The Google map may have been right on the distance, just under nine miles, but we were unable to do it in 2 hr 45 min walking. We started out about 8:20 and finally pulled in to the outskirts of Melide just before 1 p.m.
The terrain was about the same as the previous day, the sky clear and the temperature brisk, in the upper 50s and climbing. We wore the long sleeve shirts we had purchased the previous day and were glad to have them.
It was quite a ways to the first "rest stop", maybe 3-4 miles, which meant the pilgrims were bunched up in there. Two Spanish policemen with the Guardia Civil were on horseback, and many of the pilgrims had to pose for pictures with them, despite their instructions to keep moving. We also saw three pilgrims ride up on horseback and I snapped a couple of quick shots of their horses for my buddy James to admire.
There was quite a line for the ladies' bathroom, but luckily no waiting for the men's room. I guess that does go to show that many things are the same the world over!
I spotted one backpack with a box containing the famed "tarte de Santiago" strapped on to the back of it. I had to take a picture, and when the owner of the backpack showed up, I asked about carrying the cake like that. "It's my birthday and we bought a cake to celebrate tonight!" I wondered if it would get there in one piece!
We usually get a soft drink at our first stop of the day, and I hadn't intended to get a pastry. But as I was standing at the bar waiting my turn to order, one of the cooks came out with a tray full of the largest "Napolitanos" I had ever seen. I think I have already mentioned that we called them pain au chocolat when we lived in French speaking countries and given the monstruous size of these, I had to try one for John and Natalie's sake! It was huge, but size didn't necessarily make it taste any better.
Along the 15 kilometers we walked today, we crossed two Roman bridges, one at the county line as we entered A Coruna, and the other at the outskirts of Melide in Furelos. I took a few photos of the crossings, both for us and for some other tourists. Once a photographer, always a photographer!
It is quite something to see a bridge that was built a thousand years ago still holding up to traffic. It reminded us that the things we build today are just not built to last as long as things built a long time ago. Planned obsolescence, I suppose. Take for example this monument we saw hurriedly constructed beside the Camino:
Somebody's shoes did not get them to Santiago!
We passed a number of small churches and chapels and as usual, I photographed all of them. I will just include this picture, as I managed to get a shot of both of us as well as the belltower. Try doing that at home!
We lamented the fact that we hadn't seen any of our friends from earlier in the Camino, nor had we been able to have much in the way of conversations. No sooner had we made that observance than I spoke to a gentleman next to us who it turned out was from Germany. He was from down near the Strasbourg border with France and said he had never learned English, but over about the last hour of our trip, he told me his entire life story, all about his family, and the five times he had walked all or part of the Camino! He was 72, a medical doctor who still practiced some and it was his father who first told him about Santiago. So he and his wife walked part of it in 1974 shortly after they married. They later did part by bicycle. He didn't mention where she was today, just that he was walking alone. Whenever you wanted companionship, it was always near by. And his English got better and better. I very much enjoyed visiting with him and we parted company at Furelos with a handshake and a "buen Camino".
Our innkeeper in Ponterroxan had recommended our lodging for this night at the Sony Restaurant and Pension in Melude. I asked him if they spoke Japanese and he laughed and said no.
It wasn't hard to find, but we were about worn out from walking and as it was almost lunch time, we decided to stop at one of the first places we came to, the Pizzeria Cafeteria Atenas. While the food has been very good, the pilgrim menu becomes a bit boring after a couple of weeks. The typical prato del dia consists of a starter, a main course, dessert and drinks, usually for 10 euros. The novelty of that menu had long since worn off, so we opted for the pizza menu and weren't disappointed with our margarita pizza:
Refreshed, we found enough energy to walk on up to the center of town, take the left fork off the roundabout and walk the couple hundred meters down the hill to the Sony. It was off the beaten path and I wasn't 100 per cent certain it was where we wanted to stay. It was Spanish lunch time, and they were doing a very bustling lunch trade, but except for a couple of servers, there were only men in the place! Didn't look like a place for the ladies!
But we got the innkeeper's attention and soon enough had our bags, which had arrived safely, and headed up to our room. It was nice enough.
After a bit of a rest, we walked up and visited the church and the main plaza in the old part of town and were wandering around the narrow streets when I saw it--a barber shop! The "Steve Ford cut" had lost it's shape some days earlier and I was needing it refreshed. Talking haircut terms in any language is difficult, so I was prepared for whatever he gave me. He got out the trimmers and took the sides off, and I mean off. He left a little up top, but soon went after that too. But the best part was when he dampened my neckline and earlines and pulled out the straight razor and inserted a new blade. Nice! Sharon managed to snap a few pics of the event, and I wonder what Jill will think when she sees it.
But the funniest part was yet to come! As he finished up my haircut and I stood up to pay, I asked him in my best Spanish if he could suggest a restaurant. I told him we were tired of the tourist menu and wanted a good restaurant where the people around here would go to eat.
He paused for a moment to consider my question. Then he replied:
"Sony."
I'm sure he wondered why we laughed, as we had definitely ruled it out as one of the possibilities. Still, we had asked, he had answered, we thought we ought to try it, and we were not disappointed. I will spare you the boring details but Sharon had shrimp and I had the equivalent of an inch-thick New York strip smothered in some kind of rich sauce with mushrooms and peppercorns. Delicious!
We again made our reservations for the next night via the friendly innkeeper, who laughed when he heard our story about the barber's recommendation. Tomorrow we are headed for Arzúa, about the same distance as we travelled today.
As we climbed the stairs up to our room, couldn't help but notice the beautiful sunset, and snapped a picture out our window. Where the photo went, I'll never know, but here is our walking route for tomorrow.
Just two more pages in our guidebook of maps, and at our current rate of travel we should be in Santiago in four day's time. That will be Monday or Tuesday, depending on whether it rains on Saturday as predicted.
Happy 4th of July, everyone, and ¡Buen camino!
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