Day 6: to Arcade

The breakfast room was rather crowded. Space was at a premium in this hotel.

Just as it took walking to reach the hotel from the outskirts of Vigo, leaving Vigo behind also took walking. I was uncertain where the Camino start point is in Vigo, but following the principle that it would be a well-known church, I worked out that it would be the Iglesia Santiago de Vigo. And other web pages confirmed it. This was just a stone's throw from the hotel. I then walked along the waterfront for a couple of km until I spotted a bunch of Swedish pilgrims waiting at a corner. Yes, they said, this is the way, and I saw my first yellow arrow for the day on a wall.

It was yet another half hour of walking along a long urban street with shops, and even a local market before we were in the outskirts. The road then took a steep climb up a hill. Many pilgrims groaned looking at the slope which felt like 1 in 2, but probably was more like 1 in 3. But once we had reached the upper path, it was flat and afforded us grand views of the estuary.

And this continued for many kilometres. It was a smooth forest path also used by cyclists. It was one of the most enjoyable morning walks I have done.

It was a brilliant Sunday morning but I had not kept track of the day of the week. That explained the people out enjoying themselves on Saturday evening.

On this stretch I met an elderly Canadian couple from Toronto. They had done other walks too. It turned out that the husband and I shared the same first name. Such a coincidence.

It was a bit harder for them to adapt to the jet lag because they had come from the west.

Vigo is the starting point for many pilgrims on the Portuguese Camino because of the 100 km rule which is the minimum distance one must walk to obtain the certificate, also called a compostela. Cyclists have to do a minimum of 200 km.

A delightful waterfall that is mentioned in the guide, but wasn't given a name.

An artist noticed the rock resembled a fish head and applied paint suitably.

This would be the Ponte de Rande. I recalled that I had seen this bridge before, from the train, the last time I was in Galicia. The picture I took then would have been from the railway line running on the south bank of the straits.

It seems it's been widened in 2015 since my last visit.

A rather distorted panorama.

From another vantage point, a couple of fluvial islands.

Photo-ops were also opportunities to take a short break for water and snacks.

On the outskirts of Redondela, I wondered if I, a blogger, should order the Blognese Spaghetti. But I didn't stop here, the main town was only a bit further on.

Redondela is where the coastal and inland Caminos join up so from here on, there would be pilgrims from the other branch of the Portuguese Camino. And the path would be more crowded.

The Pazo Vilavella greeted us as we entered Redondela. It is a former convent and now a banquet hall.

One of the viaducts that make this town famous.

Viewed from below.

Pilgrims queueing to get their credencial stamped to validate their walk. I got mine from a local restaurant. All kinds of places, religious and secular, offer the stamp.

And this is the what I had for lunch at the restaurant, a standard milanesa, fried egg, chips and salad.

On the way out of Redondela I spotted this hórreo which is a Galician granary. It's supported by straddle-stones which rodents are unable to climb over.

This wall had many pilgrim scallop shells and mementos tied on it.

And that was my last photo of the day before reaching Arcade (pronounced ar-ca-de) so the walk must have been unmemorable. However I did not overnight in Arcade. Similar to Vila Praia de Ancora, there was no accommodation available in that town. So the agency had arranged for a taxi to take me the 12 km to Pontevedra, and bring me back the next morning to resume the walk. A bit unusual. I jokingly explained to the Swedish pilgrims having refreshment at an Arcade bar that "I'm not cheating! I'm coming back!"

I had passed the midway point of my walk today.