Blogs from Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain, Europe

It is always nice, to start in a busy town like Pontevedra and coming to the silence of the countryside. It is just a bit special that one requires 40 minutes to get out of town, as one walks on foot… Again a market was on the way which is worth a short detour. The paths and roads today has been - as announced by some locals - especially nice. Fields, forests and villages. Only very little of the 24km have been along busy roads with heavy traffic. However it was felt that we are now on the principal route to Santiago de Compostela. The indication was foremost the number of people. Crowded crossroads, bars and a need of toilets were the consequences. The atmosphere is very peaceful. Nice discussions in the places were one can ... read more

Bonjour à tous, Encore une journée très agréable. Le beau temps, une température de 28°, juste une brise marine en guise de ventilateur. Parfait. C'est bon de faire le plein en Espagne, par rapport au Portugal, moins 0,30e par litre, soit 1,25e. sur 60 litres c'est un billet de 20. En plus j'ai bien plus de facilité à communiquer, avec l'espagnol, même si les portugais m'ont surpris par leur bi-linguiste, mais principalement en anglais. Il y a bien que les français, dont je fais parti, de ce que je constate en Europe, qui reste mono-langue, ou presque. Malgré les réformes que nous vendent, tous les ministres qui défilent, on reste des incultes. Mes voyages nord américain me sauvent pas mal la mise. Retrouvé l'Espagne, c'est aussi retrouver, les "autovia" voies rapides-autoroutes gratuites. Donc beaucoup moins de ... read more

25 September 2016, Sunday, day 25, Pontevedra to Caldes de Reis, 23 kilometers. Hotel O Cruceiro Center Fitbit: 65 stairs, 13.58 miles, 31,085 steps Today, last nights rain had stopped and the moist air created some fog and low clouds as we passed over the old bridge leaving Pontevedra. Brierley accurately describes today's walk."One third of this stage is along natural pathways through woodland along gentle river valleys which we share with the rail line. ..Approaching Caldas de Reis we hop on and off the N-550 but the stretches are short and level with good sight lines...there are few bars or cafes." It was mostly on secondary roads and wooded farm tracts with a few stretches along busy N-550. Many vineyards were along the route. We stopped at the very old church, Igrexa de Santa Maria ... read more

20 September 2016, Tuesday, day 22, Oia to Baiona. Parador Baiona. 12.03 miles The Hotel A Raina was managed by a deaf couple. The mother of the son helped as well. The hotel was lovely, simple, clean and the service very good; there was nothing more that we wanted or needed. So disappointed I did not get a picture of them all. So wonderful to see people who are doing so well in spite of their particular handicap. Today we re-learned how to sign good morning. Baby Signing Time does help the old as well as the young. Just google it. It is the sun rising. Breakfast began at 7 :00 but sunrise is not until after 8:30 so we met at 7:30 for breakfast. The mother had fresh tomatoes from her garden. A treat served ... read more

A man with blue eyes walks under the Galician sun, his mother tongue is English, and he looks happy to be at El Mirlo Blanco. This cottage, which name sounds like taken from a “noir film”, seems to be a cozy building with tiles covering some of its walls, style of the region, located in the vicinity of Catoira. The blue-eyed man is now sitting on the patio, where reign the pink and white flowers and the sing of the birds. As he speaks, a journalist from url=http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/arousa/2014/08/02/descubriendo-cara-amable-barbaros/0003_201408A2C12991.htm?utm_source=buscavoz&utm_medium=buscavozLa Voz de Galicia, discovers why Jimmy has no qualms about leaving for a few days, his house, placed in a city in the Shetland Islands, whose name has not been revealed. The interview begins. ... read more