My diary of walking c154km of the Camino de Santiago (Portuguese Way). You can find out more about the Camino Portuguese here.
We were promised a breakfast buffet in what became known as ‘the mafia house’ but we didn’t think a) it would exist and b) if it did, not early enough in the morning.
We were wrong! A breakfast of sorts was ready and waiting for us at 0730. The best bit was fresh coffee and some fruit, the cereal was ok, everything else was out of date! Still, it set us up right.
Our third day of walking would see us walk from Redondela to the large university town of Pontevedra.
The morning was a really nice walk through the woods to Arcade, a pretty little town on the river. A mid morning coffee by the river front made for a nice break before crossing the old medieval Pontesampaio bridge.
The walk then became hard work. The temperature was rising and it was a bit of slog through the woods on old roman roads, the humidity didn’t help either. A welcome break at an enterprising snack van in the woods gave us 20mins off our feet and a cold drink ready for the long slog to Pontevedra.
A chance encounter with Alberto who had helped us the previous afternoon was serendipitous, it was nice to make that connection again. We took an alternative route into Pontevedra along the river which was nice and easy underfoot but not having a proper lunch was a mistake and we were exhausted by the time we got to Pontevedra. As was becoming the norm, the first stop was for a cold beer before finding our hotel.
The Hotel City Express Commercio was a real find. Dirt cheap (less than €60 for the room, including breakfast) and located 5mins from the old town centre, literally yards from the Camino. Yes, it was a little dated and tired but it was clean and comfortable. A wash and brush up, and we hit the old town for a couple of beers.
Pontevedra is a lovely town, much of the old town centre dates from the C14 and C15 and it was a really pleasant place to sit and enjoy the sun, the people and the beer.
The hotel offered a really good 3 course meal, including wine, for €14/person so that was the evening meal sorted before early to bed. A tiring day due to the heat and humidity, and the lack of a proper lunch. We vowed we’d eat properly from now on! Another 25km down and jsut over 35k steps.
