I am not mad for the 7:00 a.m. start time, but since tomorrow the first mile is on road, I can leave at about 6:45 and hit the path in time for sunrise although sun is not expected. Today´s walk was in light rain, wind, and temperatures in the low 60´s, not cheerful, perhaps, but a blessing along the long, unshaded road sections. On the paths through the woods, sun would be nice, but no complaints. At least not about the weather! But wait!
Leaving the dreary town of Negreira, I was surprised to see the remnant of a city wall, an indication of some former importance:
Speaking of indications, here is one that impresses the necessity of understanding foreign languages:
An English speaker from, say, the United States, would interpret that sign to mean "Turn left." And sometimes it does. But guess what? It often means "Continue straight ahead." You just have to know!
And this is the perfect lead-in for my complaint of the day. There is no internet connection in this entire area. This means that, inter alia, Google Maps will not work, nor will Outdoor Active unless you thought to download the route of the day to your phone. (Normally, you don´t have to.) Fortunately, the signage (see above) is good except for one place where it was not. The destination was not exactly Olveiroa, where there is no hotel, but O Picata, some 3 1/2 miles off the path. This tributary was marked with arrows painted on the road, but by and by I reached an intersection y no habia nada (and there was nothing). This was not good. No one was going to come along in a car or anything helpful like that, so I WhatsApped the owner of the hotel, but there being no internet, that was a useless exercise. As I was looking around, I spied a person wearing a white hat walking along a road at a 90 degree angle to the road I was on. Sure enough, I had missed a turn. This was a potentially a VBS (very bad situation), but it turned out OK.
Cutesy plantings:
Slug of slugs:
It was a long day...my watch says 17 miles but it under-records when I use poles. Time wise it was 71/2 hours, no stops.
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