Cortegada - San Xes - Ribadavia (19 km)

I woke up at about 6 am to a heavy rain. I decided to sleep a little more, but by 8:00, I had had breakfast and was putting on my rain gear. I kept repeating one of Joe’s favorite bits of advice — “A mal tiempo, buena cara.” Within about 10 minutes, the rain had turned into a little drizzle, and within 25 minutes it had stopped. No more rain except for a 20 minute downpour somewhere along the Minho River. Call me lucky.

It was another walk with pleasant surprises. Wikiloc showed a steep descent down to the Minho, but it wasn’t steep at all. And, even with all the rain, the tracks were totally fine. No rocky paths turning into water channels. Once down at the river I had a really nice walk along the banks, and it lasted most of the way to Ribadavia, actually. A few petos de anima (alms box for the souls in purgatory), some pretty churches, and a lot of Minho River views.

Ribadavia is well known for its preserved judería (Jewish quarter). But I had learned that there was also a pre-romanesque church, San Xes, just a few kilometers out of town. Since I got to the town early, I decided to walk out and visit the church before finding a place to stay. It wasn’t raining and I thought it made sense to take advantage. What a beautiful little church. Ninth century, some carvings on both sides of the door that look like the flight to Egypt (thanks AJ!!!), and a stone lattice window that was beautiful. I couldn’t get inside even after asking a couple of neighbors. But I was happy enough to sit outside and eat my snack and enjoy.

I found a little Pension in the center of town, right in the plaza mayor actually. Turns out I was lucky to get the last room, which involves a three flight walk up.Read more