Every Step You Take ...

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Day eight on the Camino ... from Outeiro to near Pineiro, we are getting closer to Santiago with every step we take!

Some peace on the trail ... actually most days are peaceful on this "Way" ... It is not travelled as much as the other Pilgrim routes.

We started near the "Albergue" in Outeiro, we went to get our stamp but we were unable to get one here.

                    

       

Today's walk on the Camino we entered the eucalyptus tree lined paths which provided much needed shade on a hot day ...

  

We had company today ... 

We made a wrong turn ... in search of the Pico Sacro (you can see it in the picture above).

Mamade M. would have probably climbed to the top had we found the right route ...it was 500 meters up with a 60 degrees vertical climb...and then she would have had to come back down.

They say from here you get your first panoramic view of Santiago ... 

We ended up on the N525, finding a cafe for a cold drink ...

After our 1.5 kilometer detour we found our way again ...

Walking through vineyard lined lanes, small villages and the rural countryside.

Before I left Canada ... Señor Honey gave me an iPod for my "Changing of the Front Door" birthday and loaded it with some tunes with the idea that I would have music to listen to while walking.

Only twice during our walking days did we listen to some music ... the first time was on our hottest day and today ...

Madame M. loves to sing and knows many songs but says she can only sing the first lines of the lyrics ... she said for next time she will print out the music sheets with the lyrics.

The songs that motivated us today were ... "Walk of Life" by Dire Straits, "We will Rock You" by Queen and "Every Breath You Take" ...Sting /Police.

We turned the corner on the last stretch of today's Camino and received a warm welcome ...

 "Hello Ladies!"

              

              

               

After our return to Casa Roberto ... some down time to unwind and a soak in the tub we headed to the local bar in San Xulian to download my photos and write some posts...

For those of you (Arie & Shari) wanting to see my new hairstyle ... Please note this is au natural because I have no styling tools with me.

       There was no chance of losing track of time as the village Church bells would alarm you.               

             

Back at Casa Roberto ... which is not only a B & B but also a fine dining restaurant we enjoyed a light seafood meal followed by fresh strawberries and cream.

               

Tomorrow our final steps into Santiago ....

Day Seven on the Camino (Dornelas to Outeiro)

This morning we left the beautiful gardens at Casa Goris ...

Our Señors (in other words our "Honeys") drove us back to yesterday's ending point ... So we started "Day Seven" not knowing the who, what, where and why of today's "Way"!

We have found we had a lack of information due to the absence of a proper detailed map of the route we are taking. 

Instead we are working with an uninformative photocopy of the trail with limited info provided by the Office of Tourism.

Because of this "Molly" (our GPS) the woman of the house, oh I mean the woman of the "Citroën C3"(GPS) ... has trouble finding her way and our "Chase" car sometimes has great difficulty knowing where we are ...

We walked and for the first time on the walk we found some signage and a café in Castro on the"Way" for a quick cool drink of juice for me and Cola Light with ice with for Madame M.

The water of life ....

                

We walked far and near to the new railway bridge...

Señor Honey is astonished at the amount and extent of new road and rail construction; all built to standards rarely seen in North America. 

While we see numerous construction projects (houses and apartments) in an unfinished state it is clear that a considerable portion of Spain's national debt has gone in to infrastructure which will in time aid Spain's economic recovery.

We finally found our way to Ponte Ulla..

As we crossed the old bridge into Ponte Ulla ... we were greeted by a local Señora who we think had just come back from a walk on the Camino ... she had a bag full of pine cones!

After a phone call between Madame M. and Monsieur Guy we were to meet the Señors ... 

a quick drink and some calamares and we were on our way.

Wind beneath my wings ... we were so appreciative of the warm breezes when the wind was blowing...

 

Finally ... Outeiro 

Our day finished with the "Hunt for Casa Roberto" ...

This place was not easy to find ....

Spanish lawn mowers ...

After we found our way to Casa Roberto, checked in and settled in ... 

The Señors spent a little time in the Bodega.

Then we headed down the road to a local bar ... here Madame M. and Monsieur Guy were able to cheer on the Belgian Red Devils as they won the match of soccer.

                       

  

Here the amigos are walking back to the Casa ... soon dinner!

                    

Tomorrow ... day eight