The Rain in Spain

Wednesday, June 07, 2023
Caldas de Reis, Galicia, Spain and Canary Islands
June 7
Pontevedra to Caldas de Reís 13. 8 Miles plus 1/2
We had asked for breakfast for 8:00am. Our hostess, Maria Jesus, had a beautiful table set for us which included prosciutto, cheese, toast, bananas, yogurt, musli, o.j., jellies, cookies, muffins and coffee with milk. This was definitely our most substantial breakfast this trip.
We were on the Camino by 8:45 and found our guiding arrows quickly. The crazy thing is that we literally circled back almost to the apartment, not realizing the Camino was just blocks away! Didn’t want to get cheated with our steps. It was drizzling when we started, but the rain kept getting heavier and heavier as we headed out of town. We crossed the Burgos Bridge with so many pilgrims. The Camino has now gotten really crowded with all of the pilgrims who want to walk the minimum 100kms. 
We heard a group of four people right behind us and knew immediately that they were Americans. We asked where they were from and it turned out that the young woman (Katie) had gone to Carroll College in Helena, Montana. We walked with her for quite awhile. It was nearly a downpour at that point. Turns out Katie had wanted to do the Camino for years and it was her first time in Europe. She was thrilled with all the people, while we were wishing we had stopped before we hit the throngs. Her group had huddled up under a bridge to get out of the rain so we continued without her. 
The walk was beautiful with small roads, heading up into the hills with stone houses and ancient buildings. Really picturesque, but in the rain, we couldn’t get our phones to turn on half of the time (wet fingers), so not many pictures. Sue was finally happy to have Gore-tex boots! 
During one of the uphill downpours, we met Oliver from Coimbra, Portugal. He was a super nice guy and was glad to practice English. It was obvious he thought most Americans were not too friendly. He was happy to meet one’s that were! He was 39 and had studied Art History which gave him no career. He went back to college for computer programming and is now doing very well. We had a myriad of conversations and probably walked with him for four miles. He really made the miles go fast during a very difficult uphill climb. We parted ways at the first bar/restaurant stop, A Pousada de Perigrinos.
It had just stopped raining and this restaurant was an oasis for drenched walkers to try and dry out some. And, it was the first food and toilet stop since Pontevedra. We had already walked almost 7 miles in torrential rain and climbed around 900 feet. This meant that this small little establishment was over capacity. And yet, the staff was very friendly and efficient. However, the pilgrims were not!! 
Although rain was forecast for all day, we were able to take off our raincoats for the rest of the walk. The scenery was truly beautiful throughout the countryside. We mostly walked on paths through vineyards and fields growing corn and vegetables. Not sure why, every farm had trellised grapevines (for their own use, as co-ops or just for aesthetics) but it made for a picture perfect day.  We noticed that the eucalyptus forests were gone and we were now in oaks and pines.
Another 6 miles or so from the first chaotic bar, we found a nice one, Restaurante O Cuberto, which had the perfect number of pilgrims enjoying lunch and some beverages. We had some huge sandwiches, one jamón/cheese and one egg. We only had two miles to our hostel, it wasn’t raining, this place was not overrun with rude, wet pilgrims so we were very happy trekkers.
About a mile from our destination, we overheard two men discussing Casey Stengel. Dave’s ears perked up and we talked baseball for a mile. They are from San Diego and thanked us for Manny Machado. We said they could have him!!
As we entered Caldas de Reís, we noticed some nice restaurants right on the river. We found our hostel easily which is in a great location. We rang the buzzer and the proprietor showed us our room. We had asked for a hairdryer via email and he had his wife’s tucked under his arm! Since it had been raining he gave us some newspaper to stuff in our boots to dry them out. He also said his wife would make us sandwiches for breakfast and he would leave them outside our door, bonus!
Got cleaned up, did a sink of laundry, and were about to set out to tour this hot springs town when we realized it was raining pretty hard again. Dave went and found a small market. With rainy free time, we did some blogging catch up.
About 8:15pm we went out for dinner. We wanted to eat by the river and got an outdoor table at Cafeteria Termas. We waited a little while for a table inside and then the waiter came and asked if we preferred outside. We ordered hake and grilled chicken. Because the restaurant was so busy, it took a long time for the food. Both were really good, but the chicken was enough for two. Hate to leave food, but could not eat it. Thinking we should probably share one meal in the future. This is the second night we had way too much food.
After dinner we found a thermal fountain nearby. It was steaming and was very warm. The other noted tourist spot in town is the St. Thomas Becket Church which is surrounded by palm trees. It was impressive. Next to the church was an outdoor bar, Bar Palmeras. We had heard of an after dinner drink specific to Spain, but they did not seem to understand. We ordered white wine and then the proprietor showed up with a bottle of liqueur. It turns out she had made it and it definitely tasted like good brandy made from grapes.
Back to the room to finish a blog or two. Fewer miles tomorrow.
Other Entries

Comments

2025-02-06

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank