We awoke to a wonderful view - a low cloud across the water outside our room.
After breakfast we headed out for a relatively short walk to Pontevedra - 12 kms. As we headed through the town of Arcade, we came to the Ponte Sampaio, built in 1795, where Napoleon's troops suffered a he defeat at the hands of the local army in the War of Independence. In the early morning, the water was dead calm and the reflections of the houses around the inlet were clearly outlined.
From here we started to climb away from the village and into some quieter lanes, soon crossing another river - Rio Ulló - using the remains of an old roman bridge. From here we headed up through a lovely woodland area and past eucalyptus trees as we continued the climb to the highest point for the day - Alto da Cainicouva (145m).
Here a local who was selling hand made leather goods was keen to let us know about a detour that would allow us to miss a lot of the asphalt road into Pontevedra. He spoke only Spanish and so with a lot of gesturing we indicated that we understood and headed off.
Today we passed many cyclists - some who were doing the Camino, but many others who looked like locals who were undertaking a Sunday mountain bike ride. At times we come across 'pilgrims' heading in the opposite direction to us and surmise that they are heading to Fatima - another famous pilgrimage destination about 100kms north of Lisbon. They follow the blue way marked arrows, while we follow the yellow ones. On most occasions they head in opposite directions.
The first coffee stop of the day was in a private garden where the owners had set up a small undercover area and were selling coffee and snacks. As we approached, we were overtaken by the large group of Irish walkers and so decided to keep going rather than wait for service. We were rewarded soon after, not with coffee but a stop at a small chapel nestled between houses - Sta. Marta - where we collected a stamp for our 'passport'. It reminded me a little of the Church of the Good Shepherd at Wanaka in New Zealand.
We soon found the detour that our friend had been telling us about and headed along the river towards our destination. The river was clean and clear and we came across a large area covered in chestnut trees, with many fallen chestnuts. We suspected that some of the local walkers we had passed had been collecting these. It was here also that we experienced our first congestion on the track - a narrow path along the river and a large number of pilgrims who reached it at the same time. Eventually we found a picnic area off the path where we stopped for a while and then headed off with only ourselves for company.
After following the river for some time, we reached the main road into Pontevedra and followed the cobblestoned streets to our hotel. Being Sunday, we had difficulty finding a lunch spot - but finally found the Hotel Comercio where the waiter, at first most dismayed that we did not understand Spanish, used google translate to explain the menu to us!
On our wander back through the town we discovered some lovely street art and a great deli - where many of the locals were purchasing 'take-away' meals.
After breakfast we headed out for a relatively short walk to Pontevedra - 12 kms. As we headed through the town of Arcade, we came to the Ponte Sampaio, built in 1795, where Napoleon's troops suffered a he defeat at the hands of the local army in the War of Independence. In the early morning, the water was dead calm and the reflections of the houses around the inlet were clearly outlined.
From here we started to climb away from the village and into some quieter lanes, soon crossing another river - Rio Ulló - using the remains of an old roman bridge. From here we headed up through a lovely woodland area and past eucalyptus trees as we continued the climb to the highest point for the day - Alto da Cainicouva (145m).
Today we passed many cyclists - some who were doing the Camino, but many others who looked like locals who were undertaking a Sunday mountain bike ride. At times we come across 'pilgrims' heading in the opposite direction to us and surmise that they are heading to Fatima - another famous pilgrimage destination about 100kms north of Lisbon. They follow the blue way marked arrows, while we follow the yellow ones. On most occasions they head in opposite directions.
The first coffee stop of the day was in a private garden where the owners had set up a small undercover area and were selling coffee and snacks. As we approached, we were overtaken by the large group of Irish walkers and so decided to keep going rather than wait for service. We were rewarded soon after, not with coffee but a stop at a small chapel nestled between houses - Sta. Marta - where we collected a stamp for our 'passport'. It reminded me a little of the Church of the Good Shepherd at Wanaka in New Zealand.
After following the river for some time, we reached the main road into Pontevedra and followed the cobblestoned streets to our hotel. Being Sunday, we had difficulty finding a lunch spot - but finally found the Hotel Comercio where the waiter, at first most dismayed that we did not understand Spanish, used google translate to explain the menu to us!
On our wander back through the town we discovered some lovely street art and a great deli - where many of the locals were purchasing 'take-away' meals.
A leisurely afternoon followed where I took the opportunity to do some washing, catch up on the blog and generally relax. About 7.00pm we ventured out again and joined the throngs promenading around the many squares in the area. It was great to see so many families out enjoying the public spaces. We were surprised by the standard of dress - the women in well-tailored suits and outfits with high-heeled shoes and men in 3 piece suits. Parents proudly paraded their babies in strollers; groups of men played cards; children played and buskers abounded. This is certainly a life-style to which I could easily become accustomed - though perhaps not the late eating hours!
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