Day thirty nine El Camino: rest day

It POURED during the night and rained all day, which put a damper (yeah, not so funny) on our activities for the day. Despite the weather, Tan and I decided to get our "compostela." (Ian did not feel like filling out the required information), so.... we had to find the office that issues the certificate that attests to our having completed the walk. It is like a little university diploma, in Latin and everything! And it is free except that donation boxes are strategically placed, plus, it costs a euro for the cardboard tube in which to put it, so maybe not exactly free. Oh--to EARN your "compostela," you have to present your "passport," a little booklet purchased at the beginning of the walk, and which you have to have stamped at every town in which you stop.

On our way to the pilgrim office, we saw this dog, which, like another dog we saw several times, was walking with his person (a very strange person, whose picture I really wanted to take, but it seemed too rude). Anyway, the poor dog seemed tired, and why he was wearing only half a pair of booties, is anyone's guess:






After taking a good look at the cathedral--I am not even going to attempt a description, but let that not deter you from looking for some images on line. Truly, it is beyond beyond all---anyway, after that, we took a taxi to a Corte Inglés where we looked around for an hour or so.

Taking advantage of their gourmet shop, I bought some delicious items for dinner. First, a piece of cheese, then some King Solomon (yes!!) dates:




and a huge peach:




The guy assured me that these were the best peaches in all of Spain. That would not be a difficult promise to make because the few I have tried up to now have been throw aways.

Walnuts and a most tasty roll bought from a very old, very little lady in a very small shop, and a drink rounded out the meal, every bite a treat.

After our look-around, there was still a bit of afternoon left, so we took another cab to "The Commercial Center," advertised as having 150 shops, movie theaters, and food courts. Our expectations were high!

It was a very strange place, almost abandoned. Maybe a dozen stores at most were open. So much for the expectations.

There were a few objects of interest, for example, this fat man:





just as "wow-ing" from the rear:





And a big, sad woman:





This shopping/commercial center was surrounded by buildings that were actually part of the complex. We could not determine whether they were apartments or what:





It wasn't so bad for a rainy day!




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Location:Rúa de Ourense,Santiago de Compostela,Spain

Day 38 Santiago

Monday, October 14, our trusty taxi driver turns up at the appointed hour of 7:45 a.m. to transport us back to San Payo where we continue heading west to complete the last few (let's say ten, although it was ever so slightly less) to Santiago.

It was still dark, but surprisingly, not cold, when our boots hit the track:





A fair section of the walk was quite pretty:





Some sections, not quite so much:





Icons of urbanization begin to appear:





We continue on, every step bringing us closer:





But when the little red man indicates, "Stop." We wait:





Making our way through the city:





A true, ahem, peregrino:





We have seen many many many churches but here is the first priest, we have sighted:




A piper (who played the same four bars over and over) and his dog welcoming walkers.....





on their way to the cathedral, whose hugeness is such that I cannot really take a photo of any merit at all:





Five hundred miles from St. Jean-Pied-de-Port:



and not tired.

We have lunch in an elegant restaurant, the walls of which are lined with fabulous carvings:





and sculptures stand in nooks:





Upholstered sofas and chairs and an art exhibit enhance the ambience:





Then we head outside to take in some of the sights:





No idea who or what, but lots of these sorts of scenes:





I overheard a visitor say that this august personage, now honored in the courtyard de la Universidad de Santiago, was a mathematician, but couldn't find out a thing about him:





A pedestal, flowers, and balcony:




and a grand colonnade:




Espying or espied?!



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Day thirty seven El Camino

Last night we made a decision. That was about the most momentous task in which we have engaged these many weeks, since our days are devoted to walking and eating and thinking about where to eat next or where to go to buy food. What we decided was that we would walk further than our designated destination (Rua), take a taxi back to Rua, taxi back to the further point Monday morning, and have a super short walk to Santiago, the more time to spend there, since, inter alia, there is not much to do elsewhere.

To accomplish this, we had to leave early, usually not a problem, but our hotel host did not serve el desayuno until 8:00 a.m., which did not fit nicely with our plan. However, he provided us a voucher, allowing us to take our morning tostadas down the street at a panadaría, a las siete. Muy bien.

Off we started on a pleasant, cloudy morning, and then, several miles into our walk, Ian noted that he had not seen a single taxi. Hmmm...on the stretch from León, taxis have been sighted con frequencia. Aha! It is domingo, Sunday; we may not be able to get a taxi to ferry us back to Rua from some point beyond. We must improvise.

