Category: Travel

The next morning the sun was out again and we off. Jon, Eleanor, Mary Jane Alida and I went for coffee and breakfast, Jim and Geoff set out ahead of us as usual and Sarah caught the bus to Monte do Gozo.

After breakfast as we crossed the street I noticed a woman perhaps in her twenties pushing another woman in a wheelchair. Not an unusual site except that she was wearing a backpack and another one was stored under the wheelchair’s seat.  Peregrinos no doubt, but I had to wonder how far she could travel in a day and what roads she could take. As we left the main road to find the camino I watched briefly as she continued on down the sidewalk. I figured that this would be the last that we would see of her as she could not possibly keep up with us. Once we left Pedrouzo we were once again in the forest and on yet another hill climb. Jon and I struck out on our own pushing up the hill which seemed to go on forever. Continue reading “O Pedrouzo to Monte do Gozo”

The next morning Alida was well hydrated and felt very much better and resisted our suggestion to take the bus to O Pedrouzo. And so it was. We were off again retracing our steps about a km to rejoin the camino. As we broke again in and out of little groups. At one point. Eleanor and I wound up walking together mostly because we had become completely enamored with the wonderful variety of mushrooms everywhere and our incessant stopping to take pictures caused us to lag way behind the main group. Continue reading “Salceda to O Pedrouzo: Chapel, fountain and ‘shrooms!”

Today a couple of us walked Luba to the bus area and as we waved goodbye, we wished her the very best as she headed to Santiago on her journey to Canada. We all agreed that she had been a wonderful companion for the very brief time that she had walked with us, and I believe that a new friend had been added to the group. I think that our paths are destined to cross again. After seeing her off, we headed back to the albergue to get ready for departure. Sharon’s knee was no better and given the terrain ahead, she decided to take the bus to Salceda. After a quick breakfast of coffee and pastries we saw her onto the bus and then set off once again on the camino. Continue reading “Arzua to Salceda: Faux pilgrims and out like a light”

The sun was bright again the next morning and after a rather expensive breakfast at a local bar-it seemed that the closer we were to get to Santiago the more we were to be overcharged-we struck out for Arzua. Soon we had left the city roads and were once again in forest, walking in little groups again. Jon and I walked together as we came upon a rough bridge made of flat but uneven boulders stacked on stones which crossed over a tributary for the river Catasol. It was to be a rather a dicey crossing and I wondered aloud about the ones to follow us. Once through the forest, we walked parallel to the road a bit, and was back into the woods until we came upon the town of Boente, where we stopped at the church for a sello and a few pictures. Off again to our next stop, the German Cafeteria el Aleman. The ground had grown more level and the walking had been easy so we were in high spirits by the time we arrived. The coffee and the pastries were great and sitting in the bright sun in their garden area, life seemed beautiful! Continue reading “Melide to Arzua and spaghetti alla carbonara”

The weather forecasts had rain for the day so we all broke out rain gear. shipping the bags ahead to Arzua meant that some of us were the last ones to check out of the albergue. As it would happen, Jon had placed his trek poles by the bar and when we  went to leave they were missing. Everyone looked high and low. I remember seeing them by the bar by themselves so I knew that they had not been moved unless Jon had moved them; no, they had been taken. Jon was furious and the albergue staff offered him a pair of mismatched poles that had been left behind as a kind gesture but he declined. I insisted on giving him one of mine and with that we set out, with the resolve to pick up another pair in Arzua. So off we went, out of town. Continue reading “Palas de Rei to Melide: Rain and The Miracles of the Walking Poles.”