Arcadia RIBA to Pontevedra to Calda de Reis, Spain

 Dear Readers, it is with great sadness that I report yet another day in paradise IF YOU WERE A FISH!  I am writing this blog on Saturday because yesterday we walked for what seemed like hours in mud.  In a final attempt at conquering the mud I became overly confident and slid into a very small mud hole but with enough mud in it to cover just about everything I was wearing and holding.  My friends came to the rescue but it is very difficult to stand up normally and trying to stand in mud is even worse.  I did not want to get onto my knees and then stand up (because I didn’t want to get dirtier!) but finally I was successful.  Now, on Saturday morning we were awoken with sound of sunshine pouring down from the heavens!  NO, we are listening to the sounds of a rain storm and viewing a large excavation site that has become a LARGE MUD HOLE.

Undaunted we had our breakfast at the hotel and started walking along with many other pilgrims.  Honestly, I don’t think any of these folks are “pilgrims”, but are just crazy people like us who want to make a statement (about what, I don’t know).

Friday was not a bad day, if you don’t count walking in the rain and falling into mud holes.  WE had some good times and some bad times.  It is now Saturday night as I write this blog and honestly I don’t even remember Friday except for the mud holes.   We have walked 16.4 miles from Pontevedra to Calda de Reis.  My legs hurts and I am tired, but today we did see blue sky intermittently and I had my best distance ever.

We also saw lots of vineyards, really neat Camino dogs who come to the walls for petting and lots of pilgrims.  Suzanne could not make the entire walk because of terrible blisters on the bottom of her feet, but I decided to soldier on with the two younger folks in our group.  And believe it or not I was the point person along the way.

                                                                                                      The interesting part was that although it rained off and on, whenever we stopped for coffee or a bathroom break, we would wait out the storm and the sun would shine.  The bad part was that we had to put on and take off layers of clothing all day.  The other bad thing is that consistently the route is longer than what is published.  We were ready for 14 miles but we walked 16.4.  

Pontevedra at 9:00 in the morning.

 The other bad thing is that once you stop at a hotel ALL of your clothes are WET.  Luckily this one has a washer and dryer.

 I’d like to be more entertaining tonight but I am tired and I need to treat the one new blister I think I am starting to form.  We are in a nice little 1 star hotel for pilgrims and had a great little “pilgrim” supper including one glass of wine for 12.50 Euros.  I cannot imagine what Europeans think when they visit the US and get $14.00 glasses of wine.

As of today, I’ve spent 10 days in Europe without 1 minute of TV, Netflix or audio books.  I’m still looking at the news and wondering which little village I can emigrate to after the elections.

Bom Camino