Day 33 – Portomarin to Palas de Rei (June 28)

Map: Day 33

It was a very wet start to the day. It rained quite a bit in the morning. It rained so much our pants and feet were soaked. Heather’s torso also got a bit wet because she bought a poncho that didn’t hold up so well. The snaps on the sides no longer worked and the small rip she put in the neck (so it wasn’t choking her) turned into a gigantic rip. It wasn’t anything a little duct tape wouldn’t fix.

The first stop after Portomarin was Gonzar but since it was raining hard at that point, everybody and their mother was there. We decided to walk on to the next town, Catromaior, hoping it would be less crowded. As we walked on, we found a small overhang with some benches where we were able to sit for a few minutes and enjoy the smell of marijuana from our fellow pilgrim sharing the space with us. That’s certainly another way to enjoy the Camino!

The rain stopped in the late morning/noon-ish and we finally started to dry out. Along the way, Heather struck up a conversation with pilgrim Shane from Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland. The walk always goes much faster when talking to new people. Along the way, we passed a place giving free hugs so of course we stopped.

We took a break for lunch in Calzada (mmmm….spaghetti with pesto) and this is where we parted ways with Shane. It was only about another hour of walking to get to Palas de Rei.

As I sit here writing at 6:30 pm, there’s some sort of road race happening outside, the Brazil/Chile game is on the TV in the bar and we are contemplating what to do about dinner.

Only 3 more days of walking…woo hoo! It’s hard to believe we’re almost done. It’s quite the accomplishment!

Buen Camino!