Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis
We left at eight, crossed the old bridge and made our way past lots of rural landscapes where local people were at work on their gardens, some using pitch forks to turn the hay under the vines.
We are on our way to Caldas de Reis, a spa town of about fifteen thousand people and we estimate about six hours of walking ahead of us. The body is adjusting better as the days pass-no problems with stamina,feet or puff thanks to pilates, thurlos and training. My stick has been a godsend too and so pleased to have good boots,especially when you see other people struggling along the route with sore feet and blisters.
This is not a trek for the faint hearted. It is demanding and needs a degree of tenacity to get up each day and face hours of walking. The terrain is not difficult but the surfaces are-cobblestones and paved roads are tough on the body but drugs and cold water have helped the knee and I know I am going to make it!
We are in much more isolated parts of the country now. National parks are to the right of us and lots of lovely landscapes to enjoy as we walk along.We can hear birds in the trees and the sound of water is refreshing. Cyclists pass us and call out greetings. We also collect the occasional blessing from the faithful.
After walking for three hours we stop for a coffee and we were served by lovely friendly people-a change from the grumpy hotel staff.
Rain threatened several times along the way-on again off again with rain coats but by the cafe we were into warm and sunny. We bought some cherries from a roadside stall and sat in a vineyard and ate them with our lunch . Yummy!
About an hour later we came into Caldas de Reis and without too much fuss found our hotel and got settled in for the stay. The town had a faded feel to it - it suggested past grandeur but now rather laid back and little to disturb its citizens.We explored the old part of the town and the jardines (gardens) by the river. There was a classic old roman bridge and old paved walkways linking parts of the town to the river. The age of these places is always a fascination to me,life has gone on here in all its forms for generations of its citize
We found some fellow pilgrims at the cafe and enjoyed a sangria by the river before we explored the town and found the hot water well where it was tradition to wash ones feet. Brad managed to slip on the tiles and nearly ended her walk-Dr Selbie had to come to the rescue with her potions!
We signed up for a massage at the Devila Hotel and enjoyed watching the residents undergo all sorts of mysterious procedures related to taking the waters! Ours was straight forward but very soothing and kept the muscles from tightening up. There was a special part of the hotel dedicated to the pleasure of spa treatments-another world!
Our meal that night was disappointing-tapas in a noisy bar down by the river. We tried the local bread, a specialty known as maize bread-very heavy and lined the stomach more than we liked,we had choirzo too but it was gristly and tough so we were rather disappointed.The sardines and olives were palatable and the sangria made it edible. The best part was meeting up again with our American buddies,always a laugh and we passed the time with them for awhile before heading back to the hotel to prepare for the penultimate day.
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