Jimandi

Walked today: 8.2 mi. Camino2023: 260 mi

We walked by our favorite place to stay on the Camino. We found Casa Nova de Rente by accident in 2015 and stayed here every Camino thru 2019, when we stayed 3 consecutive days, using it as a base when rooms were scarce in this area. The 400 year old family home is a classic Galícian farmhouse. The family treated us like family, including inviting us to eat dinner with them in their spacious kitchen.

Our room and auxiliary areas is one of the best we have seen anywhere. It’s well thought out and effectively addresses all the needs of domestic and international pilgrims.

After being into our room nearly 2 hours prior to official checkin time, we got showers and did some hand washing of clothes and hung them out to dry just outside our door on provided drying racks.

We made good use of the early checkin but were also waiting for the crowds to dissipate, we hoped, before attempting to get lunch, etc.

When we had lunch at 2:45 in the albergue dining room, the pilgrim traffic was almost nil.

The rest of the afternoon was devoted to resting, napping and blogging.

At 7:00 p.m. we were not hungry, but were a bit antsy, so we walked another 1.5 miles to the 100km marker, took some photos to avoid the crowds tomorrow…

…and returned to our room and called it a day.

Walked today: 6.7 mi. Camino2023: 251 mi

The walk to Barbadelo is one you just need to do and move on.

We left Pintin at daybreak and after a short walk on a stone street, the dirt path became like a downward winding tunnel lighted solely by Jim’s headlamp. The dirt walls and overhanging trees keep the path dark until we exited onto a more open path that paralleled the secondary road into Sarria.

For about two miles the road rose and fell gradually, while the adjacent path rose more and fell more, suggesting someone had it in for we pilgrims.

Sarria at first glance is a large town with lots of activity, shops and oodles of pilgrim lodgings. It is the last major town on the Camino before reaching the 100 km milestone. (To receive a compostela for walking the Camino, you must complete at least the last 100 km.)

Most of the people who receive a compostela only walk the last 100 km. So they spend the first night in Sarria which is at the 112 km milestone.

The atmosphere of the Camino changes dramatically upon entering Sarria. The so-called pilgrims just beginning their Camino are not as immersed into the nature of the Camino, that can only be established with walking several hundred miles, experiencing the ups and downs of a pilgrimage with like minded pilgrims versus “tourists” seeking a shortcut to a Compostela.

We entered the forest, crossed a small wooden bridge over a stream and began walking up a very grueling incline for the next 0.3 mile. The elevation gain was 176 ft, giving an average slope of 11%.

When we finally reached the top, the path leveled out and we walked another half mile or so to the albergue in Barbadelo.

We ordered a drink while waiting for a taxi to return us to Casa Cines,

Our return trip was a bit bizarre. First, the taxi driver agreed to pick us up in 10 minutes. After 30 minutes, Jim asked the barkeeper who made the call to contact the driver to see when she would arrive. The response was 5 minutes or less. In less than 5 minutes the taxi arrived. Jim confirmed our destination, Pintin and Casa Cines by showing her the address on his phone and the driver said she knew where to take us. As we left Barbadelo we exited the hamlet on a different road than we remembered from the last Camino. Jim asked and the driver, who spoke zero English, gestured that she knew the way and was taking an alternate route.

We were patient for a few minutes until we recognized familiar roads that confirmed we were going away from our destination, not toward it. At this point Jim said stop! and pulled out his phone and a local map app to point out where we needed to go. The driver showed Jim her phone map and that she was going to Pinton. Jim pointed out that we were going to Pintin, not Pinton. The driver turned the car around and began to retrace our erroneous route and simultaneously got on the phone and began talking to an apparent colleague or dispatcher.

From the tone of the conversation and an occasional familiar Spanish word it seemed that the driver was being instructed to let Jim guide her to the correct location which he did. This included an occasional point or a confirming “bueno” or ultimately “aqui”. Along the way, the driver swerved several times out of her lane while checking her phone and almost collided with a inattentive truck while driving thru Sarria. And her engine stalked twice when waiting for a stop light. And she was driving a late model auto.

As we reached the first sign indicating Pintin, she drove on past it, so Jim got ready and when she approached the next opportunity to enter Pintin, Jim shouted “aqui” and then guided her through the several turns in the village to pull up to our hotel. We got out of the car and when Jim asked “cuanto” (how much) and was told 30€ not 50€, the original quote for the fare to Pinton! So the return to Casa Cines ended well, with only a few anxious moments along the way.

At lunch Jim requested some specialties of the house prepared by Núria’s mother and father during our visit in 2022.

We spent the rest of the day resting and trying to get relief from the near 100F heat. After a light supper we settled our two day bill and said our goodbyes to this nice family and their wonderful kindness and hospitality.

Walked today: 2.1 mi. Camino2023: 245 mi

After Fillobal, there were two hamlets, that contained a microcosm of contrasting structures of different time periods separated by several hundred years.

We stopped just outside of Triacastela for breakfast. We then called a taxi to take us to Pintin.

Jim briefly chatted with two gentlemen, Jose and Francisco, from Brazil who had started their Caminos from Leon. It was the second Camino for Jose and the first for Francisco. When they asked Jim’s name he told them it was Diego (James) but not Santiago. They then reintroduced themselves as Jose, not San Jose and Francisco, not San Francisco. We all, then, laughing, wished each other a buen Camino.

Linda has been struggling the last several days with what she thinks is a UTI. So we decided to cut today’s walk down from nearly 9 miles to a little over two in order to get her to the medical clinic in Sarria… just a few miles from Pintin.

