Saturday, 4 October 2014

Ferreiros to Palais de Rei to Salceda... An adjustment day and a good long day

Ferreiros to Palais de Rei started out being our normal day on the Camino, leaving before dawn, in the mist, quiet, good. So quiet by mid morning we kind of looked around saying, "where are the hordes promised after Sarria?" Then lunch hit and the buses arrived and all of a sudden the quiet bar/cafés were packed to the gills, people were walking with no packs, some had little blue packs with logos, most were limping, some were playing their favourite Korean pop music. There is a preponderance of Koreans on the Camino as one of the pop-stars did the Camino :)

Early morning out of Palais de Rei.

So, we kind of felt that our Camino was hijacked, both of us had a little meltdown, but we got over it and resumed our wonderful walk. We have found that most people walk between the hours of 9-1, so if you walk outside of those hours you often have the path to yourself and with a few other kindred souls.

Country lane, Blair always asks if the pilgrims made this deep cut into the land, Sharon thinks it is farmers making the paths passable between their fields.
These corn cribs have sprung up everywhere in Galicia. Some very old school, some very decorative and stylized.

The day ended well as we got a great alburgue (San Marco) in Palais de Rei (which got its name from the Visigoth King 5th century, ya gotta love the history here rich history here).

Churches are smaller and more Romanesque in Galicia.

The San Marco served a great breakfast, coffee, huge croissants and fresh squeezed orange juice (gotta get one of those machines) and we were off.

Fall is not only in the air, but on the porches, lots of pumpkin and decorative corn here.

Today was much better, today no parachuting bus tours that walk 10 km Camino as part of their tour of Spain :) and of course we decided to do a long day to position ourselves for Santiago tomorrow.

Sharon trying to keep off the asphalt.

In the morning we stopped in for second breakfast in a place thar had just opened a few months ago. The older lady was wonderful, made us these great sandwiches that included half a loaf of bread, tow pieces of tortilla (we were sure we would not get these in Galicia), a whole bunch of bacon and cheese. We put away half the bread for lunch, and split everything else between the two of us, we got talking to a couple from New Zealand and next thing we knew an hour had gone by and we had 30 more km to go.

Lots of babbling brooks.
Arzua, the big top is in town!
If you look very carefully you will see the tigers waiting for their showtime.

Mostly country lanes today, some beautiful farmhouses and not so odiferous animals. We have learned that these people building these beautiful Albergues are mostly families and they don't get a break from the government. We lucked into another beautiful Albergue tonight, actually we are in the hotel part. Spanish man, Russian wife, 14 year old daughter, small pool, fountain. They have restored and upgraded a 18 century farmhouse, it is stunning!

Earlier in the day we were diverted as this new highway will cut across the Camino, see the blue rail with the yellow arrow,they have built the bridge for the Peregrinos an the farmers first. They made the Camino side cobblestone, I wonder why they think we like cobblestone???

So 26 km tomorrow and we are in Santiago, the wifi is down here so will publish from a cafe tomorrow.

 

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