Day 14 Venta de Narón to Palas de Rei (12.5 km over 3.5 hours)
We were up at 7am today and it was another chilly morning. Since restarting the Camino in Sarria, which lies in Galicia, we have been experiencing cooler temperatures overall. Galicia is known as one of the coldest regions in Spain with an average daily high of 19 degrees centigrade (66 degrees Fahrenheit). At the beginning of the Camino we were in shorts and T-shirts experiencing upper 80s F temperatures, and today we are using more of our layers to stay warm before we begin walking. We had a breakfast of toast with butter and jelly, hardboiled egg, cafe americano (black coffee) and Asha and I have found a favorite breakfast drink - Colocao - a hot chocolate drink that originated in Spain. Yum! We enjoyed the migration of mist through the hills in the distance as the sun came up during breakfast.
Today's stage started (and ended) with steady incline so we took our time. We enjoyed taking in the beauty of nature, farmland and animals and pets! The region is so beautiful and we feel lucky to stop and experience the small things - flowers, birds, smells, and talk with other pilgrims. We are big fans of the slow travel conducive to Camino life.
About 4 km down the route, we came across the lglesia Santiago in Ligonde, an ancient hamlet that was formerly a significant medieval stop along the Camino. The Iglesia is cared for by volunteers and offers a very peaceful, contemplative rest stop for pilgrims. We stopped to get a stamp, light a candle and say a prayer for family and friends, and met the caretaker who studied in both Chicago and Berkeley about a decade ago. We enjoyed sharing stories from the places we have all lived.
We reached Palas de Rei, our destination for the day, around 3pm, had a pizza lunch and are now settling into our Albergue Zendoira that has small cabinas - we have a quad of cubes all to our selves :) We feel like we have moved from the Camino on to a ship! We'll do showers, maybe catch the pilgrim's mass at 7pm have dinner, do some reading and call it a great day. (We are also on a mission for ice cream : ) Tomorrow we walk 15km to Melide so we'll need our rest!
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