Ferreiros to Ventas de Neron
Trip Start
May 14, 2008
1
9
14
Trip End
May 30, 2008
Melide,
Galicia,
Spain
Saturday, May 24, 2008
We were driven back to Ferreiros, where we ended yesterday, to begin today's walk. It was mostly downhill to Portomarin, and I walked with Brad, Sandi and Nancy. We did a lot of singing, and at one point we were walking with a couple from Oklahoma. The woman began singing "Valerie" and our voices rang through the valley as we loudly sang the chorus "Valereeeee, Valerahhhhhh, Valereeeeeeee, Valerahahahahahahaha, Valereeeeee....." and so on. It was cold but sunny when we started, and we could see our breath. The mud was omnipresent (I've never used that word in a sentence before!), as were the streams of liquid manure. Before long it didn't matter though....our hiking boots slogged through whatever was in front of them, as it took too much effort trying to avoid every messy pile of slop. I caught up with a woman from Holland and walked with her for awhile - she started her walk in France six weeks ago with six of her friends, staying at albergues and hostels along the way. She saved her holidays up so she could have two months off work. What a way to spend them!
At Portomarin we crossed the bridge over the Rio Mino. In the 1960s the Old Towne was flooded to make way for a hydroelectric plant further downriver and the most important buildings, such as the Church, were moved stone by stone (numbered) to the new town centre. We had our passport stamped in the church and rested/had a drink & snack/used the facilities, before continuing. Well marked paths took us through the lush green countryside where we saw a farmer on his tractor spreading liquid manure (P-U!). Lynne and I spent most of the next 11 km walking together, sharing stories about our lives. Again, it alternated between rain, sun and clouds. We arrived at a bar in Gonzar where we caught up with the rest of our group, but as soon as we got there they all left! We thought that we were finished for the day, but we still had another 5.3 km to go! We passed a chicken fertilizer plant which had a very unpleasant odour (to put it mildly), and a lot of today's trail was alongside the highway. We walked in a torrential downpour at one point - the raindrops were so big, they almost hurt!
The last 1 km was hard going in the rain and high winds, and we were exhausted by the time we caught up with everyone in Ventas de Naron. Everyone was waiting on the bus for us, so Lynne and I didn't have time to stretch or get our passports stamped. My legs seized up in complaint and the pain actually brought tears to my eyes! We picked Jim up and drove back to Gonzar where Judy had arranged lunch for us - Galacian soup, salad, ribs, french fries, fish, and beer/wine/coke. I was famished! Two little girls came over to us, one trying to sell an orange and the other a crucifix. They were so cute! We finished our lunch at 5:00, late even by Spaniards' standards, and headed back to our casa. After showering and changing, Pepe drove us into Sarria to the Internet Cafe and, once again, I tried updating my blog - and lost it, again. That's when I decided to wait until I got home before updating it anymore. The internet connections are too unreliable!
Back at the casa, we had dinner at 9:00 but none of us was very hungry. We were served a plate of cured meats, done right here, as well as cheese, salad, peas with homemade chorizo sausage, french fries, roast chicken, and cheesecake for dessert. And more vino tinto. After dinner, Pepe said he had a surprise for us and pulled out a bottle of Pacharon - a liqueur made with anise and peppermint. Earlier, we had all signed cards for Aurora and Marisol (the owner), so after dinner we presented them with the cards and some silk flowers that we all pitched in for (Brad shopped for them while we were at the internet cafe), and Jim gave a little speech and made them honourary Canadians, giving each a Canadian flag pin. They were so touched, and Aurora was moved to tears!
Tomorrow we leave this beautiful place and these wonderful people and we walk, walk, and walk some more. We have walked 55.2 km so far.....
Brad, Nancy & Sandi
