Camino: Palas de Rei to Ribidiso

05/06/19
I made a Pilgrim 101 error last night, leaving my boots outside to air out on an evening that turned into torrential rain. There was no chance of drying them for the day so I stuffed them with newspaper (the part of Pilgrim 101 I actually remembered) & sent them ahead to meet up with me in Ribidiso. This left me without my trusty waterproof boots on a decidedly rainy day. A lesson I won't soon forget!

We stopped frequently to warm up & dry off in small cafes along the heavily wooded path. We really can't complain as weather has been exceptional during my Camino.

We were particularly excited to stop in the bustling town of Melide, famous for its highly-recommended Pulpo a la Gallega in restaurant Pulperia Ezequiel. I'm not normally a fan of octopus as I find it can be rubbery. I'm now a fan after Galician pulpo. Prepared with olive oil & dusted with paprika & sea salt, the dish is meaty & perfectly paired with hearty chunks of bread & Ribeiro wine served in big ceramic cups. We were forced to force down two plates & a full bottle of wine.

Heavy rain made our lovely pension in tiny Ribidiso a happy respite. The wet chill set in so I made a wet run to the nearby cafe for hot chocolates & we hunkered down in our lovely room for a cozy evening of laundry & boot drying. Just what the doctor ordered.

27k to Ribidiso (population tbd- two buildings & a cafe)

Camino: Portomarin to Palas de Rei

04/06/19
Since we are blissfully unaware of dates or days of the week, we use the number of remaining pages in our guidebook as a measure of our progress.We have a measly 20 pages left in our Brierly Guide- the "bible" for planning the Camino Frances.
Betty & I traveled separately for much of the day as we experienced frequent drizzles & had to don our rain gear for the first time in weeks. Sun peeked out just enough to require frequent clothing changes. Much of the day was on tree-lined paths passing through small hamlets.  Grain storage horreos are prominent now. A highlight for me was a stop at the tiny romanesque Capela da Magdelena, a former hospital of the Knights Templar. The blind caretaker provides a special sello stamp to visitors. I also passed through Lameiros & its ancient Casa de Carneiro where King Phillip of Spain stayed on his way to mary Mary Tudor.

After laundry in Palas de Rei (notice a pattern here yet?) our stomachs forced out for our earliest dinner yet. We've noticed an oddity in Galician restaurants. FOlks have balance coins in crevices on the stone walls. I wonder if it is a good luck thing? With daylight until after 10pm, we work hard to darken the room so we can hit the hay to catch a good night's sleep.

27k to Palas de Rei (population 3600)