Walked today: 5.8 miles
Walked Camino 2019: 386.0 miles
Since Melide is a major stop on the Camino, lots of pilgrims stayed there last night. We purposely got a later start (7:30) and stopped for breakfast in town, to help the crowd get ahead of us. Surely, our delay helped some, 
but not enough.
Walking out of town, we passed Iglesia de Santa María de Melide, 
a 13th century church and considered a national monument. It was locked but it was still impressive from the outside.
Later in the walk we passed a house with a very small hórreo, that we assumed was ornamental, 
but upon closer inspection had a small door for each of two separate compartments, 
carta (mail) and pan (fresh bread delivery).
Most of today’s walk was through forests 
of predominantly eucalyptus trees that are harvested for wood products, a major contributor to the area economy.
We encountered a group of 16 pilgrim men of different ages all dressed in similar outfits. 
Jim chatted with three different guys as they passed us along the way and discovered they were from Germany, near Kaiserslautern. They all worked for Zimmermann, a roofing company. Herr Zimmermann was also apparently walking with the group. Their outfits were sharp looking and we got a closer look 
as a number of them stopped at the same bar for a break. Each of the guys had a special pocket on their pants leg 
that was holding their carpenter “wooden, folding rule”.
After climbing a couple of steep hills, and one gradual hill at the end, we arrived at 
Cafe/Bar/Albergue Tourista “Santiago”, in Castañeda.
It’s an interesting little place. We stayed here in 2015 and had lunch here in 2017 
and decided to give it one more go in 2019.
On the upper level, it has one 
habitacion con baño privado, one room with either 3 or 4 sets of bunk beds with a shared bathroom. The shared bathroom also has a washer and dryer for use by all guests.
Below us is the cafe/bar/restaurant which in right on the Camino so that every pilgrim on the Camino Frances had to walk by us in easy view 
from our bathroom window or the outside sitting area.
We had dinner in the restaurant below. 
We had a first course of cold cuts and cheese and 
main course of grilled chicken breast and fries. Yum.
Tummies full, we headed back to our room, read and blogged until falling asleep… a little after 8!!
Jimandi 