Day: 26 May 2017

 

We could hear the rain beating on the roof all night, so it was no surprise that when the hostess dropped us off back on the Camino where we were picked up, that it was still raining heavily.  Even though it was 8:30, some parts of the forest were unbelievably dark.

It continued to rain all day, and we  pushed on, stepping over the little rivulets running down the path.  Around noon as we approached the edge of the city, it really started a downpour for 10 or 15 minutes.  It takes a downpour for you to find that the waterproof garments are not quite as waterproof as the salesman suggested.  There was no concern with cars spashing us – we couldn’t get any wetter.

We finally arrived at the cathedral about 1:30, having walked through the 20 km of rain with only one pee break early on.  Somehow the rain this time quelled the magic of our previous Santiago arrival.  We took the obligatory photos in the square and headed to the fancy hotel.

We misinterpreted the instructions to get to the hotel, and ended up walking all around the outside of the complex looking for the door, adding an extra km.  The first order of business was to shed the wet clothes, and get warmed up.  The next thing was to get a bit of food under the belt.

The food in Santiago so far is of a lesser quality and twice as expensive as food on the road.  We discussed this with other people, how the Spanish do not seem to take advantage of the pilgrims, or the pilgrim route.  Food and drink and housing are reasonable and equally priced, even when there is no alternative, and where they could easily gouge the pilgrims.  That philosophy seems to have fallen apart in Santiago.

Anyway, then off to get our compestella certifying that we had completed the pilgrimage.  That entailed a wait in a lineup of hundreds of pilgrims for an hour and a half on tired feet.

Then it was time to go out shopping for T shirts, souvenirs and jewelry. By this time the weather had cleared and things were starting to dry up.  It is hard to remember that only 10 hours ago we were slogging through rain and mud.

As we walked through one of the big squares associated with the cathedral, we saw that they were setting up for an outdoor symphony performance.  There was a lone clarinetist in the back practicing his A.

After being thoroughly hosed on the price of a salad and a couple drinks, we returned to the square where the performance was in progress.  There was lawn chair seating for perhaps 500 (full) and many people sitting on the cathedral steps, so we joined them.  I have a tendency to doze in symphonic music, but granite seating removes that tendency.  It has been a year since we heard Victoria’s symphony, and I have never heard one with this many strings.  A highly strung orchestra.

So then it is back to the hotel.  It won’t feel right to not get up early tomorrow, and start walking.  It’s been an experience.

 

There was a chance of rain predicted for today when we set off, so things were  a bit cooler.  We stopped for coffee at the first available stop, and once again remarked on the toilet queue. That is definatly something that the Spanish government could work on next to improve the Camino.  Later in the morning we stopped for an ice cream with the four ladies from California.  Walking was mostly on trails through the eucalyptus forests, and there were long stretches between coffee stops.

As we neared the destination for the 22 km day (at lunch time), we stopped for a welcome beer before proceding the last 4 km. That is when the thunder and the rain started, but it was only a light rain and didn’t dampen our spirits much. Tomorrow is to be heavy rain for our last day.

Today’s accomodation was to be a bit different as we were to be staying in a Casa Rural, not in the town.  This neccesitated  Vic calling the totally Spanish speaking hostess to tell her where we were so we could be picked up.  That went surprisingly well, and we are now at a lovely farm just outside Ocala de Abiaxo, which I think is pretty well Nowheresville.

There is a huge fig tree at the entrance that towers over the out buildings.  Its trunk must be 18 inches in diameter.  The figs are not yet ripe, but there are a lot of them.

The house itself is large and imprrssive, totally built of well crafted stonework – relatively small flat pieces with little mortar, a meter thick, including all of the inside walls.  There are two or three levels, with about 6 guest bedrooms.  The walls are so thick that the wifi will not go through them.  We were the only people here until a bunch of Spanish guys (who turned out to be from Argentina) arrived.

The buzz on the internet said the food here was good, and they were right.  We showed up at 7:30 for dinner, naturally the first ones there.  We had our own table, since everyone else would be speaking Spanish.

The first course was essentially a paella, except the rice portion was like a thick soup.  There were a couple huge prawns, and a bunch of shellfish, all very tasty.  We had suggested beef as the second course earlier in the day, and it came as pieces of stewed beef and potatoes in a sauce.  That was followed by lemon mousse and Santiago cake.  Really a very tasty Spanish meal.

During the meal 5 ladies showed up, speaking something that was not quite Spanish. We eventually got to talking to them and they were from the Caribbean island of Aruba, and were speaking the local dialect, a combination of Dutch, Spanish and English.  Four were walking the Camino, and it was the birthday of one of them.  Her daughter had flown in from New York and secretly arranged to meet the group to come up behind her mother on the path to sing Happy Birthday.  What a wonderful gesture!

They are still in the dining room with the Spanish guys, and have definately hit the wine course.