El Camino (Levante) Vilar de Barrio to Xunquiera de Arubia (approx 15.3km) also going a little further than planned as I had finished ahead of where I had originally planned my finish...  Thursday 19th April, 2018

Wow - what a fabulous walk!  The best yet - for "pretty"ness and with interesting signs, places and history.  Big houses, huge plots and extensions - most like for extended families.  There were many big wash areas still in use.

It was a cool start to the day, with storms due later by around 19.00 but perfect walking temperatures for me in the morning.  It got up to around 26C but with some cloud it was a very comfortable walking day.

The flooded way continued for some distance!
No choice but to wade through... it doesn't look
it here, but it is much higher than the ankle part
of even "proper" hiking boots!  

Bisom brooms - love them, made
by the local ladies and used for
sweeping outside their houses.
Reminded me of Flora making them
in RSA!

There were many old paths and mostly the route is downhill or on the flat, a welcome break after the strenuous mountains of the last few days.  There were so many pretty wooded ways between but the open flat and flooded plains for agriculture (including some delightful stagnant ditches!) reminded me of the way through Valencia many, many km ago!  The worst of these flooded and stagnant ditches was just before Bobadilla.  With all the rain it had gone across the path for a couple of hundred metres!  Too dangerous to remove shoes incase of barbed wire, metal or sharp rocks in the path, I had to grit my teeth and just wade through!  Even with proper high ankled walking boots, no one would get through here without getting wet feet.  The flood was too deep to do anything other than wade through and it was way too boggy to go around the outside or there were thick hedges, deep ditches and crops preventing access to a way "around".

Amazing - had been wondering what these were as I passed
many in this area.  Some collapsed and some still in use...
Hórreos (see info below)... storage areas for harvests, many
containing corn cobs.  Basically on "huge" saddle stones!
Used to protect from rats etc.. some even contained chickens

As I strode though the water was icy cold!  Once one accepted that there was no option, that's all there was to it - grin and bear it, then it was a matter of just getting through, not worrying about it and planning to deal with it asap - hopefully at a bar in Bobadilla!  I knew I had spare socks (always carried) extra "drying" non talc type talc.  The worst part was actually the "squelch" once I had waded out the other side and which continued for several km before entering the village!

Think that is "actually" a
picture of me!  

As I entered Bobadilla (delighted to know there would be a pilgrim bar from the sign I had passed... there was another big wash place.  This was situated opposite the bar which Michael had found and was waiting for me with news that there would be hot coffee and "plug" a roll to eat (like the bocadillo) while I changed my socks!  The wash place had been in use just before I arrived - it's amazing these are still part of daily life here.

I don't think I have ever been more pleased to see a Pilgrim
Bar... and it was open.. yay! 

Old ploughs I think - hanging on the
wall of a building 

My plans for my shoes actually worked!  I stuffed them with about a million paper towels while enjoying my coffee and plug, changed into my clean socks - I can not stress how valuable it is to carry lightweight, quick dry, hiking socks!  It's worth carrying extra pairs if you are doing any long distance walking!  Don't skimp on socks and it's well worth carrying the non-talc extra drying talc type stuff!  It works for both damp and hot sweaty feet!  Great for preventing blisters too and keeping the feet comfortable over the day.  Also great against any hot "rash" from sweat that doesn't easily evaporate in the heat - especially in all those personal nooks and crannies including arm pits of course!  Hmmm - the more intimate and less glamorous part of walking El Camino!

Another hórreo

Hórreo with scallop directional
Camino sign

Once changed into my socks, walking shoes dealt with having absorbed most of the excess water on the paper towels, I was fit to go again and actually, in the heat of the day and with that bit of time taken to care for both feet and shoes, they were pretty much dry at the end of the day's walking.  I certainly didn't have any rubbing although the replacement socks were damp.

The wash place outside the Pilgrim Bar

Think this was a well...?

From here on it was simply beautiful.  The ancient paths were a delight - old curb stones and an easy walking pace through trees.  There was yet another old, but abandoned wash place as I left Padroso in the shade of a wood.  It was a "double" washing area and I'm not sure that the panorama I took does it justice reproduced below.  This was one of those ancient places, once somewhere women would gather and chat, exchange stories and news and socialise.  Now, unless one is walking the Camino it will never be seen.  That's one of the things I love about this walk - the many hidden pieces of history that are off the beaten track, totally off the tourist routes and special to those who choose to walk this way.

More accommodation for anyone looking - not listed in the guide book

A little about Hórreos
From Wikipedia...  The oldest document containing a reference to them is apparently from the 13th Century...

An hórreo is a typical granary from the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula (mainly Galicia, where it might be called a Galician granary, Asturias and Northern Portugal), built in wood or stone, raised from the ground by pillars (pegollos in Asturian, esteos in Galician, espigueiros Portuguese, abearriak in Basque) ending in flat staddle stones (vira-ratos in Galician, mueles or tornarratos in Asturian, or zubiluzea in Basque) to prevent access by rodents. Ventilation is allowed by the slits in its walls. Similar buildings (barns) on staddle stones are found in Southern England.

