. The long distance pellegrinos are few and far between, and there are lots of well dressed people with small packs, in big groups,making a noise. They do not have their underwear hanging off their pack drying. The parallel universe I have been living in has suddenly been invaded. I am even happy to be in bunks for the next 2 nights to stay away from the fray. 

I suspect/hope the trail will be fairly quiet until late morning, so I will enjoy that. Happy that i am doing a quick sprint to Santiago in the next 2 days.

Still having problems with pictures, but hoping to have fast broadband in my smart apartment in Santiago, so will fill in the gaps 

Around the hoards, the countryside is still very beautiful, the cows are still here and there were several ancient Knights Templar churches along the route. 

Sharing a dorm with 4 South Korean girls tonight, so not a lot of chat. Time for teeth clean and a read before lights out