We arrive at our hotel before noon, Ian and Tan have a coffee outside, and I am left to sort things out. Who should happen to be at our digs at the same time we are? A luggage delivery guy who is drinking a beer. He realizes our plight---with some help from the guy behind the bar--and agrees to transport us to San Payo, from whence we will walk back. That arrangement never sees daylight because the driver has room for only two in his vehicle, and after his who-knows-how-many-beers, this was not too disappointing. It took many phone attempts, but at last the barkeep-Jack-of-all-to-do, contacts a taxi driver who is willing to drive on a Sunday (for an extra fee).

Off we go and back we walk. The cost of our extra five or so miles was five euros a piece.

While walking, we see this note on a wall:




Shortly before arriving, we hit some rain, but it was nothing compared to the downpour we missed just after arriving!

Rain gear drying:




Hoping we won't need it tomorrow for our grand entrance into Santiago!

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Location:Arzua to San Payo

Day thirty six El Camino

We are so seasoned to walking that we complete 18.66 miles and are not even tired by day's end. That the weather has been superb is a factor, of course, but still....!

We leave Palas del Rei at about 8:15; the birds are up---see them on the tower, and one, on the right, flying away?





The day's walk is mostly along woodland track:





Of course!




We have seen a few of these woven huts with thatched roofs. What they are for, no idea:





Heather and gorse:




Here come the sheep:




They're coming closer:




And there goes the ass:




This cow is making lots of milk...





Convinced?





Cyclists crossing a bridge of flat stones:





And through the woods, the cavalry cometh!





Posters like this are ubiquitous. (Note the display of desserts at the bottom.) They can save a lot of explaining:





Another irresistible, tiny wndow with the sweetest little curtain:



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Days thirty four and thirty five El Camino

Somewhere along the 16.5 gorgeous miles we walked today, we passed the 100 kilometers-to-Santiago point. It is all more impressive in kilometers, isn't it? Anyway, we decide it is a photo-worthy moment:





Several times we noticed narrow structures, built of different materials, all the same shape, and sometimes with crosses, like this one with brick facing:





Wait, this one is more interesting:




What could they be? Perhaps a burial place for ancestors or a shrine of some sort. No, they are for storing maize, or at least that was their original purpose.

In places, the landscape was reminiscent of the Yorkshire Dales:




Perhaps even more convincing?





But then we see this and know that, no, not the Yorkshire Dales:





There were moments that made one feel as if this could be the Cotswald Way:





But then a corrective would bring us back to Galicia:




Like fall in Connecticut?




Uhhhh...no:



Very pretty all the same:





There were areas of huge trees:




and of many trees:





and tall, flat stones used as fence posts:





Garbage service needed:





A popular memorial in the mist:






At our rest stop, we spy a man wearing a hat decorated with flowers. Tanya asks if he would mind being photographed. He went one better! "With the lady?" So, yes! With the lady! Meet Joe, a fine fellow from Bavaria!





Oh, those yellow arrows, along with Ian's uncanny sense of direction, have kept us from going astray, and for both we are, many times over, grateful:





An arrow of painted shells, is especially terrific:





The bridge into Portomarin is very high:




and long:



Immediately upon arrival, we headed for a restaurant. It was about 2:00, so we were ready for anything. The first place we saw advertised itself as being Italian and offered pizza. Peppe's? Sally's? Modern? How ridiculous to expect brick oven en España, but what we got was round and edible, bore a superficial resemblance to "a pie," and filled us up.

In Portomarin, we were put up in a hotel with a fancy fancy lobby, but the beds had plastic covered mattresses and lumpy, plastic covered pillows! Everything squeaked, which negated the fancy factor.

We left Portomarin by way of an impressive staircase:




Our 16.91 mile walk to Palas de Rei had a lovely beginning along paths through woods, but most was tedious track walking beside roads. However, we did have a surprising and outstanding lunch.

At about 1:45, as we drew near to a cafe, Tanya noted that there were several cars in front, so, she deduced, and rightly so, if people are going to drive here to eat, the food is likely to be good. Yes!

For a first course, she and Ian had a hot cream of vegetable soup served in low, glazed, clay bowls, and I had grilled vegetables, which were delicious. For the second, we all ordered the chicken strew, which turned out not to be a stew but tiny, and I mean tiny tiny tiny whole roasted chickens, so so tender and tasty.

So there we were, middle of the day (according to the Spanish timetable), having walked about fifteen miles, Tanya and Ian sharing a bottle of wine, all of us feeling quite marvelous that we could interrupt our walking to enjoy so exquisite a meal, beautifully served, before heading off to reach our destination.

Continuing toward Palais del Rei, we discovered that Spain can boast some gigantic worker ants:





But, gee, no climbing on las hormigas:





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Location:Sarria to Portomarin to Palas del Rei