Please be aware that I am writing this on my iPhone and any spelling errors are as a result of the the platform being used not necessarily of the operator.
So I wrote up a bunch of stuff on the bus and I somehow lost it! So here I go again. We were up at 7 am to get to the bus early. We went down and breakfast wasn't until 8 am but the owner was kind enough to get us some breakfast. He was squeezing fresh orange juice (zuma de naranje) and he brought us a nice big glass, then he brought us nice warm croissant and cafe con leche. We had our breakfast looking out at the fog.
We asked him to call a taxi but he wasn't having any luck so he drove us down to the village. I asked him how long he had been running the hotel and he said that he had been doing it for 10 years.
We arrived in the village as a bus to Santiago was loading do we joined the line up and got on. We has seats across from each other and when the people behind us got off we moved into their seat. The route was backwards from yesterday through winding roads and up and down steep hills. We weren't sitting in the top half of the bus so it wasn't as much of a core work out.
It was also a bus that stopped at every village along the way either to drop off or pick up. Like yesterday it was really foggy and only once and a while did you see a village as you passed by. Then just before Santiago a whole load of people go off. They may have been heading to the market stalls that were being set up along the main street or it may have been market day or a festival; I couldn't tell.
The ride was cloudy until about 34 km before Santiago (I know that because I saw a road sign) it started to clear up and the sun broke through. It was raining a little as we approached Santiago but that was between the clouds.
We arrived at the bus station and went out to get a taxi and it was spitting just a little as the sun shone. We arrived at the hotel and checked in. We went up to the room and the receptionist brought up our suitcases and walking sticks. We have a much larger bathroom this time and we are on the 3rd floor (4th for north Americans). We are still facing the parliament building but we are in 301. The first thing I did on entering the room was open the windows as widely as possible and the breeze raced in to start cooling thing off.
We got organized and went up to the historic centre. We walked up one side stopping in the various souvenir shops, and taking pictures. We toured the first level of the pilgrim's museum and then we left. I just wanted to be outside in the breeze not inside stuff buildings. Then we walked back down the other side of the street still wandering in and out of souvenir shops. We took a side trip to the post office and later had to double back because Carleana was looking for some specific stuff and we hasn't found it anywhere. But she remembered a souvenir shop we has gone into the first afternoon and that's where we went. Then we got our torta do Santiago.
We stopped at the grocery for water and some sandwich supplies for dinner because we didn't want to over eat. What can I say we have simple tastes! I also wanted to have water for tonight and for the train. My husband will tell you that it's an obsession with me--I have to have water in the hotel rooms, in my bag, whenever I travel and especially at night when I'm traveling . I am sure that I have driven Carleana nuts with my water obsession.
We walked back to the hotel, dropped off our groceries (actually emptied the mini bar and loaded our stuff in). Then we headed to the one restaurant we have been having good luck with. I had a chicken breast with spaghetti arrabbiati (a hot tomato sauce sometimes made with spicy sausage but here with the ever prevalent jamon--ham). For dessert I has ice cream (helato) with a scoop each of nata (cream), dulce de leche (caramel) and fresas (strawberry) and to finish I had a cappuccino.
When we got back to the room, Carleana had a nap and I took apart my suitcase, backpack and purse to organize for the train trip and for Madrid. I hope that this is the last time and that I will only need to put in the stuff I pick up in Madrid. I know that I will be able to use my backpack and orange bag for the plane.
Once I got organized I worked on my blog which is almost done. Then I will work on my journal and today's zentangle. Later I'm going to soak in the tub and have something to eat. I hope to be in bed between 9 and 10 pm so that I can be up for 7 am and we can get to the train station for between 8 and 8:30 am.
It has been a good day and it seems sad that this part of the journey is over. I left Canada 14 days ago having never been away from husband and boys for more that 24 hours and I have survived. I miss them terribly but we having been texting regularly so I I know that they have been reading this and supporting my journey.
The next few days will fly by and soon I will be back home to the real world and real responsibilities. Writing this blog was aided by the playlist I put together for the 18 km day entitled Camino songs.
If you have been reading my blog drop me a line to let me know what you think. Signing off from Santiago and Galicia for the last time, ciao!
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