Mornings are a challenge; we have to leave the Albergue by 8am but it only gets light at 8! At night it is the inverse: twilight lingers until 9:30pm and restaurants only open at 8 or 8:30pm. By that time one is ravenous and very tired. Anyway, this morning a beautiful, clear day greeted us. I am normally ready long before Leni so today I decided to walk ahead in order to find coffee. She would catch up. I was the one who normally bought coffee anyway…
The town of Arcade is at the coast and has a cheerful, holiday feeling about it. Leni joined me just as I finished my coffee and we set out together. All too soon we were out of town but today the path took us along country lanes, forest paths and river-side ambles so we did not mind. We just enjoyed the walk, the scenery and the tranquility.
Our destination was Pontevedra. A town steeped in history and site-seeing opportunities. Again we opted to give the municipal albergue a miss and checked in at the Aloxa Hostel.
When we arrived at the hostel my feet were sore and I was hungry; thus in no mood for more walking. Thanks to my blistered little toe I had unconsciously been compensating in my gait and that had now caused more blisters! However, after a shower, some food shopping and a bite to eat, I felt revived and keen to view some of the amazing sites in the medieval city centre. Leni had already gone off, without word, so I went exploring on my own. It was a 1,5km walk from the Hostel.
The pilgrim chapel is situated in the Praza de la Peregrina. and dedicated to Santuario de la Peregrina, patron saint of the province of Pontevedra and the Portuguese Pilgrimage Route to Santiago. It was built in the 18th century and has a floor plan in the shape of a scallop shell. This is where I bought my shell the next day.
I got back by dark and found a place to have supper. Tomorrow’s route passes through the medieval city centre so we will continue to explore then. Time for bed now…
