Camino de Santiago, dia 11

 October 3rd up at 7:30, breakfast at the hotel, met the group at 9.  We walked through Pontevedra along with many pilgrims from many countries. 

Several hills up and over train tracks and highways, through forests, with a long long stretch between cafés!  Finally stopped at Café Don Pulpo.  It was a long walk on a surprisingly sunny day to Caldas de Reis; the hike moves inland, though occasionally along woodland trails and streams.  We are meeting several other groups of pilgrims along the way several times, as we all stop at different resting points:  Polish, Canadian, American, German, Swedish, and mostly Spanish pilgrims were obvious. 

Caldas=hot-spring.  Why had I not booked at a spa? But Albergue Agarimo was a pleasant surprise: an albergue where I had a single room, others were in multi-bed rooms with a shared kitchen. The staff was terribly pleasant and helpful.  I took advantage of the (pay) washers and dryers to give my clothes an official cleaning – previously I had rinsed out some things that would quick-dry.  And I got a chance to try the European version of a clothes dryer, which heats up the clothes and distills out the steam (no vent).  It worked fine for my drip-dry synthetics, but cotton socks were damp.  

Also at Caldas de Reis the group experienced its most unpleasant interaction.  During last year's pilgrimage we chanced upon this Restaurante Bermaña with its jovial proprietor/waiter and his tolerant wife/cook; so we attended there again, hoping for another fun and delicious evening.  However, amid the chaotic opening scene, with dozens of other (pilgrim) customers at table waiting to order, we five also sat at a table (we had placed an extra chair at one end of the table).  The proprietor walked by and said "Cuatro!” and some other words.  Given his quirkiness, we thought he was joking.  However, he then returned and repeated “Cuatro!” and said he would only serve 4 at that table.  He meant it.  Everyone in the room looked puzzled.  We, as a group, quickly decided to simply leave.  We left.  We walked across the plaza to the Restaurant O Encontro and had a wonderful quiet meal of grilled fish.

I collected some of our photos in a google-photo-album 2025CaminoDeSantiago.  For reference sake, here's a link to the previous year's 2024Camino album.  We took the same basic route both times.