Fran & Bea planned on a 6:30am departure Friday morning but got delayed by a passing thunderstorm. I had been awake since 3:00am because of some "emergency" (non-emergency) call I got from Anne. The water sprinkler valves directly above my car space at the apartment needed to be repaired. Problem was my car wouldn't start. Dead battery I was told and will need a service assistance for that. I couldn't make sense of that because it was running ok before I left for this trip. Anyway, a long story and another night of sleep deprivation.
At 6:00am, people started stirring and moving around the dormitory. All gearing up for the foul weather. At 7:30am, I decided to put on my backpack and don the poncho I borrowed from my daughter. She lent me the one she used when she did the Camino Frances from SJPP for 5 weeks back in 2019. Now it was my turn to put it to good use. It steadily rained, heavy at times, but the more I walked in the rain, the more I find pleasure rather than misery in it. Perhaps it was dejavu. It was the same feeling I recall when walking in the rain in my boyhood years. Or was it just the fun memories of walking in the rain as a young child? Idk.
The rain eventually let up. About two hours later, I arrived at the old Roman Bridge at Ponte Taboada. I know I wanted to sketch this old bridge even if it was raining. I don't know how long I sketched there but others like Fran & Bea soon showed up at the spot and our paths crossed again.
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| The Ponte Taboada Roman Bridge. |
Some more uphill/downhill hikes on this trail and with less service infrastructure in between towns compared to the more popular Camino Frances route. However, the lush greens views all over and the sound of silence was actually something I enjoyed.
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Old oak forest.
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At Silleda around 11:00am, the sun came out and I got my first cafe con leche that day and paired it with jamon tostadas and pastries for breakfast. I still had about 14 kms left before the next stop at the highly rated Albergue Casa Leiras in Dornelas. Silleda is a city where I found a supermarket where I bought some bread, cheese and jamon for a nice bocadillo sandwich. In exiting out this city and going back on the trail, I failed to notice the yellow arrow marker at the immediate right in one corner of the street. Suffice it to say, I got lost a bit but backtracked my way just enough to get back on the trail.
Later on I noticed some mint growing by the trail so I plucked a cutting that I carried with me. It was handy to smell the mint when the foul smell of livestock fill the air in some sections of the trail. The sky was turning more grey and ominous looking clouds were forming.
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| Mint leaves for a refreshing smell. |
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| A sketch of a stone house ruins while I was on a lunch break. |
I was fortunate to reach a quiet roadway tunnel to shelter from the quick passing storm. My friends Hannah & Brian, and Dave soon arrived at the tunnel and we all waited out the storm. Good thing we all have booked reservations at the highly rated Casa Leiras so we just all walked together until we arrived at the destination at 5:20 pm.
This was a private albergue with limited number of beds. I had a confirmed reservation two days before I got there. Aside from the three friends I walked with, three other guests were checked in. Rafaelle and Matilda (from Italy) and Stephen (from Germany). We all shared the community dinner and had the most fun conversation over some delicious Italian pasta, salad, pizza and wine. It was a great ending to another long day of walk. I know the end of this Camino is fast approaching.
I am amazed that with all that walking you are still able to get so much sketching done. It is a good thing you sketch so fast. My favorites here are the one of the stone house ruins and the one you did in the logbook. What an experience!
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