Day 35 - To Pontevedra

To Santiago de Compostela: 65 km
Walked today: 22 km
Total walked: 632 km

Up earlier, today is going to be a hot one so we wanted to start very early and get to Pontevedra before the heat and on time for Mass.

The two Danes, Liz and Yethel, joined us.  We took a taxi together from our beach hotel to el Camino.  By 6 am we were walking in the dark.

It was still dark when we crossed the town of Arcade.  We had some nice views of the ria and the river Vigo

By the time we got to the Ponte Sampaio over the Rio Verdugo there was some light and the sun was trying to peek over the mountain.

Then a very steep climb to el alto de Canocouva.  The pace slows, the backpack gets heavier as the trail gets steeper and the day gets warmer.

Then it got rocky, the last 3 km are always the harder despite that it was flattered

We really did not have anything to eat all morning, we walked about 16 km in 5 hours, and all the coffee shops we saw were closed.

When we arrived to Pontevedra, the first open place was the coffee shop of the train station so we finally had a chance to eat something.

We located our hotel, left our backpacks and went on to the centro to look for a church with Mass. The first Church we found was the Peregrina, the church of Nuestra Señora del Refugio, La Divina Peregrina.

There we were told there was a noon Mass at the church of St. Francis across the street. So we got our Mass in a beautiful Church.

When we came out of mass we saw that Pontevedra's procession of Corpus Christi was in progress.  It was a large parade with floats of saints and bands in typical dress from Galicia playing pipes and drums. At the end a large float with the Holy Sacrament, the body of Christ, Corpus Christi.  We were lucky to be there.

We rested all afternoon and we met for dinner with our new friends from Germany, Russia, Holland, Ireland, and more.  Arroz con gambas y verduras, suspiciously looking like paella and pulpo a La gallega, Galician octupus.

Now in bed nursing my new blister as well as the old ones. As my friend Jasmin says, we are walking on water beds.

Our Lady Peregrina pray for us.  Hail Mary full of grace.