Leaving Portomarin Over Rickety Bridge Over the LakeThe countryside around is bursting with life, there are brightly coloured lizards in the walls, scurrying away as you get a flash of a vibrant green body and blue head and it reminds me so much of home, big clumps of dandelions everywhere and lush green meadows. We stop in the morning for coffee / hot chocolate break and for a bite to eat. There’s a big black dog there and I assume as it’s got a collar but no lead that it’s the Cafe’s pooch. Everyone gives it a stroke as it’s very friendly, with wild wolfish face, bright orange eyes and a pronounced limp where it looks like its hip is seized or the leg is painful. It’s thin but with a glossy coat and in good condition apart from that.
Not Sirius but Another Very Large Dog
Stopping in the afternoon for a Sidra, this is becoming a habit at every stop now. My excuse is it’s very refreshing and when in Rome and all that. There’s a black dog like the one at the place earlier, it’s the same one someone says. In fact it’s the same dog that was at the place last night apparently. We leave the Cafe and try not to be followed by that dog, Megan gives him a drink of water in her hat but he just wants to get on down the trail and wanders off so we do too. Oh well nothing to do but walk on, the dog had terrible road skills and insists on walking right down the middle and doesn’t want to get over even when nearly hit head on by impatient road users.
Fields are full of young crops, cute lambs and kids, the woodland is oak trees and bluebells and feeling even more like home as the paths are soft dry mud and leaves instead of rough and stoney for once although there are a lot of ups and downs which is making it tough going and even harder work as it’s suddenly gotten hot out, well into the mid twenties so water has become an issue again although there’s bars or vending machines dotted about for that.
Pilgrim Cemetary From the First Time of Peregrination
Arriving at Palas de Rei we go to the Municipal Albergue which are cheap and figure out that we should save money on the accommodation and pay for dinner instead as there’s a big kitchen but never any utensils in them. We’ve been there a few minutes and met an old English gentleman who has walked since St Jean and regales us with tales of running up Kilimanjaro and his other travels. I pop out to get some bits and pieces only to nearly step on the big black dog who has parked himself on the doorstep outside. Tony the British guy reveals when it’s mentioned that he’d seen a black dog with a red collar in St Jean and warns us not to look the dog in the eye because he’ll follow you, so this dog must have walked 25k a day off the back of food and water from Pilgrims. Sirius as he is now called has walked as far as me and in less time darn it, I’m convinced he’s the reincarnation of a Pilgrim who is making the journey again in this life.
We head out for dinner, several Sidra’s later and another reunion with Snorey guy and Funky chick, I am embarrassed to ask them their names after all this time, they’re Luis and Charo from Madrid. It’s getting late and I realise that it’s five to ten already, we’ve been enjoying the nightlife so much times flown by.
I reach the door to the Albergue after paying my tab and find the door is being locked. I explain that there’s my friends still to come and Emilio is there to say the same thing after he’s just poured a plate of Octopus and a beer down his throat and sprinted round to placate the increasingly irate and flustered woman. We all get in but the room that gave such good views this afternoon is right by the road and between the noises of traffic, barking dogs and the heat in there with all the radiators on it’s almost impossible to get to sleep. Emilio is below me on the bottom bunk and every time i drop off he’s snoring and waking me up, I’m fast asleep finally and get jolted awake by the English pensioner Tony telling me I’m snoring and keeping everyone awake. I try my best not to disturb anyone although strictly speaking it isn’t my fault as far as I know. I’m asleep again when suddenly he’s having another go, “You’ve got a serious problem, you should leave and see a doctor.” This time I see others are awake and restless and despite Jess’s attempts to reassure me that it was him who woke everyone up by screaming at me, I leave and take my sleeping bag to the top floor. There’s only some leather sofas up here but pushing them together I get a single bed of sorts which is cool and open all the windows to get some fresh air. I wonder if he got up again to have a go at me and realised that it was Emilio making all the racket.
Not Sirius but Another Very Large DogStopping in the afternoon for a Sidra, this is becoming a habit at every stop now. My excuse is it’s very refreshing and when in Rome and all that. There’s a black dog like the one at the place earlier, it’s the same one someone says. In fact it’s the same dog that was at the place last night apparently. We leave the Cafe and try not to be followed by that dog, Megan gives him a drink of water in her hat but he just wants to get on down the trail and wanders off so we do too. Oh well nothing to do but walk on, the dog had terrible road skills and insists on walking right down the middle and doesn’t want to get over even when nearly hit head on by impatient road users.
Fields are full of young crops, cute lambs and kids, the woodland is oak trees and bluebells and feeling even more like home as the paths are soft dry mud and leaves instead of rough and stoney for once although there are a lot of ups and downs which is making it tough going and even harder work as it’s suddenly gotten hot out, well into the mid twenties so water has become an issue again although there’s bars or vending machines dotted about for that.
Pilgrim Cemetary From the First Time of Peregrination
We head out for dinner, several Sidra’s later and another reunion with Snorey guy and Funky chick, I am embarrassed to ask them their names after all this time, they’re Luis and Charo from Madrid. It’s getting late and I realise that it’s five to ten already, we’ve been enjoying the nightlife so much times flown by.
Daughter of a family doing the camino, Megan, Rebecca, Jess, Me, Jeff, Emilio ;)
I remember the sunset was absolutely stunning but got back to my huge Litre of Sidra
I remember the sunset was absolutely stunning but got back to my huge Litre of Sidra
I reach the door to the Albergue after paying my tab and find the door is being locked. I explain that there’s my friends still to come and Emilio is there to say the same thing after he’s just poured a plate of Octopus and a beer down his throat and sprinted round to placate the increasingly irate and flustered woman. We all get in but the room that gave such good views this afternoon is right by the road and between the noises of traffic, barking dogs and the heat in there with all the radiators on it’s almost impossible to get to sleep. Emilio is below me on the bottom bunk and every time i drop off he’s snoring and waking me up, I’m fast asleep finally and get jolted awake by the English pensioner Tony telling me I’m snoring and keeping everyone awake. I try my best not to disturb anyone although strictly speaking it isn’t my fault as far as I know. I’m asleep again when suddenly he’s having another go, “You’ve got a serious problem, you should leave and see a doctor.” This time I see others are awake and restless and despite Jess’s attempts to reassure me that it was him who woke everyone up by screaming at me, I leave and take my sleeping bag to the top floor. There’s only some leather sofas up here but pushing them together I get a single bed of sorts which is cool and open all the windows to get some fresh air. I wonder if he got up again to have a go at me and realised that it was Emilio making all the racket.
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