Vilamaior to Santiago

I arrived at Casa de Amancio yesterday at 5.00 pm, which was quite late for me. There were many uphill bits that slowed me right down at the end of the day. It was a lovely sunny evening and everyone was sitting in the sheltered garden when I arrived.

This morning promised to be even better weather wise: a perfect day to arrive in Santiago! I set off walking in bright sunshine and arrived in the outskirts at about 11.00 am. As I was passing near the bus station, I went there first to buy my ticket to Porto on Saturday (€30). 

Then I decided to find my hotel (Virxe da Cerca) in order to drop off my backpack. After that the order of the day was to claim my Compostela from the Pilgrims Office. As most people would have gone to the Pilgrims Mass in the Cathedral, there was hardly any queue. There was a big assembly of military in the Cathedral Square. This was the culmination of some exercises, as far as I could understand. The explanation from a friendly soldier was drowned out by some protestors banging a tin drum (aka a big cooking pot!). 

I decided to celebrate my arrival by having lunch at the Parador. Full details to follow, but here is a photo of the dining room:

Salceda to Vilamaior

I was delighted to see a clear blue sky when I left Salceda this morning at 8.30 am. Here is a photo of my well designed room with a skylight, and another of a frog beside the ornamental pond.

It was a pleasure to walk in dry conditions for a change. At 11.00 am I enjoyed a shandy sitting outside a bar with a group of French cyclists. We were all watching the milestones in the countdown to Santiago.

The path again went through eucalyptus  woods.

Finally it passed Santiago Airport with the end of the runway high up above us to the left.

Ribadiso to Salceda

There was quite a storm yesterday evening. I managed to stay warm and dry inside my little room. There is a photo taken from my window of washing on the line which was in danger of blowing away (not mine!) Dinner was across the road so I had to venture out at some stage and took a quick picture of the old bridge with some late pilgrims just arriving.

Today I set off at 8.30 am. and walked till 12.00 without getting wet, though conditions underfoot were muddy and water was dripping off the trees. There was nothing much to photograph except for a bracket fungus in the wet woods and some cows in a wet field!

Melide to Ribadiso

Yesterday evening proved to be quite pleasant with the sun out for a change. It was even warm enough to eat outside. I located a vegetarian restaurant highly recommended by TripAdvisor and ordered mixed roast veggies with an avocado sauce, followed by courgette parcels, which had ham and cheese inside! Quite a change from the usual Camino fare.

My room at hotel Carlos had a small glassed in balcony, which caught the evening sun nicely.  From there I could watch the world go by in the Main Street below me. There was a man in a horse and cart, trotting along with all the motor traffic. Then 3 cars pulled up at the pub and all the guys jumped out. They were towing small trailers with animals inside. The receptionist told me they were hunting dogs and there was a local competition to catch a particular wild bird. The men had a few drinks; the dogs were flat out inside their cages.

This morning started wet, very wet! But I am getting used to it now. My waterproof pants do a really good job and I can sit down anywhere without getting a wet bottom. I reached Ribadiso at about 2.30 pm and checked into my private room at Albergue Los Caminantes. It is fine now but blowing a gale. In fact, all their sun umbrellas are going down one by one. When I was here before people were soaking their feet in the river on a hot day.

Today I met a Dutch lady of 86 who was walking with her 12 year old grandson.

Church of Santa Maria outside Melide

Lestedo to Melide

Last night I had dinner with 3 German ladies from Munich, who were also staying at the Rectoral. There was too much food - I will never get rid of my fat stomach at this rate!  This morning it was raining heavily so the Germans called a taxi. I set off with all my wet weather gear on. I left at 9.00 am and didn't stop again till 12.15.

I met a man with a mule and a dog. He was from Bilbao and was coming back from Santiago like all the medieval pilgrims had to do. I wasn't quick enough to get his picture.

After lunch the rain stopped and the sun came out. Amazing!  It was quite warm walking into Melide, but the track was still very waterlogged. I was glad of my boots for all the muddy bits. I arrived at Hotel Carlos at about 4.00pm. I think this has been my last really long day before Santiago.

Portomarin to Lestedo

Another day of poor weather, fresh winds from the southwest and ominous black clouds, but thankfully not a drop of rain fell!  I left Portomarin at 8.00 am and reached my destination of Lestedo at 3.30 pm.

En route I met Leonie (the Gallipoli lady). Her thigh muscles were giving out, she said, and the next news was that she had hitched a lift into Palas de Rei in a cyclists' support vehicle!  There are about a dozen cyclists in a convoy, going past the walkers at speed and they are covered in mud. I wouldn't want to be spending the night at the same albergue as them! 

I have photographed some baby animals for Ellie today: twin calves eating from a bucket and twin lambs in a field.

I was pleased to arrive at the Rectoral de Lestedo at 3.30 pm. I stayed here before with Fresca Tours.  It is a little bit of luxury  on the Camino, a converted rectory done up very stylishly.  Last time we sat outside or lounged in a hammock. Today our host has just lit a log fire for me.

Barbadelo (Sarria) to Portomarin

Last night I had dinner with an Australian lady who had come straight from Gallipoli. She said there had been 80,000 in the ballot for 2,000 Aussie places and somehow she had been lucky. She showed me pics of Prince Harry mingling with the crowds, and said that Prince Charles had made the best speech. The event lasted 14 hours, or all night till the dawn service.  There were 700 coaches to deliver everyone to the peninsula and it was freezing! Not an event for me, I think!

The Casa Barbadelo had a sewing machine museum. (See below!). Raining again this morning as we all set off.  The Camino is getting busier by the minute. Many people start here to get their Credential after walking the last 100 kms. I photographed a 12th C. church which I remembered from a previous trip.

The rain kept coming and the bars en route were full of pilgrims dripping and steaming. The cyclists were covered in mud. The track was squelchy with cow manure. Dairy farms on all sides. No wonder JL has no sense of smell:  his body must have shut down that sense early on!

Later...  Having finally arrived in Portomarin I located my hotel, the Portomino,I checked in and had a hot bath! It had been a long day, ending with the bridge over the reservoir and the steep staircase into the old town.  I celebrated with my first G and T of this trip on a bar overlooking the main square and the church of San Juan, an early 13th century building, famous for its size and carving for this period.