It is a national holiday here and a bank holiday. Many locals are out walking. Everywhere is packed with people
when we arrive for a rest and a coffee.  It is Dia de la Hispanidad, celebrating when Columbus arrived in America.  

We walked 7.5 miles from Melide to Ribadiso. We left
Melode, again through a pedestrian area with a farmwes
market. The scenery was wonderful. Our Pension was wonderful but the restaurant was overwhelmed. We enjoyed being in the chaos of joyful families and pilgrims, but we did not get dinner. They were too crowded to serve us. 

We had our longest distance today…9 miles. It went uphill and downhill and was exhaustingly beautiful .  We left our apartment at sunrise and stopped immediately for coffee and croissants. We walked out of town through a pedestrian area that was mostly closed except for a farmers market, and then along a pretty busy road but quickly encountered our first uphill of the day. We ended the day at a restaurant where a pilgrim from Australia joined our table.  Meeting other pilgrims is the best!

Today was almost a “rest day”.  We had a leisurely breakfast in Lestedo. Then we enjoyed sitting in the library, relaxing and posting photos. We walked only about 4 miles, onto Palas De Rei where we have a 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with a washing machine. We thought it was also a dryer, but no. Hopefully, they will dry overnight. 

We started at daybreak on our 4th day. That does not mean early. Day break was at 8:15 and we only walked to the cafe/bar next door for breakfast. But we were on the trail in time for stars to still be shining. We walked almost 7 miles, to a gorgeous rural pension, Rectoral de Lestedo. The owner was so nice that he offered to drive to the next town and bring back three of our friends for dinner…then take them back. The staffer who checked us in and served our dinner had her two month old daughter sleeping joyfully in a pack on her chest. It seemed to be workplace accommodation at its best. 

One of our new friends is a nurse. Early on the day, she was ahead of us on the trail, having stayed in the next town overnight.  We came upon her along the trail, much to our surprise. She had been helping a French pilgrim who collapsed in pain ahead of her. Another pilgrim, who spoke French and English, also stopped to help. Pir friend speaks English and Spanish. Between them, with the help of random other bypassing pilgrims, they got a taxi for him
and then an ambulance, which in tuened out he needed. Apparently it was a kidney stone pain. 

She walked on with the three of us, trying to calm her adrenalin rush. We came to a little town, Ligonde, where volunteers at an albergue were giving out free coffee and free hugs. They gave her three free hugs 🤗. She needed it. They also said the rest of the Pod was ahead and waiting for her, at a cafe with an ant statue, just beyond where the trail was steep and rocky. 

We were all really glad to get to the super hospitable Rectoral and grateful that made it possible for us to hace dinner together. 

On our third day we walked for 6 miles, from Portomarin to Casa Perdigueira on Castromaior. We have formed a Camino Pod with two women from New York city, one from NC, one from CO, and one from Ohio. We walked with them much of the day, shifting who walked with whom as we went along. We feared more rain but the three of us got it just before it started. They all got wet, walking on to the next town for their overnights. 

Yesterday, coming out of Sarria, we climbed a HUGE hill, even with switchbacks. We survived,  and the rest of the day continued to be adventuresome. 

The  app is being so fussy that we plan to post mostly photos. Later we can go back and add stories. It is being wonderful. 

The above pic was taken as we walked out of our hotel in Sarria. Below is Elaine buying her pilgrim shell, our shadows and us arriving in Sarria from the train, the corridor between our rooms, some photos from the trail, and our quad, afternoon relaxation, and dining  at Casa Morgade. 

We arrived in Madrid on Saturday, Pam at 6:00 am, in the rain. The  airport wasn’t really open so they had to walk down steps onto the tarmac to get off the plane. The hotel didn’t have a room ready for her until 11:00.

​Our hotel is on Puerta del Sol and, guess what, a tent encampment protest was growing in the Plaza.  She didn’t get bored waiting for us. 

Elaine and Peg arrived about 1:30 in the afternoon, after the flight from Atlanta was delayed an hour and a half. They served dinner at 11:30 at night. About 4:00 in the morning, a woman passed out in the aisle. All the lights went on while the attendants  asked for any medical passenger who could help. Apparently the woman got better.

The taxi had to drive far around town to avoid all the roads closed by the protest.  It is a big deal. An 87 year old woman was evicted from the house she rented for decades because she couldn’t afford the latest double digit rent increase. The protesters demanded a new law they called the Maricarmen Decree. The right wing politicians defeated it and the protest was on. 

We walked around the Plaza with hundreds of others, found a cafe for dinner and wine, returned to our hotel, again through a massive crowd including children and older people and many, many young adults. Evening people watching was ideal from the hotel’s outdoor cafe.  It felt good to fall into bed in our separate rooms  about 10:30.

In the morning we saw the young people cleaning up around their encampment. We visited the Plaza Mayor, had salamon toast, jamon iberico toast, and coffee at a sidewalk cafe,  ate famous churros with chocolate, and headed to the train station to start to Sarria. Elaine made a pilgrim friend on the train. 

Our blog builder is quirky. Pardon the abundant technical glitches

Pam started from Fredericksburg by train at 7:00 this morning. Then on to Metro to get to National Airport. Now she is in Boston. 

Elaine and Peg are at the Gainesville airport at 2:00 in the. Afternoon waiting to get to Atlanta, then to meet Pam in Madrid. 

We had dinner in Atlanta during our three hour layover. We were happy not to be rushed like many others on our slightly delayed flight from Gainesville. 

Now we are waiting on the plane to Madrid for something to be fixed. Good. I do not want to leave until they fix it!  The flight was scheduled to leave at 10:00. It is now 10:30. After we are airborne, they will serve is our second dinner. I guess we are having a chance to get used to dinner on the Spanish schedule. 

Fall temperatures have finally arrived both in Florida and in Virginia. They brought Elaine a cold, thankfully a full week before we cross the pond so she will be fully recovered. 
In Virginia, James got some fun pics of Pam and her backpack. 

In Florida, Peg was treated to a beautiful flock of Ibises on her training walk.

​We are getting eager to start the real deal.