Portas

We left A Portela albergue skipping 🤣 - well, not quite, cos we didn't have the energy after the snorefest we'd endured the previous evening! But it was brilliant to be on our way knowing we were going to enjoy a shorter day's walk; it was a good feeling 😊. It was another lovely walk through small hamlets and we were happy to fall into this garage/café! We remembered it from our last Portuguese camino (we'd walked the central, inland route in 2019) so it was great to see it was still up and running. We only wanted a drink, but the array of food on offer was fantastic. Not sure I'd want squid empanada for brekkie, but there it was! The room was fashioned from someone's garage, as the 'front door' was the up and over type garage door 😅. On the way, we saw a most unusual selection of scarecrows, this pink frog being one of them. I'm not sure how effective he was because nothing seemed to have been sown!
We reached Caldas de Reis at lunchtime thinking we'd find the bus stop that'd take us to Padron. Not as easy as it sounds as there are no stops similar to ours in the UK, just BUS written in yellow on the road, and it being Sunday parking regulations seemed to be being ignored! The waitress in the café we ate lunch in was really helpful, though, and kept the tapas coming whilst we waited for our (very Spanish) pizzas.
The bus was only 10 minutes late so we didn't have too long a panic 🙄 and it dropped us off in Padron just 30 minutes later. Thank goodness OurSteve can read maps, because we'd have headed off in the opposite direction 😀, but we soon found our apartment (so much better than a second night in an albergue - we've decided we're just too old to be doing that every night!) which was massive and meant we could have a room each.
After settling in and showering, we took a short evening stroll around Padron, which isn't exactly massive, and found a small café where we could sit outside and eat. It was then time for bed but I was very surprised to find it wasn't even 8.30pm when I tucked myself in🤭😅. It was a good, long night's sleep though and we were very relaxed when we got up. Only about 12kms today 👌.
Our walk was a mix of road and wooded areas and we spotted lots of 'doer-uppers' - buildings that would make great homes or albergues. We passed through a 'cat village' where someone was obviously feeding the strays, and a short detour took us to our second breakfast (the first being a bit paltry🙄). OurJan decided to rock her JackieO impersonation with her big glasses and my scarf 🤣.
We arrived at our albergue (the same one we'd stayed in 4 years ago, and the one I wasn't supposed to book this time round 😱🤣) in time for yet more pizza and yet more beer! We spent the afternoon relaxing in the garden, washing our clothes, showering, sorting our aching feet out, and catching up on home news. Tortilla and salad (and red wine) for supper and another early night for an early start tomorrow. It's our last day of walking and we have just 13.5kms to go before we reach the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. Our hope is we get there in time for the 1200 Pilgrim's Mass, when they may well be swinging the huge thurible, the Botafumeiro, because it's the Apparition of the Apostle-Clavijo. So, fingers crossed for that! If it happens, you'll find out tomorrow🤣.Read more