Being Sunday, our luggage was not picked up until 0900, which means we could sleep in a little. This was the happy beginning of Father’s Day for Rod. Then he got to walk 15 km in the very hot sun with Delana. How good is that? Such a way to celebrate!
There were definitely more people, pilgrims et al, out walking the Camino today. In Spain, Sunday after church it is not uncommon for families to go for walks, and here the Camino goes right past their door. We met up with the Aussie group again. They are all very nice and seem to be having a good time.
Earlier we were joined by the mother and 16 year old daughter of a family group ( the Dad had gone ahead a bit and would wait at the first watering hole). They are from Nashville, Tennessee and had started in St. Jean in May. What a delightful family. We look forward to seeing them again tomorrow.
Other than the heat— in the mid 30sC at times, the biggest problem is the increased number of cyclists on the Camino now. Sometimes they ride the highway, but often they ride the same path that the walking pilgrims take. The cyclists tend to be right behind walking pilgrims before giving warning and sometimes they appear without any warning, thinking pilgrims can hear them coming, which we cannot.
We were hot and tired when we arrived in Melide. In the centre of town right across from our hotel there was a market in progress. Normally, we would wander around as local markets are always interesting and fun. Today we just wanted to settle in our hotel and cool down. We like a bathtub in our bathroom ( for soaking tired feet) but there were none in the hotel. A few minutes after checking in there was a knock on our door and there was a lady with a big smile on her face, saying ” pies” ( Spanish for “feet”) holding a big plastic tub. Very kind people in this country.
Melide is a town of 7500 people with agriculture, meat processing and tourism ( the Camino) being its main industries. The hills surrounding Melide are covered in windmills for energy.
Rod chose a nearby local place for his Father’s Day dinner. We had the simple salad, potato tortilla, squid (Rod) and ham croquettes, followed by churros and coffee. We waddled back to our hotel very slowly.
It is still over a hundred kilometers from the ocean but there are “Pulperias” in every town. These are restaurants that specialize in all things octopus. With so much “pulpo” being consumed, it makes you wonder if there are any left in the sea. Delana does not like the suction cups…so does not partake.:-)