Once we arrived in Pintin, we checked in, got some lunch then took a taxi into Sarria and after a short hour wait got Linda tested, confirmed her diagnosis, got a Rx, stopped at a pharmacy to fill the prescription and headed back to our hotel, all in a 2.5 hour time-span.

We were able to do this so efficiently due to the help of Núria, the daughter and member of the family that owns and manages Casa Cines.

On a Sunday afternoon, Núria arranged to get a taxi in less than 15 minutes, who spoke some English, to take us to the clinic, wait for us, then take us to the only open pharmacy in Sarria and wait for us to fill the prescription, then bring us back to Casa Cines.

The Casa Cines family have welcomed us into their home for each of our 5 Casinos. And last year we stayed here 3 consecutive days to provide a base for our taxi/walking hopscotching, when other places to stay were not to be found. We are staying here 2 nights this time for the same reason.

Linda is feeling much better already after getting some antibiotics into her system.

We had dinner in the Casa Cines dining room and retired early to get going early tomorrow morning so we stay ahead of the forecasted 91F high.

Walked today: 3.4 mi Camino2023: 243 mi

The Rubia Gallega committee was waiting to wish us farewell and “buen Camino” as we walked out the door of Casa Lucas.

We made a rest stop and hot chocolate break in the village of Biduedo (pop. 31) to give the clouds a chance to clear out of the valley below.

The walk along the edge of the mountain and the initial descent offered some extraordinarily views as the clouds lifted and the sun began to highlight the fields and and pastures below. Eventually, the constantly changing weather brought in more clouds that rolled down the mountainsides and worked their way into the valley, forming darker storm makers that began with drizzles and eventually rained more heavily on us.

But the timing was just right, because we had seen and photographed all the good “stuff” and were focused on the descent when the crisp, colorful views disappeared.

Aira do Camiño is one of the best eateries on the Camino. We’ve stopped here on every Camino on our way into Triacastela. Rosa, the owner/manager of the restaurant is very efficient and customer oriented and serves delicious Galícian foods of the region. She also has excellent sweets like homemade cheesecake plus vegan and vegetarian options.

We also have been impressed by the cleanliness of the restaurant, restrooms and outside lounging/eating areas. Thinking that Rosa also managed the albergue, was a reason we chose to stay here for Camino2023.

However, today we learned that the albergue next door is under different ownership/management. And our initial impressions of the owner’s response to our simple request about the possibility for an earlier checkin, have created some doubts. We’ll see when we finally get to check in at 1:30!

The albergue was ok, similar to other albergues but relatively expensive at 43€ for a double room with shared bathroom. The climate control was marginal in keeping the dampness under control in the rooms. The beds and mattresses were soft and not as comfortable as many we have encountered on this and previous Caminos.

So in summary, its a typical albergue, nothing special and not a value. If the restaurant next door were not here, the viability of the albergue would diminish significantly.

We had dinner tonight in the restaurant to sample several of Rosa’s offerings and reaffirmed our earlier assessment of the food quality and variety.

We complimented Rosa on all she has accomplished and thanked her for her splendid hospitality and service. We chatted briefly about the excellent reputation she has cultivated among pilgrims, since starting this impressive small business in 2010 and showed her some reviews from pilgrim apps about her great restaurant.

Thanks, Rosa, for a wonderfully positive experience at Aira do camiño, in Fillobal, Spain.

Walked today: 7.3 mi. Camino2023: 239 mi

A taxi picked us up at 7:00 at our albergue in Trabadelo and dropped us off in the village of O’Cebrerio about 25 minutes later at daybreak. This saved us 2 days of walking at our pace and keeps us on schedule to arrive in Santiago 12 days from now.

This next relatively short section of the Camino is, in Jim’s opinion, the steepest of all. Photos can not show how really steep this really is, but here’s our best attempt to give you an idea.

Below is is a series of shots we took on the way up. Start at the bottom left then right, move up to the next row, left then right etc., finishing at top right.

Once we reached to top, exhausted, we stopped at the bar, conveniently located at the top and had an OJ.

We then walked the final 2 miles of the day into the village of Fonfria (pop. 41).

We checked-in at Casa Lucas, collected our transported backpacks and were shown to our room. This is our 4th stay at Casa Lucas.

After a relaxing afternoon, mostly in our room, we had our main meal at 7:00. It was prepared by the owner in the small dining room next to the kitchen.

We had a nice local Galícian wine with the meal and coffee ice cream for dessert.

At dinner tonight in addition to good food we met 4 twenty- something pilgrims from Germany, Belgium, Great Britain and Sweden. At another table we met a nice lady who had started in SjPDP but will be returning home before she can walk to Santiago, because she didn’t have enough vacation time left. She was from St. Martin and lives only a short distance from our rental apartment in Orient Beach! We’re practically neighbors but we met on the Camino!

Walked today: 6.3 mi. Camino2023: 232 mi

Our first choice to stay in Trabadelo was Nova Ruta, a small hotel nearby where we have stayed the past 3 Caminos. However, it was booked when we were doing our planning in March, so Os Arroxos was our second choice.

Nevertheless, we had breakfast at Nova Ruta when we arrived in Trabadelo this morning and were immediately recognized by the owner of Nova Ruta. We explained why we were not staying with her and she understood. Jim asked if they still had pork cheeks on the menu and she confirmed and reserved a table for us for lunch.

We enjoyed our meal, said farewell to our friends and headed back to our albergue/room and chilled for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

P.S.: The water in the pool was very chilly due to the 50F nights, so we decided not to indulge, inspite of it being right outside our room.

P.P.S: As the sun got hotter, Jim was eventually overcome with the temptation to take the plunge.