Day 18 Vilanova de Arousa to Padron

The last 24 hours were a bit of a whirlwind. Due to the heavy rain forecast for today, our boat tour operator canceled our trip. . Most smaller boats were canceled, which left a lot of people scrambling to figure out how to get back to Padron. This piece of the trip is supposed to include a boat ride along the river where St. James’ body was brought. It’s a long walk if you don’t go by boat. Wendy found us tickets on a larger boat that was still going. It was pouring rain this morning when we left the hotel. My boots and pants were soaked on the short walk to the pier. Once we got on the boat, it was dry and cozy inside. As we rode along we passed crosses that were erected along the shore to show the way St. James' beheaded body passed with his disciples in their stone boat on the way to Santiago. When we got to Padron, it had stopped raining. Everyone was so excited. Slogging through the rain the last couple days has been tough for everyone. We walked the last bit to our hotel.
After settling in, we decided we needed to find a laundromat with washers to get rid of all the mud we’ve accumulated over the last couple days and dryers, because there’s so much moisture in the air our clothes are not drying out between days. We found one, got our clothes going, and went to the restaurant next door to eat an early dinner. We snuck in just before siesta. Not long after, our Australian friends, Jim and Marie, came in. They did not make the cutoff time, so could only have tea. We all sat together, enjoying the company. Then we all walked over to St. James Church. Inside is the piece of rock that the boat carrying James tied up to when they arrived. We said goodbye to Jim and Maria, and chilled for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow is our last long day - 10 miles. Friday we arrive in Santiago. It’s hard to believe this is coming to an end soon.Weiterlesen