Goings-on in Galicia

We sadly ended our few-day soiree with Peanut, Luuk, Mattias, Bradley, and Adam.
(I have more accurate spellings now!), just because the albergues fill up so quickly. Many pilgrims start in Sarria, just before the required 100km mark. In fact, tonight in the town of Portomarín we've had to split into two albergues. Food and lodgings are getting much more expensive with all the pilgrims. And somehow we still keep bumping into Susan and Nancy!
Other than the crowds, Galicia is gorgeous, a mix of Tuscany and the English countryside. A subtle Celtic flavor infuses every experience, from the bagpipe music in bars to signs in Gallegan similar enough to Spanish to be confusing. Gallegan is the native Gaelic language that most people here speak. It's a little disheartening, to finally feel good about your Spanish and suddenly find yourself met with dirty stares for speaking castellano. We never can escape foreigner status!