Tessa and her mother, Kathryn, are joining us for the next few days, and today we headed to Palas de Rei.
Not too cold this morning and, with the forecast of potential rain, overcast as we headed out of Portomarin.
The Codex Calixtinus refers to the town as “Pons Minee”, which has been interpreted as ‘Puente del Miño’. This bridge, along with the one in Lugo and the one in Orense, was the only way to cross the Miño without using a boat, which is why the pilgrims’ route had to pass through here. Additionally, “marín” is also related to the existence, since the High Middle Ages (9th-12th centuries) of a sanctuary consecrated to Santa María, on which the church of San Nicolás or San Juan would later be built.
The first picture shows the view we had at dinner last night, and the quality of the food matched the view for definitely the best meal of the Camino so far. Walking out of Portomarin meant going back down the steps and then we crossed the Miño by a different bridge and started straight up a hill via a wooded path. There was a route choice next – either the main route or a “complementary” route, which we took. This seemed to allow us to bypass most of the hordes this morning.
All was well as we ambled through the countryside, no rain yet but the clouds were moving steadily in. Plenty of farms / houses with the small buildings in the second picture above, some research indicates that they are traditional Spanish barns. The countryside is definitely more agricultural now with some large farms visible and the small towns we walk through being mainly farm buildings.
More barns in the gardens of largish houses and then we experienced our first raindrops of the day. This necessitated raincoats which are good for keeping rain out and, because it was still quite humid, good for keeping sweat in. The rain only lasted a few minutes and then formed the first rainbow of this walk. Looking at the hills in the distance, we could see some heavy rainfall that was heading away from us. A few up and downs in the road and then we started our descent to Palas de Rei, mostly by road with the odd rocky path thrown in for good measure.
After one more rain shower the sun started to show again as we walked on, spotting some small villages hidden behind wooded areas. We then passed the Igrexa de Santiago de Lestedo and took the opportunity for a look inside and another stamp in our passport. Following this it was a straightforward walk into Palas de Rei and a check in to our hotel.
Yes, after lunch and when the heladeria opened, it was ice cream time! Today was longer than yesterday and with more metres of ascent but, I suspect due to the weather being cooler, it didn’t feel quite as hard work.
Tomorrow is the longest day left as we head to Azrua.