Today we walked just shy of 24 km from Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis. We got an early start, and we didn’t seem to encounter nearly as many people as we did yesterday.
The day started overcast which kept the heat down, but that changed by midday when we were dealing with highs around 85 degrees. That’s unseasonably warm, and warmer than we expected. The biggest impact, other than walking in the heat, is that we are carrying around layers of clothing that are going entirely unused! I’ll post later about the overpacking issue though.
This is me wondering if a train to Santiago will be coming by anytime soon!
We are now within 60 km of Santiago, which means that somewhere along the route today we officially passed the 200 km mark! Think for a moment about a place that is about 125 miles from your home…Now imagine walking there!
We took a slight detour today to visit a national park that was just a kilometer or so off the Camino. The waterfall was a peaceful spot to rest and take in the scenery!
Seeing animals along the Camino has been a highlight. We’ve seen horses, cows, sheep, goats, chickens, cats, dogs - and Charlotte saw a snake scurrying away today just before I apparently almost stepped on it!
As we entered Caldas de Reis, we crossed another Roman bridge over the Rio Umia.
And we passed the beautiful Igrexa de San Tomé Becket. Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is famously linked to Caldas de Reis because he allegedly passed through the town in 1167 while undertaking the Camino de Santiago!
The interior is impressive as well. Note the Sacristan ironing the altar cloths - on the altar!
We stopped for a meal before checking into our accommodations for the night, and since yesterday’s tapas were so good, we decided to repeat the experience!
Then we dropped off our packs and headed for the famous lavadoiro termal of Caldas de Reis. "Caldas" comes from Latin and means "hot waters." This pool was actually a public laundry back in the day, but today, it is a place for weary pilgrims to soak their feet in the warm waters!
Did I mention that we upgraded our accommodations for the night? We found a twin room with shared bathroom that wasn’t too much more than two bunks at the albergues, so we decided to go for it. The real treat, however, was the backyard!
They’ve made great use of one of those old Hórreos that I posted about yesterday.
Speaking of animals, this guy got a little too friendly. How do cats always know who would be the least interested in them?
I went back to the church for the Saturday night vigil Mass. It was a beautiful Pentecost celebration, but I still couldn’t understand much! I did make out that there was a blessing for peligrinos (pilgrims) at the end, so I certainly appreciate that as we hit the home stretch into Santiago over the next few days.
On the way back to our lodging, I stopped at a bar and joined a lively crowd that was watching a match between Valencia and Barcelona on TV. I’ve got to get to a European fútbol match someday! Anyway, the food here is pretty good; I couldn’t resist trying this Galician specialty with a couple of glasses of fine Spanish wine!
See you tomorrow!
