21st June :the shortest or longest day depending where you are.
Cloudy and cool but no rain as we set off. This is a blessing as it rained heavily all night and we expected we would be kitted up for a dismal trip but maybe we will be lucky. No blisters for either of us so the vaseline has done the trick.
We walked back to the turn off and along through a pathway by the
river,leaving sea views behind and entering the countryside. Our walk
today was mainly along country roads and lanes leading through villages.
Once again the roads are narrow and you have to be careful as the stone
walls make the chances of being hit by traffic a real concern. We got
very good at flattening ourselves against the stone walls.
We passed through pines,eucalyptus and lots of bracken in wooded areas
too as we crossed a couple of passes dropping back down through one
valley to another.The going was relatively easy on this leg of the trip.
You are never far from a motorway or the train tracks on the camino but
it is a small distraction and one to ignore as much as possible.
People here appear to have very small holdings and work close to the land. No fancy implements or vehicles here. Gardening is done by hand and tractors are very small and date back to the 40's.
Having a coffee break is a welcome break in the journey and we often had company from our fellow walkers at little cafes along the way.The owners are generous and they usually provide a small plate of croquettes or slices of empalada with your coffee.
Ponteveda is an old town based on the river. It boasts a historic bridge decorated with scallop shells as a symbol of St James and his preachings in this town. The old part of the town is very attractive and it was heaving with young people celebrating the end of the school year. Lots of good cheer evident but well behaved and no sign of over indulgence here- a lesson for NZ.
We walked around the historic walk suggested in our guidebook and checked out the impressive church fresco on the south wall. This was a story board telling the story of the passion of Christ in stone.Amazing.
The sun was out and it was warm so we enjoyed sitting in the sun outside the Convent of San Francisco watching all the action before seeking out a meal. We found a restaurant overlooking the square so we watched the locals out enjoying the end of their working week. Whole families were out and the kids were playing soccer while parents socialised at the outside bars dotted around the square. No bad language here just people enjoying themselves.
We had plenty of entertainment as we ate our meal. I had a lovely meal of chicken pie for starters, fried fishes as a main and fried milk or creme custard for dessert. We tried to have something local each night so we did explore the menu. Sadly vegetables seem difficult to find here in Spain but maybe it is seasonal and not a lot available yet.
Cloudy and cool but no rain as we set off. This is a blessing as it rained heavily all night and we expected we would be kitted up for a dismal trip but maybe we will be lucky. No blisters for either of us so the vaseline has done the trick.
People here appear to have very small holdings and work close to the land. No fancy implements or vehicles here. Gardening is done by hand and tractors are very small and date back to the 40's.
Having a coffee break is a welcome break in the journey and we often had company from our fellow walkers at little cafes along the way.The owners are generous and they usually provide a small plate of croquettes or slices of empalada with your coffee.
Ponteveda is an old town based on the river. It boasts a historic bridge decorated with scallop shells as a symbol of St James and his preachings in this town. The old part of the town is very attractive and it was heaving with young people celebrating the end of the school year. Lots of good cheer evident but well behaved and no sign of over indulgence here- a lesson for NZ.
We walked around the historic walk suggested in our guidebook and checked out the impressive church fresco on the south wall. This was a story board telling the story of the passion of Christ in stone.Amazing.
The sun was out and it was warm so we enjoyed sitting in the sun outside the Convent of San Francisco watching all the action before seeking out a meal. We found a restaurant overlooking the square so we watched the locals out enjoying the end of their working week. Whole families were out and the kids were playing soccer while parents socialised at the outside bars dotted around the square. No bad language here just people enjoying themselves.
We had plenty of entertainment as we ate our meal. I had a lovely meal of chicken pie for starters, fried fishes as a main and fried milk or creme custard for dessert. We tried to have something local each night so we did explore the menu. Sadly vegetables seem difficult to find here in Spain but maybe it is seasonal and not a lot available yet.
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