Friday was Day 8. We had originally planned to make it to one more stop then have a triumphant march in Santiago on Sunday, but we left things open. We had done over 35 km a day for the past 2 days, and we had wanted to stop at Ribidaiso di Baixo (or something like that) enroute. We would make it today if we did 39 km. We’d see.
The train left a little after 0800 and coffee at the Labrador. Oliver, Rob, Sal, and I really felt good and were keeping a good pace. Our usual 5 km per hour pace felt solid. This was all well and good until reality set in and we were overtaken. The guy overtaking us was in his 60s, had a cain, was smoking a cigarette, and had a small shopping cart with small wheels. He blew by us like we were stopsigns. The only thing that allowed us to pass him for good was when he stopped around 1000 for beer and schnapps! Maybe we wouldn’t make Ribidaiso today…Yet, we finally got going and came out of the hills. As we approached Santiago, the altitude slowly became less and less. The mountains and bigger hills were behind us, and we only had some smaller ones to conquer. By 1500 we made it to Melide and checked the local albuerge. It seemed crowded, so we decided to push the next 10 km and actually make it to Ribidaiso that night which would allow us to make it to Santiago a day early. It appeared that Sal’s prediction of arriving a day early would be satisfied. In Melide and again just outside the town Sal had a lengthy discussion with Frenchy. We left him behind as we pushed into the late afternoon. Rob and Oliver had gone on ahead as Sal and I had stopped for some nibbles. Rob had started calling us the Nibblers somewhere along the way, and it was because we weren’t afraid of a good coffee, bread store, or supermercado. By this time I had enough of the boccadillos, but Sal was still enjoying them. Besides Diesel, he also went by the name Boccadillo Sal. I heartily recommend the supermercados along the way as you can usually get sliced meats and cheeses along with bread and a variety of fruits and beverages. We never bought too much because that meant carrying them, but they were great pit stops along the way. Every one of them was kind and helpful, too. A couple of times we didn’t have snacks to pick us up during a long stretch, so we tried to make sure we had something. Water seemed more difficult to obtain at fountains along the way once we were in Galicia, so we tried to get something to drink at our various stops. We finally came down the long hill into Ribidaiso as the sun began to set. This would prove to be a very neat stop as the berthing area and restaurant was made of stone. However, the bathroom was open air, and it was COLD. The only way to keep the hot water on was to keep the button pressed, which I had managed with my shoulder. We changed into our evening clothes and got ready for dinner. I recall Rob having a long conversation with Frenchy prior to dinner in the restaurant next door. We celebrated our last night on the Camino in high fashion (thank you Rob!) and hit the sack. Only one day left!
Tags: camino de santiago, hiking, spain
May 13, 2009 at 3:17 am |
I like the detail. Some pictures would help me tag along in your walk. Perhaps, maybe a shot of the supermercados and the eats. It’s so cool that you got the opportunity to do this in your lifetime. What a moment in your life! Can you believe that it is over?