14 - 20°C — Mostly overcast with periods of sun
By Jim
When we finished our breakfast of coffee and yogurt, we still had enough milk remaining to make Frank and Yuric some Nescafé con leche. So we left them a treat and took our leave from Albergue Casa Tomás. The collegiate church of Santa Maria la Real was illuminated and stood in stark contrast to the inky sky. A yellow Camino arrow shone brightly from the bell tower, pointing our way to Ourense.
The day’s path was almost exclusively asphalt, secondary and major highways. Eventually the charm of the forested hills and valleys wore off like the rubber tips of our hiking poles and we began to complain. The entrance to Ourense through an industrial wasteland (hellscape?) did not ameliorate these sentiments. Finally, the Camino left the OU105 to follow back lanes and paths that led us through the charming village of Seixalbo. From there we diverted from the official Camino to opt for a shaded path that followed the Rio Barbaña for 2 km right into the city centre.
We planned to spend two nights in Ourense to rest up for the final 100 km into Santiago. Since our apartment was not ready when we arrived, cold drinks and lunch in a Galician restaurant filled both our time and energy reserves. It is nice to be back in the land of Padron peppers!
It was a short stroll to our apartment, where after showers we settled into siesta with the reassuring rattle and hum of the washing machine cleaning away the grime of today’s walk.
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The illuminated arrow on the church bell tower pointed the way to Ourense |
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We watched the sunrise from a perfectly placed café bar |
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Spanish moss, oddly enough, is neither Spanish nor moss! |
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Imagine walking into Saskatoon from Warman and following Idylwyld Drive until you reach the river |
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| Now imagine the Meewasin Trail |
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Yum yum yum for the Pedron peppers! Your pictures still make the walk look inviting. Rest up for the final push.
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