Tender Toes
Our original plan for yesterday was to walk to Redondela, but poor Laura’s feet were still recovering from the blisters. So, we stopped short at Saxamonde, and glad we did. We really enjoyed the Albergue in Saxamonde.
Another thing that was necessary, I needed to put my staff away. Laura involuntarily cringed every time my staff tapped the ground. Her survival instinct kicked in, believing I was going to smash her tender toes.
The best thing I could do was to stow the staff.
Spanish Omlette, Finally
Researching the Camino, we heard tons about the Spanish Omelette, or Tortilla España. Of course, we jumped on one as soon as it was on the menu.
Those Spanish really know how to fry whipped eggs! The outer shell had a bit of crisp edge while the center filling was creamy smooth. We assumed the center had cheese, but its just egg, potato and onion.
Researching the recipe, we found Omar Allibhoy on YouTube. He has a great personality, fun accent, and a passion for Spanish food. His recipe for this tasty dish is fantastic.
Nice walk, unpleasant history
Today’s walk was very pleasant. Great weather, great company, and beautiful scenery. As we walked to Arcade, we could see glimpses of a body of water to our left. This is the Ensenada de San Simón, or San Simon Cove in English.
The cove opens to the Atlantic and is very well protected from the heavy seas, making this whole area a very important sea port. The islands in the cove have been monasteries, a leper colony, site of a massacre by Sir Francis Drake, battleground of the Spanish Civil war, an island prison, and even an entry port for new emigrants into Spain.
All that history, and we just walked by enjoying the scenery.
Awkward Mass
OK, Mass wasn’t too awkward, but we felt weird. We were the only people not wearing masks. No one said anything or even looked at us with angry eyes, so we stayed.
After Mass, the priest called us to the back room, I thought uh-oh, now we are in trouble. But, no, he wished us well on our pilgrimage and stamped our passports (twice, once for tonight another for the next morning).
Hotel Restaurante Isape
The Hotel Restaurante Isape was just a couple of blocks off the Camino path, right next to the church. The room had a balcony, which was put to use to dry our clothes. The seafood restaurant downstairs was solid as well.
The scallop appetizer was solid, and served in a scallop shell was a nice touch.
Laura's Log
-Quick breakfast. Chatted with two American girls from California; one from John’s town there (!), who came to the café to have a break. We were the first Americans they’d come across on their Camino. Bid a final “adios” to our super competent always-smiling innkeeper, and left this sweet albergue.
-Bright sunshine-y day. Climbed 837 feet in altitude. Stopping often on steep ascents to drink some water in a bit of shade and taking it slow on descents. (With my new sandals and a few strategic bandages and padding, all is well re my feet.) “Just” 7.8 miles total distance today or three and a half hours of walking.
-Passed through city streets of Redondela. (Saw poster for communist party!) Gradually melded into country paths and logging roads. Massive trees being felled and trimmed off by a couple of workers with chainsaws and resultant logs being lifted and piled 20 feet high by highly skilled mini-crane driver.
-Saw exterior of Saint James Church in Redondela (locked). Sweet old gentleman spoke with us explaining the church was, in fact, cerrado.
-Country paths and logging roads again. And then, my backpack broke! Took a break in a park across from unique water font (!) we came upon. The park had these ginormous stone/concrete slab tables we have seen throughout Portugal and Galicia and dubbed Aslan tables (from Chronicles of Narnia)! Plenty of room for John to MacGyver (jerry-rig) the broken strap of my backpack. This involved a jackknife and fire. He also filled our water bottles at the fountain which had the symbol of Galicia in stone – a chalice with a host – embedded in it.
-Snack at La Barranca. Fabulous tortilla (silky egg and potato creation).
-Amazing views of valley behind us as we climbed and climbed!
-Shell-laden boards with mementos of loved ones who died, names, etc.
-Lake, mouth of Verdugo River, where it meets the Atlantic, in sight!
-Lunch at “A Filla do Mar” (Daughter of the Sea) Restaurant. Back on city streets once more. Stopped for lunch not far from our hotel. Great and fascinating chat with a young couple from Holland — David (30) and Daya (27). He’s doing a PhD on the morality of debt in their society. She spent half a year in San Diego on a student exchange. We spoke about current events, politics, and the history and legacy of World War II on the Netherlands, especially the Rotterdam Blitz.
-Saw bread in special box (next to mailbox) at a home in the city. Decided fresh daily bread would be a welcome addition in the US. Bought a shell bracelet from lady selling her wares at top of hill.
–Hotel Isape in our destination town of Arcade is super, and our digs are right across from Santiago Iglesia Parroquial (Saint James Parish Church) and the water. Soft glow to the room – butter-colored painted walls, yellow and blue linens and well-burnished 50’s pine furniture. Even a bathtub! French-style sliding door to a balcony looking out on the ancient church and past that on a body of water called a “ria” — like a large lake, actually a drowned river valley, that remains connected to the ocean. Sublime.
-Got a rest while looking forward to 8 pm Mass and “late night” tapas. Restaurants seem to open pretty late for dinner — the Spanish way!
-Mass was adorable. Only other pilgrims were a duo from Colombia. We were the only maskless ones — didn’t even occur to us to have them. First time we’ve seen everyone masked at Mass. (More masks here and there in Spain than in Portugal.) No one gave us the stink eye though. This church had the two front pews ceremoniously marked off for pilgrims with the classic pilgrim staff. We didn’t see this till after Mass though. They take their namesake, St. James, seriously and know how to ‘welcome the pilgrim’! Near the end of Mass, the priest asked if there were any pilgrims present (still speaking in Galician). We made out the word, peregrino. He then blessed us. Afterwards, they asked if we wanted a stamp for our “credencial”. John, the saint, ran across the street to our hotel room to get our credencial books as we don’t normally carry them on our person. Priest, very hip and casual, having celebrated Mass in jeans (under his vestments) and snazzy shoes, stamped our books himself two times in the office behind the sacristy. As he said – “one for today, one for tomorrow.” (Kind man who took keen interest in his visitors from the US.)
-Super dinner at hotel restaurant downstairs. Had “Coquilles Saint Jacques” — scallops (!) — which are emblematic of St. James and the Camino. A first for me. Delish. Also, a huge salad, red wine that we loved, and my dessert was a delectable crème brûlée with coffee espumé (foam) that I could not stop exclaiming over. Met sweet duo from South Africa, Francesca and her mom, who dined across from us. The mom was walking this portion of the Camino with Francesca and had walked the previous portion with another of her daughters. Of note, a curious mafioso-looking character (I say this as a Siciliana myself) was eating at a special table for one in the corner, holding his utensil like a shovel, mostly head down. Definitely a murky VIP of some sort. You never know what you will see. Deo gratias!
