Sept 27
After I posted last night’s entry, our host brought out a tray with Port wine and some cakes from a local bakery. We learned that she and her husband just opened a second alberge on the Coastal route and so they are each managing one by themselves.
We were joined by six people staying in a second building across the street. At our end of the table was Jeff from Massachusetts and Johan from Munich. At the other end were four Spaniards from Seville.
After the wine, Lena, Ana, Roum and I went down the street to the only cafe open past 7 pm. The man greeted us and apologized that his wife – the usual cook – had surgery that day and he only knew how to prepare one dish. We all ordered the beef with French fries. He did a great job and the meal included a fried egg and a salad.
Saturday Morning:
After a brief stint walking out of town along a paved road, I came to the nicest stretch of the Camino so far. Pastoral scenes of corn fields in various stages of harvest. The path, a mixture of cobblestone roads, dirt service tracks and some gravel. For more than 10km just peaceful beauty and two ancient Romanesque bridges. The first dates back to at least 1185 when it is first mentioned in written history.
The sky has been overcast and a little ominous. Tropical storm Gabrielle is spinning offshore, but it’s course is to our south and the forecast here is for rain overnight of less than an inch.
The hike continued to be pleasant with very little along busy roads. In part that was because I chose to take two variants. I assume the historical Camino in some areas grew up and highways eventually replaced the original routes. These variants got us off the noisy roads and into more countryside.
Tonight, I’m staying in a private room a bit off the Camino. My Oregon Ducks have a night game against Penn State that starts at 12:30 am Sunday. I’m going to try to get a few hours rest before my alarm goes off at midnight and will finish my sleep after the game.
