Camino de Santiago de Compostela - Portomarin to Palas do Rei

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9 October 2015, Friday, Stage 33 Portomarin to Palas do Rei.

GPS: 17.17 miles, 6 hours and 34 minutes moving and 8 hours and 44 minutes from leaving the Pousada to arriving at Hotel Benilde.

Fitbit: steps: 36,711' stairs 181, miles 16.04

We have enjoyed two nights and a rest day in the Pousada de Portomarin. The room is a suite with nice sitting area separated from the sleeping area by a separate bath room. So nice to be able to work in the sitting area with room and table to move around and be comfortable. Our nights including breakfast on the Pensioners plan was 85 euros per night. What a deal compared to some of the other Hotels and Paradors with 5 stars.

We had left Karen's boots with the reception to dry after cleaning all the mud and miscellaneous other stuff off of them. Breakfast started at 0730 but no one to retrieve the boots. I asked the nice lady who seats folks in the restaurant and she went and got them for me. Now we can pack Karen's bag so they are ready for JacoTran by 0800. The day is cool about 49 degrees with scattered high clouds but the sun will shine and no rain in the forecast for the day.

We are off by 0826 as the sky is starting to turn the clouds red from the rising sun - still many minutes away. As we may have mentioned Spain is farther west than Greenwich Meridian but goes by Western Europe time of +1 so sun rises late and sets later. We now have about 11 hours and 35 minutes of daylight from 0830 to 2000.

We get back on the Camino to find we are in a throng of pilgrims. Fifty from a group belonging to a Catholic church in northern Germany; There are many young people in this group and we find out they are going to be confirmed in the cathedral in Santiago. The first day they do a lot of singing that is very beautiful as they walk. There is another group of mothers and daughters from Spain, seventeen in all. Plus there are the usual other 150 pilgrims that spend each night in the towns we are in along the way. It promises to be a very crowded day at the few cafes we will come across.

We start down today. Down the steps to the road across the second bridge and then up the long hill. We will climb more than 450 meters in all today. As we climb the fog forms in the trees and pastures and we have good visibility but only for short distances. We pass the milestone waymarks to Santiago as well as the brick factory and the fertilizer plant before we reach the village of Gonzar. We are unable to see any room around the tables outside, inside or get through the door of these two cafes so on to Castromaior we go hoping for a bathroom and some coffee or orange juice. We travel through farmland with the corn now in silage for the cows for the winter and lots of grass and dairy cows. We ebb and flow with the many Germans on the Camino today. Refreshed we continue ever upward.

We pass Ventas de Naron about 1230 and all the cafe tables are filled. The fog has now lifted and the sun is warming the day so off come the outer coats. This area was the scene of bloody battles between Christians and Moors around 840. No mention of any action here during the Spanish Civil War. But, today it is serene, quiet countryside with beautiful fields and trees to keep the stress level low. We crest the first 'alto' for the day at Sierra Ligonde then head down to cross the stream by the same name and start up for the second 'alto' for the day. But on the way down we pass the dog kennels, then a stone cross with two carvings: one side looks like the nativity the other side the crucifixion. Thinking we are further along we are now looking for the 5 road intersection but can only count 4. But we do find the Casa Mari Luz with welcoming tables under trees in the lawn in front. We stop for our lunch and have some of the greatest lentel soup we have had and an ensalada mixta.

Now we come to another cross, less ornate but located near a small chapel and amongst gnarled oak trees. The few houses here are in a village called Eirexe. The Camino continues to the village of Porto with another lovely cafe where we stop for a tonica and bathrooms. The yard has three giant ant sculptures plus a nice lawn and outdoor sitting area. There is an albergue listed here but no mention of the great cafe. We enjoy the landscape and the nice weather as we continue up to the top of Alto Rosario before descending into Palas de Rei. The church of San Marcos is where we get our third pilgrim stamp of the day.

A short distance later Karen sees the Rua do Mercado, the street where Hotel Casa Benilde is located. And in less than a block we see it. Our greeting is spectacular. Francisco produces a small map, shows us how we will go tomorrow on the Camino, lists the restaurants with good menus close by and their hours of service, tells us about the pilgrims' services at the church each night, and then explains about the hotel and breakfast. Our bags are in the room, a service we have come to greatly appreciate on those rare occasions that it occurs and wish we had noted each one before now. There have not been many.

We have a small room with a double bed. The minibar is very reasonably priced. The shower water is hot and we get a hair dryer to help with the hair and the washed clothes.We decide to eat at one of the recommended restaurants and meet a most interesting pilgrim. He is a retired attorney for the city of Seattle. He is nursing a bad blister that had gone bad. He is dining with a pilgrim doctor who will be checking it out after they have eaten. He is a big, burly fellow, Santa Claus beard and most interesting. His name is Michael and we will be passing each other for the next few days.

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Photos

Pousada de Portomarin
A great place and wonderful rest day.

The crowded Camino path after 2 hours of walking
A bus load of German pilgrims left Portomarin almost the same time we did.

Pilgrims on the path along the highway
Karen in group ahead

We stopped at this albergue cafe for coffee and OJ
This family ran the facility with three generations helping

Large ant statues at this albergue.
We stopped here for tonica and bathroom