A day that would have been perfect if it wasn’t for the weather or the distance! Most of the day was walking through forests or scrubby trees – the forests along the riverside and the scrubby forest away from the river. Much of the upper areas have suffered from fires, which probably accounts for the current state. It’s clearly a haven for deer, as we saw several and there were many prints on the path, as well as areas where wild boar have been digging (fortunately we didn’t see any of these beasties!)
It was a long day, especially as there were no food options for the entire day. The guide said there would be, but it was wrong, so we got by on a bag of nuts and raisins, and grapes and numerous apples from unloved and unharvested trees and wild vines beside the path. Yesterday we added two types of plums to the snacking bingo card! The last hamlet of the day promised a bar using very weathered signs – meaning we were very sceptical – but there was a bar of sorts at an albergue run by former South African Christian missionaries. It was only instant coffee on offer, but we were glad of the half hour break in a real chair (as opposed to a roadside rock) and some interesting conversation with a native English speaker.
The highlight of the day was lunch upon arrival in Rionegro. The ‘Me gusta comida’ restaurant is famous on the camino for not only its generous pilgrim discount, but also the quality of its menu del dia. It was a four course sumptuous feast, with water, wine, coffee and a choice of ‘digestives’ (eye watering mystery grappa-like shooters) for the bargain basement price of €15 (about CAD23). We waddled out at about 4pm and promptly indulged in a siesta😄.
2saunter 