Despite the weather warnings, it wasn’t raining when we left Caldas de Reis this morning. It was dark and wet, but not raining. For that, we were thankful and also committed to walking as far as we could before the predicted rain arrived.
As Steve says, dress for the weather, not the forecast.
The forest was dark as a large number of Pilgrims walked out of town. We saw people with plastic bags over their socks, over their shoes and over their heads. And still it wasn’t raining.
And then it started raining. So we forged on.
Until our first coffee of the day.
As we neared the highest point of the day, the wind picked up and the temperature dropped.
But our spirits were high.
As we dropped down, the trail meandered through villages and forest. The rain would come and then go.
Around lunchtime, the rain came with a vengeance and the trail dropped steeply.
It was time for lunch and to get out of the rain. Steve and I spotted Bar San Miguel which boasted a soup special. We messaged Claire and Maureen to meet us there and then waited patiently for some vacant seats.
It was worth the wait. The soup special was delicious and came with wine and a coffee. It was so good, Steve had two bowls.
We donned our wet weather gear and headed back out for the last 6km into town.
The rain was staying away, much less than the 80mm predicted, or so it seemed.
Just a few minutes from our accommodation, it began to pour. The town of Padron was soaked.
After a shower and some washing and maybe a cheeky siesta, we braved Padron. It was windy and still pouring.
We walked around the corner to the Church of Santiago. Soaked, we entered as mass was progressing. There was some lovely singing and then it was all over.
Maureen and I lit a candle for our Camiño family and collected sellos in our credencials.
This church is famous as it apparently has the stone to which St James’s boat was tied when he made it back here some time over a millennium ago.
We had thoughts of collecting a Padron Compostela, but the weather was against us. We thankfully found a little restaurant called A Casa de Martinez. We enjoyed a fabulous tomato salad, Thai rice, fresh bread and olive oil, beef cheeks, local black paella and dessert all washed down with some lovely wine.
Oh, and because it’s Padron, we had to have Padron Peppers. They were piquant, but just the right amount, not pouring.
Tomorrow is our final day. We hope to rise early and get to Santiago to enjoy the day. Oh, and let’s hope it is reasonably dry.
The Long Portuguese Camino 