Day 10 (15 May) Moguls — 19 Miles

Today’s ups and downs felt like mere moguls in comparison to the elevation changes in the Asturian and Galician mountains. I departed Lugo by 8 AM through the Porta de Santiago next to the cathedral. After I crossed the Rio Minho, I had my last look at Lugo with the two towers of the cathedral in the distance.

I was far more relaxed about this day. The distance was long but no high mountains were noted on the map. The route was almost 75% paved as opposed to some previous days of less that 25%. I made good time on average — about 21 minutes per mile. In the mountains, the average was 27-30 minutes. I missed the rough and raw nature of the mountains. However, this terrain expressed its own beauty.

Another hour passed until I reached my hotel for the night: Casa da Ponte. Indeed, it is right next to a bridge if one uses a broad definition for a bridge. Cows could be seen across the street. Unlike any other hotel in Spain, I was asked my preferred time for dinner; 7 PM, I said. No problem. In the meantime, I sat writing this post while sipping a glass of Albariño.

Dinner at the Casa da Ponte was simple and delicious. I shared my table with Bart from Belgium with whom I walked several times on this Camino. I had the vegetable soup while Bart chose the rice with mushrooms. For the mains, Bart had the chicken and I, the calamari. Given that Bart is Belgium, we asked for mayonesa for our papas fritas. Thumbs up to the kitchen staff.

Breakfast at 8 tomorrow which will be the last day before the CP merges with the French Camino. More changes are in the offing.