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| Churches are always with us |
This morning was one of those near perfect mornings where a cool temperature of 55 F matched up with partly cloudy skies (not too much sun), and a peaceful walking environment to produce a wonderful morning's walk. Robin and I set off across the world's smallest Roman bridge, and immediately picked up the Camino headed for Melide where we will join the Camino Frances. We were in no particular hurry as we planned on spending the night in Melide. We were walking alone. No other pilgrims in sight. We couldn't help but think how this will change when we join the pilgrim surge on the Camino Frances. But, for now the stillness was a gift. Our first major waypoint was the village of Seixas, where a new albergue has been opened. We walked the usual mix of roads and paths to get there. Once there we headed up to cross over a ridge of nearby windmills. This section was very nice, and reminded us a bit of the Hospitales route with its openness, rocky terrain, and elevated views. Dropping down from the ridge we eventually walked a road to a point where we could see Melide off in the distance (still some 2 hours away). The sun, by this time, had reclaimed most of the sky, and the air temperature had ticked up to 68 F. There was a cool breeze keeping us company as we walked along. This was our day, all the way into Melide. We walked into town at 1:00, and promptly found the pizzeria/cafeteria (where we have eaten before) right where the Camino Frances enters Melide. We are staying at the Hotel Carlos 96, which is down at the bottom of the main street. It is clean, has a restaurant, and a double costs 45 euros (room only). Back at the cafeteria, Robin and I had an outside table that gave us a perfect view of all the pilgrims entering town from the Camino Frances. As we ate our lunch we saw an almost continuous stream of pilgrims walking, limping, or cycling into town. Our world had suddenly changed. Not to worry. We will blend into the traffic flow tomorrow. For now, it is time to clean up and, do what we do best, relax. More tomorrow from Arzua.
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| Look familiar |
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| On our way to the ridge |
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| Melide in the distance |
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| Camino path (senda) |
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Quite possibly too late- but after Melide in 2008 I stayed in a lovely new place- Pousada de Salceda. (Photo at http://kiwinomad06.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/pousada-de-salceda.html ) There was a dormitory part, and also rooms. Had a good evening meal there. It was slightly off the Camino- you had to cross the main highway and walk about 400m down a road to Salceda. Very welcoming. And even in the dormitory- clean white sheets and a huge fluffy white towel. Luxury!
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