Spain

I have to admit, there were many hours along the way in which I longed for Spain. Galicia always holds a tender spot in my heart. The rich earth, the Celtic appearance, the food, and walking through the many villages and watching life on the rural farms  always warms my heart. I find I have daydreamed about this area many times.

We have walked through many towns these last few days. Each of them so very different from the one before. We stayed in the family run Hotel Azul in Porrino where we given a basket of pretzels and ice cold beer when we arrived. It was such a treat! The family lives in the hotel and each of the sisters took turns taking care of us. 

In Redondela we stayed in a private albergue. Our room was red and had a balcony that overlooked the small cobblestone main street. It looked like downtown New Orleans. 

We ended up staying in a four star hotel in Ponterverda because it was at the right place at the right time. All the locals came to the bar downstairs to watch the soccer match. It was fantastic. We meandered through the old city and sat out in the plaza in the evening and watched the families spending time together. Needless to say, this reminded us of you and we missed you very much. 

The rain began as we entered Caldas de Reis and has been with us ever since. We get in and change to something dry and then find a bar/cafe and enjoy our time with the locals and fellow travellers. From Lisbon to Porto we only saw eight other pilgrims walking. Now we see eight each day.

We are enjoying these days. Even the rain brings us some delight. I have come to enjoy the speed (and location, as in bus stops) in which Tom can change into his rain gear. It is quite a sight to behold. We will be in Santiago shortly. The time and miles are flying by.

This has been a very different journey for us. I can hardly wait until I see you and tell what it has been like. I'll put on a pot of soup and we can sit by the fire. Looking forward to that time. Until then, you are loved... Buen Camino.