We couldn’t leave O Refugio de la Jerezana in Cesantes without being featured on their Instagram page and taking family photos of our hosts and family, too. After that bit of morning fun, Dave and I hit the trail toward Pontevedra. Dogs were barking their goodbyes, roosters were crowing, and songbirds were in full concert mode. At 13°C, it was another perfect walking day. Before long we came to a beautiful view of the sun shining on Arcade down below. We were still waiting for the sun to peek over the eastern hill on the right to warm us up.

Not long after our coffee and orange juice break in Arcade, I spotted a pilgrim heading in the opposite direction, walking away from Santiago. She and I both froze! It was one of the pilgrims who stayed at Refugio Guacelmo when Janine and I were hospitaleras. What a surprise! Elmor had already walked to Santiago and was now doing the Camino Portuguese in reverse. She couldn’t believe how busy the Camino Portuguese was, saying it was more crowded than the Camino Frances, which she’d just finished. Unfortunately for her, Padron was fully booked, and she couldn’t find a place to stay.

That got us thinking. Dave and I will be in Padron in a few days and don’t have a reservation there. We had hoped to stay at the Convento de Santo Antonio de Herbón, about three kilometres outside of Padron. Since it’s donativo, they don’t accept reservations. After hearing about Elmor’s troubles, we might need to rethink our plan. The last thing we want is to be wandering around in Padron without a bed for the night!

After the mostly flat terrain of the Coastal route, we’ve discovered that the central route of the Camino Portuguese has a few sneaky hills to keep things interesting! We had one hill yesterday and today we had two more with an elevation gain of 150 metres each.

Now, a little confession—both Dave and I are guilty of multitasking while walking. Dave with his camera, and me dictating notes for the blog. A kind pilgrim today reminded us of the dangers of “walking while distracted,” especially with all the rocks and roots waiting to trip us up. Lesson learned: Look where you’re going!

After a long  lunch break at Santa Marta, we noticed the trail had thinned out. Most of the stragglers like us were seniors, too. We figured the younger crowd had passed us by and were probably already settled in at Pontevedra and out exploring the beautiful, historic city.

We didn’t have as much time to explore as we’d hoped. We would like to have a second look at the famous Church of the Pilgrim Virgin, a beautiful scallop-shaped chapel that’s one of the most iconic sights in Pontevedra. But the good news is, we’re only walking 11 kilometres tomorrow. So, if we leave a little later, we’ll be sure to spend time checking it out before we hit the road!

We love our attic room at Hostel Charino in Pontevedra. We had originally booked two bunks in a small dormitory which look very nice, too; however for just an additional 20 euros we have a lovely private room with bath. The washer and dryer are free to use and breakfast is included.