Maybe it was the clean laundry or, perhaps, the early bedtime, but we slept soundly last night and were eager to get on the road. After all, there’s a private room with cotton towels waiting just 25km away. (Look, just try wearing all synthetic clothing and sleeping in a different bed every night for two months. It gets a little crazy.)
Speaking of a bit crazy, we saw this Civil Guard sign on the way out of our albergue this morning. Although it is supposed to put the pilgrim at ease by educating him on how to call for assistance while hiking the Camino, once again Spain has really pulled out all the stops on problematic signage. Really – you had to stop the Asian couple?! Sorry, but they a little scared.
On a positive note, we began today’s hike with some beautiful scenery. This river was almost glass-like in its reflection of the trees.
Yes, there was a bit of roadside walking, but it was nicely shaded with few cars. But then, things got a little weird.
We passed by this house before literally walking back to have a closer look. Those are painted bovine statues. Oh, and when Mikey showed interest, a guard-dog snapped to attention and started barking in protection of them. There’s definitely a story here somewhere.
Sadly, no one was there to protect Bimbo. Mikey wanted to include this picture both in hopes of finding the “stolen” dog (hang in there, Bimbo!) and demonstrating how rare it is to see a missing/stolen dog sign in Spain. It just doesn’t happen, so this was a bit of a shocker.
Also shocking is how much the grapevines have grown. Although this is more of a backyard vineyard, Spain’s seemingly national plant is coming along quite well.
We stopped to try a glass of the local varietal and were again gifted a bit of empanada. This one was most likely fish. Well…maybe.
More definite are the Galician stone markers indicating the Camino directions. Although there exist many variations, this new style has become most dominant in the immediate region.
The signs led us closer to Ourense, but as we have noticed during past Caminos, the bigger the city the uglier and longer its entrance and exit. Still some 4km out, we put away the camera after passing this factory.
At last, we reached the city center and found its 12th-century cathedral. It was a wonderfully beautiful day, but we’re headed to the hotel to check in and relax before dinner. Sightseeing will have to wait until tomorrow. For now, it’s cotton time!
Mikey on The Way 