Caldas de Reis to Padrón

I woke up this morning to a pink sky dawn with the majestic Igrexa San Tomás standing sentinel just outside our window. It feels surreal that we have made it so far! The sisters have alternately struggled with sunburns, blistered feet and aching muscles. I’m so proud of them but also so worried for them! This adventure and pilgrimage has become sobering in that we all struggle and we must help each other and lean on each other to achieve our goal of reaching Santiago- God willing we will arrive tomorrow! Between the altitude changes and the varied terrain there is always something to watch out for. We left town by crossing the River Bermaña over a 1st century bridge which still had some remains of the Roman pavement and a beautiful cruciero. We passed the chapel of St Roque who is the patron saint of the town. He is also the patron for pilgrims, dogs and those with contagious diseases (so timely for us now as we emerge from the pandemic.) Most of this stage of the walk was on natural pathways through woodlands and quiet country roads. We passed along two river valleys, the Bermaña and then the Cortiñas before reaching the Valga valley into Pontecesures and crossing the rio Ulla over a long bridge. At one turn in the road we were treated to the site of the Iglesia S. Mariña de Carrecedo- it’s bordered by farmland and vineyards. Peaceful cows and sheep meander around the church- so picturesque! We passed many churches today. We saw San Miguel de Valga from far away- the dark grey of the worn granite bell tower and steeple was so beautiful against the blue sky. It was unattended and locked except for an iron gate that you could peer through to see the sanctuary. And if you slipped 50 cents in the lockbox the altar light would come on for 1 minute- ingenious! Also on our route was the Romanesque church of San Xulián and the Cruceiro de San Lázaro and the site of a medieval leper colony (!) Moving forward once we reached Padrón we saw the Igrexa Cathedral de Santiago de Padrón which contains the stone that secured St James’s boat as legend has it when he landed in Spain. Amazing church filled with religious statues and paintings! Nearby rising from a rocky promontory we could see the imposing 18th century Carmelite monastery. We hiked 16+ miles today and we are exhausted. Such a long day filled with wonder and so much to see! Just like the waves in the rivers we walked along and crossed over there were waves of pilgrims today- most hurrying by us but many we caught up to and chatted with. Everyone we saw today had an expectant air- we are so close! Our hostel tonight is a large pension with an outside pool with freezing water and a pilgrim meal served around large tables/ we drank a little sangria with our new friends and hurried to bed to get ready for a very exciting day tomorrow!Read more