Ina with family from Mondonedo to Santiago

Too tired to write much. Weather mixed sun and clouds. A lot of walking on roads. Otherwise the usual variety of paths or tracks. Very enjoyable the conversations which happen because we are walking for a long time next to each other in varying combinations.  Stopped in Sobrado which was very much changed from when I had been 12 years ago. Then it looked rather abandoned, especially the church which hat a lot of vegetation growing out of every joint of its facade, whole trees in some places. Now it is completely cleaned. Don’t know about the inside. Not open to visitors unless you take a guided tour which we did not have the time to do. Arrived in A Gandara quite late. Acommodation up-market again in a private albergue which also has private rooms - the poor boys in an albergue type room with no private bathroom, whereas the rest of us are in double rooms with en suite bathrooms. And I have such a double room all to myself!!! So off to sleep. Tomorrow will be a long haul to Pedrouz...

Last night since we were in a service station somewhat beyond the town of Baamonde we had our meal in their restaurant, nothing very special, but quite eatable. But of course quite late for us. The restaurants generally do not open before 8:30 pm which is why nowadays I write my contributions to this blog before dinner - the first days I dropped off to sleep while writing! After a light breakfast we got off at 8:30 h. A longish haul along the route nacional before we turned off on to a path into the woods and across an old bridge which I remembered from 12 years ago. Past the Capilla de Santo Alberte and the ruins of a very old house to where we split into two groups: with Clara, Max, Paulo, Nico and I followed at first the traditional camino which is beginning to get quite crowded, and then a recently established alternative to Parga whereas Andrea with Serge, James, Nicola and Leo went to follow the 'rota del agua' along the river Parga to the town Parga - a slightly longer w...

Up extra early - the only slot available before 10 o’clock was 7:30 ! Since there was another group at the same time I suspect they wanted to get rid of the groups by the time normal mortals showed up in the elegant restaurant. A very good buffet to choose from as you would expect in a parador hotel. And off into a reasonably fresh and slightly foggy morning with the sun coming out soon and heating up. However quite bearable. This was a particularly beautiful stage through forests and meadows with a lot of shade. Mostly tracks or paths, very little road. Again two bar stops and several more. Arrived at 3:30 pm and straight to sleep! 15 minutes only unlike yesterday’s 2 hours - am I picking up the stride? Yes, but we are also learning to allow plenty of pauses for me. So now, having washed my clothes and showered myself (and written this) I will join the others who are playing games somewhere in this establishment - a service station on a route nacional - what a come-down from a parador...

The first walking day finished with the celebration of Clara’s birthday, 22, and in a way mine too, my 80th of two years ago which was the reason for this walk and could not be done then because of Covid. We started with champagne followed by a feast of innumerable goodies and finished with a candle lit torta de Santiago! Today the weather forecast is for more cloud to begin with  - generally humid atmosphere, heating up later in the day with the sun coming out. And that is what it turned out to be. After breakfast at “home” out into the fog. Road to begin with, then paths, lots of hollow ways like in Brittany, the meadows and fields fenced in with slabs of Schist. After 9 km we came to our first bar. By this time the sun had come out. Lots of food, big sandwiches and tortilla ie layers of potatoes. I missed my siesta and just before we came to the second bar at km 15 km I let the others continue to the bar and I found a shady grassy spot to have my sleep. Half an hour and I was al...

Last night I was too late to write, so this covers two days. Yesterday we, Nicola and I, got up lateish and did not do anything. Took the bus to the airport and hung about for hours. Received some nice photos of them all leaving from London. Do not know how to put them in here, so I will try and do that later. We transferred to Mondoñedo by taxi, took over two very good apartments and went on a walkabout to explore - the cathedral had just closed and restaurants were not yet open. The tourist office was still open, so we could get the first stamp in our pilgrims’ passport. We found out which bar would be open for breakfast in the morning and in the meantime it had started to rain. So back to our apartments and rest until restaurant opening time. Luxurious meal with squid, Padron Peppers and other goodies we have not had since the last time we had been on a camino.We ate so much that we did not have dessert! Home and straight into bed. Oh, by the way, or rather not so by the way: I ha...