Santiago isn't our favorite city, but this (our third time) we're much enjoying our stay here. We've been resting up from the strains brought about by our long days of walking, recovering from a sore knee gotten in  a spill (in town, believe it or not!), and connecting with friends from years past in the city, and new friends met on this year's adventure.

Tomorrow we're planning to head out toward Finisterre and Muxia, with the rest of next week rounded out by an unexpected adventure. Our original plans featured a return to Porto and a tour of the Duoro Valley, but the town is booked up for next weekend, and with the help of a kind young woman at our hotel, we've found an alternative destination to discover. Stay tuned; you can be surprised along with us.

With friends last night in Padron

Leaving Padron at 7 AM in the rain

First view of Santiago

Seven hours after setting out. "If you haven't been to Santiago in the rain, you haven 't been to Santiago." So we seem to have made it.

Greeting friends met along the trail as we walked past the Pilgrim Office

Going out for a walk! More photos later. Actually we are not going for a walk, as it turns out. When we got to the front door it started pouring again. Guess we were meant to rest some more.

Rain for 12.5 miles yesterday left us exhausted. Sunshine for 11 today, and we invigorated .... Well, maybe more like... feel pleasantly tired.

The trail gave is several vistas and panoramas today. But it was more a day when little things caught our attention.

We were coming down a steep incline, strategically using our walking poles, our muscles and toes taking note, when around the bend came a woman more than a bit older than us briskly walking up the hill carrying her groceries. She wasn't even breathing hard and greeted us with a "Buen Camino".

Then we had to wait for a bread delivery truck that stalled trying take the sharp turn the woman had just rounded, so we knew it wasn't just is who thought it was steep. The truck was on our side.

Within a block, another little macadam road joined ours from the left. A young farmer on a small tractor waited for us to pass.

Perhaps because it is Saturday, lots of folks were working the fields. I suspect most of these are family farms or kitchen gardens. We saw many little tractors and lots of couples working.

We stopped walking about 1:00, showered, washed and hang out the clothes. We are at a casa rural over looking an inlet of the Atlantic. It is a simple place and feels much nicer than last night's shabby hotel, which actually...I must admit... served us adequately.

In fact, we had one of our best dinners last night. Near the hotel was a small bar that made a great plate of calamari and veggies for us. So, all in all, yesterday wasn't as bad as it seemed.

Today was better!

We spent Wednesday night in a nice guest house recommended by German pilgrims we met a few days ago.

The forecast was for  steady rain all day Thursday. We sat at breakfast with 5 other pilgrims -- 3 from Italy whom we met at Casa Fernanda, 1 from New Zealand, and 1 from Switzerland. It was pouring outside. We were all debating staying put for the day. And then it cleared for a moment and we decided to leave.

Good choice!  We walked 12 miles on scenic, rocky, challenging, beautiful trails. At the end of the day, we left Portugal behind and crossed the river into Spain.

We rewarded ourselves by booking into the Parador in Tui. The pelting rain started soon after we were in our room, but we had a wonderful dry day. We were so tired that we never left the Parador. We even ate on Spanish time--starting at 8:30.

Walking on Friday was hard. We started out on fine shape, looking forward to a day with little rain predicted. Wrong forecast.

We walked beside the River Mino looking across into Portugal. The morning light was gorgeous. But when we entered Tui at the end of the river walk we had to go back a ways to see the center of the city and historical sites. That added to our day's total miles which were about 12.

It rained most of the time after we left Tui. The trail might have been nice in sunshine but was not that great in rain. And we both seemed to have not recovered fully from the previous two hard, although wonderful days.

To top it off, we have a lousy hotel. The only other one on town is full. The albergue has 26 to a room in bunk beds. So lousy will do. It is OLD and uncared for. On the positive side it has good wifi.

Tomorrow promises no rain. We'll see. We plan to go 12 miles.

We left Ponte de Lima about 7:30 trying to get a few hours in before the rain began. Ha! No chance. It starting raining as we crossed the bridge out of town.

There are two types of special days on the Camino. One is the day you step out to welcoming, but not hot, sunshine. Anyone would want to be outside on this kind of day.

The other is like today. Almost every minute was a downpour. We climbed a mountain on mud and a slick rock trails. The views were spectacular. We are so lucky to able to do this!

Our evening at Casa Fernanda was as special as promised by folks who stayed there before us. Dinner was a home cooked feast of vegetables from their garden, fish, beef ribs, chicken, hot bread from the local bakery, lots of green wine and port wine. Then came the singing and dancing! All 14 guests sang in their languages and Janna played guitar. I put videos on Facebook but my blog won't take them.

We slept well, although I wished I'd brought my sleeping bag instead of just my liner Brrrrrrr....

They made us breakfast of yogurt, bread, salami, cheese, bananas, and coffee. The place is a donativo (no set fee) and I hope everyone paid a fair price.

The trail was lovely today and the rain held off for about the first 8 of our 10 miles. We shared country roads with tractors of many varieties. We walked by small farms all day. The soil is rich and loamy. Grape vines line fields of potatoes, beans, cabbages, and other vegetables.

The villages have both very old, mostly restored, houses and modern ones. Although we hear salaries are low and the economy in crisis, it seems solidly middle class. We pass folks walking and driving to work apparently. The demographics do not seem tilted to older population as we saw in Spain. Everyone speaks to us. It is a very friendly place.

We are in Ponte de Lima tonight and have mostly dried out from the rain on the way in and when we were finding a place to stay.

Tomorrow will be a 12-mile day and promises rain all the way. Hmmmmm... maybe we will consider a taxi. But it is supposed to be beautiful countryside and we hate to give it up if the rain would hold off.

A futbol success create much celebration outside our hotel last night. It was joyous noise, but noise none the less :)

The little hotel provided a breakfast of eggs, juice, cheese, ham, coffee, bread, and cereal at 7:30. We wanted to leave earlier to get more walking in before the rain began, but the hotel owner said they don't unlock the security doors until breakfast time. When in Portugal. . .

It was worth waiting. And we got advice from some German pilgrims about a good albergue two days out.

As we left town, the skies were beautiful with clouds to the east and ominous to the west.

Rain began early. It had little chance of spoiling the beauty of today's trail through small farms, more eucalyptus groves, and villages.

There were no cafés for the first 10 miles or so after the city. We were ready when one appeared finally. Shortly beyond it we walked beside a stream, in the bed that surely must flood often. Happily not today.

After about 15 miles of walking we arrived at the famous-to-pilgrims, Casa Fernanda. The casa has 14 beds. Ten in one room and two private rooms. We lucked into a private! This is a "donativo" so tomorrow we pay what we can and think is appropriate. So far they have provided us lunch and said the beer and wine is in the fridge whenever we want some. Later they will cook us dinner and the 14 of us will sing folk songs

Others we have met so far are from Finland, Slovenia, France, Switzerland, and a hotel owner-self described Cuban hippie from Terlingua, TX. This is great!!

Maybe later I'll have a photo of dinner or singing.

Heavy rain all morning, beginning as we walked out of Barcelos. We're now drying out in a snug albergue, and trying not to eat too much of the good food and wine they are offering us. Some photos from our wet walk follow.

Party HQ in Barcelos looks pretty shabby -- maybe just right for the Proletariat.

These frisky young toros may be training for the bull ring

The countryside was beautiful even in the rain .

We photographed this glass lizard as he was heading into a crevice. He has lost part of his tail .