A Typical Pilgrim Day

Monday, May 28 -- Day 4 -- Portomarin to Palas del Rei

Today was day 4 of our Camino.  We hiked from Portomarin (km 90) to Palas de Rei (km 65)  These km markers refer to the distance left to walk to get to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.  They are both a blessing and a curse -- as you hike early in the day it feels like you are making great progress, but the closer you get to that day's destination, they seem to get farther and farther apart.

Today, I thought I'd give you the schedule of the typical camino day and tomorrow I'll talk more about the actual walking/hiking.  Our camino day starts about dawn, 7:00 at this time of year in Galicia, or whenever the hotel restaurant is open.  Depending on personal preference, some pilgrims will have breakfast first while others will start off walking.  Breakfast is usually pretty simple, a cafe and maybe a croissant or toast -- the pretty standard Spanish breakfast -- and it costs a couple euro. This morning I had jamon y queso (ham and cheese) with my toast and it cost 1 euro more.  The big 'ole American breakfast typified by Real Food Cafe or Wolfgang's just isn't evident here.  

So after hiking for a while an hour or two, you stop for something.  If you've already had breakfast, it could be just a cafe con leche, but if not, then maybe a bocadillo (sandwich) with ham, or cheese, or tortilla (not the burrito kind, it 's more like an omelette) with whatever -- all pretty typcial breakfast foods for around here.  One interesting note about the tortilla -- unlike the typical tortilla you find in Madrid that is usually made with potatoes and is more like a quiche and served cold, here the tortilla is really more like our omelettes and is cooked to order and served warm.

Then you hike another couple hours and may stop again.  Maybe just for something to drink.  An if a nice little cold draft beer, a caña, hits the spot for you, they have them in the morning!! :-)  Again, if you are hungry, there are the pretty standard offerings of bocadillos, or tortilla, or soup.  All of them rather light foods.  By the way, these little places go by various names, or a combination thereof -- bar, cafeteria (those are self explanatory), or meson (inn).  And they all have a big expresso machine, and draft beer and a full liquor license and similar menus.  As I said yesterday, even though the Camino goes through a lot of very little towns,  in many of them you can find a little place for food and drink; and, for some, the all important servicios (bathrooms).

Well, if it's a long day or you are a leisurely hiker, or you start late, or if you just feel like it, you can stop  again.  Today was kind of like that.  The group I was with joked that we had a hobbit morning  --  breakfast at 7:15 in the hotel, coffee in a cafe at 9:00, elevensies at another cafe at 11:00 of course, and then a pre-lunch almuerzo (snack) about  1:00.  And that's just the morning meals.

We arrived here at Palas about 2:30 and then we went to our hotel.  The first order of business is a shower and maybe laundry, if necessary.  Depending on the hike and the temperature, a caña (small draft beer for about 1 euro) may come first!!  Our group,  and most pilgrims, then go out for lunch in the town.  Most of the restaurants, bars, cafeterias, mesons have a "menu del dia (menu  of the day)" and some have a lower cost "menu del peregrinos (pigrim's menu)" that is a little less expensive.  The menu del dia is usally about 9 - 10 euro and includes a soup or salad course, a main course, a dessert, bread, and beverage - beer, wine, or water. And the beverages are usually substantial -- a least a 1/2 bottle of wine or 1/2 of a large bottle of mineral water person.

Then comes the best part of the day -- siesta.  I've taken a nap once, but I use this time to write my blog.  I often find a cafe, buy a Coca Cola light and I sit and write for a while. Our group gets together for a while at 7:00 for devotions and a short briefing on the next day.  In a number of the towns there is a pilgrim mass scheduled at 7:00 in the evening.  I love to go out and walk around the towns then because that is the time you also see the locals out for their evening walk -- if you've been to Spain you'll recognize the image of a man and woman, or two women, all dressed up and walking arm in arm.  It's an enchanting image you don't forget. 

After a little while, we may go out for dinner or a drink and some tapas -- usually a lighter meal than the afternoon meal.  That can be as early as 8:30 -- the restaurants know that the pilgrims go to bed early and get up early -- but more likely around 9:30 or 10:00.  Then it's time to get things ready for the next day and go to bed.  All the time, hoping that the neighborhood dogs don't bark all night and that the roosters across the street -- Yes, even in the small towns there are roosters -- give you some peace and quiet overnight.