Hórreos are mainly found in the Northwest of Spain (Galicia and Asturias) and Northern Portugal. There are two main types of hórreo, rectangular-shaped, the more extended, usually found in Galicia and coastal areas of Asturias; and square-shaped hórreos from Asturias, León, western Cantabria and eastern Galicia.

Route to the hidden wash area

There are several types of Asturian hórreo, according to the characteristics of the roof (thatched, tiled, slate, pitched or double pitched), the materials used for the pillars or the decoration. The oldest still standing date from the 15th century, and even nowadays they are built ex novo. There are an estimated 18,000 hórreos and panerasin Asturias, some are poorly preserved but there is a growing awareness from owners and authorities to maintain them in good shape.

The longest hórreo in Galicia is located in Carnota, A Coruña and is 35 m long.

Just loved today's walk

Other similar granary structures include Asturian paneras (basically, big hórreos with more than four pillars), cabaceiras (Galician round basketwork hórreo), trojes or trojs in Castile or silos.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hórreo)

Many of the hórreos had crosses on them (I am guessing this was for blessing/protection of the crop inside) and some were highly decorated.

Almost every house seems to have one and apparently there is a growing awareness that they should be protected.  Some have wood slats and others terracotta - I assumed in order to allow the air to circulate so that the crop did not get mildew or rot.  I think this is due to a longer damp season here and to the many floods!  In the UK I discovered when walking Hadrian's Wall that in the north of England, the barns are build with what look like many long slits or elongated pigeon holes in the walls - this too was to air the crop inside in a much wetter northern climate.

Panoram of the double lavadera - wash area... it has actually come out much better than I thought!

The photos capture a little better how delightful the walk was today and surprisingly "free" from peregrinos!  We are definitely getting to the business end of the Camino - often people only walk the last 100km, plus many of the routes converge (as shown on the sign with the fingerpost)... so more and more pilgrims start to come together as they near Santiago.  It's one reason why I would like to finish mine in the autumn - not only as it is one of my favourite times for walking in Spain, but I am hopeful that there may perhaps be a few less pilgrims on route.

Another panorama of today's stunning walk - and a great directional rock, one of the "artist' stones/carvings along the
Galician route.  

Close up of the artists route marker

Caminos coming together

It's quite amazing that we are so close to the final 100km of this camino that started so long ago!



The final descent to Ourense marks quite a significant end to this particular trip and heralds the final stage is just in sight.  I headed down, down, deeper and down for two whole days and the flat lands of the plains of the Rio Miño that runs through Ourense.

The photo of me with the carved St James (one of the artistic markers on the Galician route is similar to the one at A Canda where I started the camino this time.  I later saw another in Xunquiera, with a yellow painted finger on a pointing hand - also pictured below.  That was quite amusing!

There was a perfect end to a hot day in Xunquiera with an ice cold caña.  A bearded peregrino also sat next to us - glad of a beer.  He wished me Buen Camino and looked hard and wiry - like he has walked many caminos and probably has just done the entire Levante (or other route that joins it) in one hit!

I just LOVED this part of the walk today

Ha briefly left his beer, trustingly, to nip to the Spar and came back with provisions.  As I set off he was on a bench having lunch and an old guy leaving his walking stick next to him was in a full spate of an argument with a house jacketed older lady!  The peregrino continued to eat, almost oblivious!  He was obviously in the right moment and frame of mind from his camino!  A little distance from the arguing pair was another person - just standing by observing, I assume for the pure entertainment of it all.  It was quite fascinating and of course very "latin".  I initially thought she was part of it - but after a while she left, wishing the couple "¡allegria!" (enjoy!)  I would love to know what it was about - young flossy and an affair?  Grandchildren in a Romeo and Juliet affair?...

I can't quite believe that there
is a suggestion to find an
albergue in Allariz!  We were
to go there later, but it is a little
way off the camino! 

Knowing a decent amount of Spanish means you get so much more from your walk, however, a heated, passionate argument at top speed takes some understanding!  I did pick out the choices sear words though - haha!

Here he is - St James again, part of the same artist's
route markers for Galicia

bench - taken specially for Jayne

Entering into Xunquiera

St James with his yellow pointy finger! 

We decided we wanted something to eat and headed out toward Allariz although we didn't know that that is where we were going to end up.  Wow - what a find and what super tapas.  Definitely worth the diversion and we parked next to a beautiful convent at the top of the square.  The tapas we found at a heavenly local bar was delicious with a lovely barman who served us crisp white wine, croquettes, bocorones (one of our favourites) and squid - called chiperones in Galicia.

I would thoroughly recommend it - Cafe Bar Cultural Roi Xordo - Praza dos Mesóns s/n, 32660 Allariz, Ourense.

We also found an asador advertised on our search for a bar for lunch, they roast to order and so we put in a request for conejo so that we could have a room picnic.  We had found them (Pita Pita - por encargo) via directions from wonderful warm and friendly locals going us directions.  After ordering we headed off to get salad and a bottle of red to add to our picnic before returning to the asador to pick up our rabbit.  The menu was mouthwatering and I'd love to try all they had to offer - in particular the picantones and cordonice.

Perfect day - perfect walk, perfect tapas, great people, perfect dinner.