Caldas de Rei to Padrón

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Well we have done it – we made our destination of Padrón for the “night before” we walk into Santiago. We are in Padrón and have approximately 26km to go to reach Santiago.

The troops have done a sterling job and despite some grizzles, groans and creaks we are all here in one piece! Again, today was a lovely walk. We LOVE Galicia and particularly the climate. It is cool and damp in the mornings – wonderful for walking and then the fog burns off and we head into warm afternoons. PERFECT!

The challenge today was simply the crowds – we managed to avoid most of them during the morning because we got out promptly at 8.00am – the kids mercifully were still eating their breakfasts in the various albergues around town. We covered a lot of ground by the time we stopped for our first coffee and missed most of the crowds. We hoofed it off and managed to get into Pontecesures where lunch was ordered. As is the norm in Spain, as we had ordered coffees and cold waters a gratis snack was provided – each of us getting a salami roll – though, Lori and David had ordered bacon and cheese rolls. The looks on faces when they arrived was priceless- please imagine a FULL sized baguette filled with bacon and cheese – enough to feed a family each! Clearly bread is a cultural thing here in Spain and the Croatians in the group are taught to inhale it from a very young age!

The remainder of the walk was very pleasant and after a little searching and the help of google maps (didn’t all the pilgrims have google?) we found our accommodation on the outskirts of Padrón. We are in a beautifully restored country home which comes complete with pool and gardens. We are very pleased that the senora of the home is preparing dinner and we are able to sit around and enjoy the home.

So, again for the second time in as many years, I am writing “penultimate” night before walking into Santiago. Lori and I cannot quite fathom what we have just done. Tomorrow = another 600+ km walking to get to Santiago. This camino wasn’t what we had expected in terms of a comparison to last year – the Camino Frances is truly “the” Camino in our minds- but even this afternoon, thinking back over the past 4 weeks, we are both prepared to admit that there have been moments of true beauty that we won’t ever forget. This afternoon, Melinda and David were talking and admitted that although they have aches and pains, “it’s gone too quickly”.

This walking business is addictive and walking in such beauty as we have in Galicia is a privilege. The company has been sensational – the laughs loud, the grizzles quietly shared, the drinks…well let’s leave that where it is.

So tomorrow – officially we have 25.6 kilometres to walk to Santiago. Again, bitter sweet!