Depart Time: 8:05. Temp: 60F RH: 85%
Walked: 6.7 mi. Camino 2024: 240 mi.
While the forecast still called for rain, it was not supposed to be as continuous as yesterday. so we started out without our rain gear.
This section of the Camino from Barbadelo to Morgade is among our most favorites. In a relatively short span of 6 miles it contains a wide range of scenery, colors and terrain. it’s not overly challenging which allows an observant pilgrim to take it all in, if he or she wishes to. We walked through farms, hamlets, neighborhoods, pastures and forests. We walked over a variety surfaces: mud, stone paths, pavement, ivy covered stonewalls along dirt paths and concrete/graveled grades for traction. Jim found himself taking it all in and snapping photos not wanting to miss anything.
The morning was going really smooth. The rain became intermittent and very lightly, not really very bothersome at all.
We got to Morgade at 11:30 and got in line to check in. When it became our turn, our name was not on the reservation list. We said there must be a mistake and Jim pulled up the email we received from the property we received, back in April, confirming our reservation. It was clearly in order with one minor detail, it was for the 25th… of August!! And the receptionist pointed out that today was the 25th of September.
So, we went from getting to check in early to not having a place to stay for the night.
The receptionist began checking for nearby vacancies but with no success. Jim opened the Booking.com app and began looking in parallel. He found only one property available in Portomarin, 6 miles away. He quickly booked it and as soon as he had a confirmation, he asked the receptionist to please call us a taxi to take us there.
After exhausting the list of 6 available taxi drivers in the area, another hotel staff member offered another name and when contacted he said he could pick us up in 10 minutes.
The last detail was our transported packs, which were on the way to the Morgade hotel and we now needed them in the new Portomarin location.
Jim and the receptionist began to search the delivered backpacks and luckily, ours had already been delivered and Jim quickly picked them up and carried them to our pickup point for the taxi.
A few minutes later, we were in the taxi with all our stuff, on the way to Portomarin.
The taxi driver delivered us to the property in Portomarin, let us out and drove on. We went inside to check in, but quickly found out it was the wrong property. So Linda found a seat inside the wrong property reception with our two large packs and our two day packs while Jim took off to find the correct property.
A half hour later and an extra mile of walking for the day, Jim located the correct property, checked in, returned to reunite with Linda and our stuff and we both lugged our stuff to Le Casa de Manuel, an apartment, in Portomarin.
With all the excitement over and things beginning to get back under control, we decided to find a place to eat, leisurely, before taking on the routine chores for our typical Camino afternoon.
Our afternoon and evening went smoothly. Well we did have one more issue. When Linda got into the shower, she had no hot water. Not that the hot water was not hot, there was no water coming out of the hot water spigot… in the shower, in the bathroom sink or the kitchen sink. We contacted the owner after several attempts via Whatsapp and telephone calls and a couple hours later water began to flow out of the hot water spigot and it was actually hot, too. Showers proceeded along with other “chores”.
Because we had a kitchen in the apartment, we sliced the tomatoes we were gifted in Pintin and had carried, carefully without bruising for two days and had a late afternoon snack, Yum!
And so another interesting day on the Camino Frances came to a close.
Jimandi 