Day 11 –Pontevedra to Caldas de Rei – April 22, 2024
Today’s miles – 13.8 Total Miles – 156.6
Today was a fun social day. The scenery was not as great, but it is tough to keep up with what we have had for views. The miles go more quickly now with more walkers and familiar faces to talk with. I am still walking with my NZ friend but it is fun having new random conversations with different people. About 5 miles in we stopped for breakfast. It was still quite cold and we wanted to move into the sun. A gentleman from the Netherlands was sitting by himself, so we joined him. About the same time a woman from the UK also joined us. We had passed her earlier. She is about my age and walks with a distinct limp. Turns out she had a tumor on her spine and had surgery a couple years ago. The doctors weren’t sure if she would be able to walk again and here she is, doing her second Camino. She did the Frances in 2019, before her health problems. She commented that the feel of this Camino is different from the Frances. She started in SJPdP and walked the full 500 miles in 2019. She said walking into the small villages along the French Way was like being greeted with a warm hug, from both the locals and the other Pilgrims. She is thoroughly enjoying this route, but really enjoyed the Frances. (I totally agree with her)
After an hour+ of chatting we figured we should move on, as the hotel we are both staying in tonight has a hot spring fed pool. At another quick stop I was talking with a young lady from Germany, I told her I was from Arizona in the US. Another voice asked me where in Arizona. It was a couple who also live in Phoenix. We arrived in town about 1:00PM and decided to go to lunch at a café right on the river. A French Canadian man who is retired and on his second Camino (he started in Lisbon) asked us to join him. A few minutes later an Irish gentleman also joined us. A few beers, a great lunch and it was 5PM, just like that. Both guys were characters. So many people walking have fun stories to share.
Back to the hotel to get our monies worth at the pool. My room was $68 for a ground level room, plenty of space with a full desk and breakfast included in the morning. There is a big pool that was quite comfortable. There is a fountain pouring hot water in. The water has a slight sulfur smell and is borderline hot enough to be very uncomfortable to put your hand under. It is hotter than an American hotel shower. There is a smaller pool that was hot, but not as hot as a hot tub. The temperature was probably 101F.
Walking through vineyards. That is me with the green backpack. 
Only 47 kilometers to Santiago 
A typical drinking fountain along the way. 
First course – ham and melon (I already ate half before taking picture) 
Second course – beef stew 
The crew – NZ, me, Canada and Ireland 
The two pools at the hotel. 
The view out my window.
At 7:30PM I met up with my friend to walk around Calas de Reis, population 9,000, to see if we could find some ice cream. The only shop in town is closed on Monday. Oh well. We headed back to our hotel and ran into a Canadian couple we have seen the past 3 days. They ate dinner while I had an ice cream sandwich. Next thing you know it is 9:30PM and the sun is just setting. Time to get ready for bed so we can do this all over again tomorrow.
Day 12 –Caldas de Rei to Escravitude – April 23, 2024
Today’s miles – 16.3 Total Miles – 172.9
Just to clarify a few things. I (Gary) have been walking the Camino Portuguese Coastal Litoral Route. So far I have walked 173 miles and I have 12 more miles to walk tomorrow to reach Santiago. Our son Cooper and his wife are now traveling around Switzerland. On next Tuesday the 30th, Elizabeth will meet me, Cooper and Chelsea in Madrid. Elizabeth has been home in Phoenix the past couple of weeks. The four of us will then head to Saint Jean Pied de Port, France where on May 1 we will head off together on our 500 mile walk across Spain.
Last summer Cooper and Chelsea expressed an interest in joining us on a Camino. Of course Elizabeth and I said we would love to do a walk together. C and C started the process 10 months ago to be able to leave for 2 months to have this experience. They have worked very hard to be able to make this happen. At our encouragement they were able to leave two weeks early to have a true vacation of their own in Europe. Walking the Camino is more of an experience than a vacation. Elizabeth and I are very excited about having the opportunity to share this experience with them. I hope this brief recap helps.
We certainly have a Camino social group now. Every café has familiar faces. As I have stated previously, with the 3 trails now together, the path has a much more typical Camino feel. The cafes are set up for Pilgrims (a pilgrim is a person walking the Camino). The towns are small enough now where you run into fellow walkers while cruising around.
Today’s walk included a lot of street walking, but in between we had some lovely stretches of a dirt path through the woods. Fairly early in the day we caught our Denmark mom and the three of us ended up staying together the rest of the day. We stopped at a café for a second breakfast and I had my favorite fresh squeezed orange juice along with a wonderful pastry. Not sure what it was, but it sure was good. The terrain was easy and now that we all have our walking legs the miles went by quickly. All 3 of us had a reservation for a place in Padron, but it was only 12:30 when we arrived. We stopped for a break then continued north for 4 more miles to make tomorrow’s walk into Santiago shorter. After the 4 miles we stopped in a little store and the guy behind the counter called us a taxi. It was just over $10 to get a ride back to Padron. Tomorrow morning our cab driver, Enrique, will pick us up in town at 7:30 and bring us back to the church where we stopped today. Initially when I brought up the idea to the Danish mom, she thought I was crazy. As time passed, she decided to join us and, in the end, she thought it was a great idea.
By the time we arrived back in Padron it was almost 4PM, too late to get a meal. We knew we would be all hungry by the time restaurants reopened at 8PM so the 3 of us met at the restaurant where we took our afternoon break. At 9:30 the restaurant was completely full as we headed back the ½ mile to our hotel. The sun was just setting, so no worries about darkness. Just like a normal day at home, not. Outside of Spain I am not sure if I have ever gone out to eat a big meal starting at 8PM.
The weather is turning a bit colder. I wore my jacket for the first time today. The rest of Europe has been wet and chilly while we have had spectacular weather. I looked at the weather at the beginning of the Frances. This morning it was 33 with snow flurries. A bit of a change from this trip. It is actually supposed to rain in Santiago later this week.
What we find in a soul mate is not something to tame, but something wild to run with.
Robert Brault
Gary and Elizabeth's Adventures 