Sunday, 24.Oct. Morgade to Portomarín, 6 miles

We’ve had two short walks in a row and we’re both glad tomorrow is longer. BUT today was wonderful. Since we’d broken the stage between Sarria and Portomarin into 2 days, when we started off from Morgade, we were ahead of everyone by 7.5 miles (I had it wrong for distance yesterday). And we ended up being alone the whole time except for 3 bikes who passed us. We walked separately because I was dawdling. Taking photos, emptying rocks, adding/taking off layers, etc. It was cool, clear and rain held off until we were into our hotel. Rick marveled at how wonderful it was. He’s motivated to leave early tomorrow before the majority of people, so will be in the dark for an hour, but that’s ok since there’s two of us. 

Sunrise looking back at our hotel area and ahead to the next little “town”.

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This little church was in the town above and surrounded by the cemetery as other’s have been.

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So much care taken to hold onto these old churches and it’s worth it as far as I’m concerned. 

Then passed the 100k marker. The books had noted that it was vandalized more than any other marker because this is the last point at which you can start and earn a certificate.

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Then a really cool collection of buildings that were probably owned by one family? It was clean and a beautiful blend of old and redone. But they had set up this hut with vending machines: 

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Proudly noting the 100k distance from Santiago. Couldn’t really capture the buildings in the group, but there was this strange container in the midst. We’ve seen a bunch of these and are stumped as to what they’re for. I’ll find someone to ask, just haven’t yet. Our ideas have evolved: chicken coop, hanging up meat, smoker – but don’t see fire below, put the bodies in there to get down to bone and then add to the family collection in the cemetery? That’s my idea – probably off base, but got it from stories from Greece. Rick looked at me like I was crazy. 

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But really, a cross over where you’d hang up meat? And there’s a door at the thin end where Rick is standing. Could just slide a body in – everyone seems thin here…

Great photo of a breed of cow that the sign next to it said they were bringing in to the area because they were ecologically friendly, renewing the ground that’s acidic and has little value, and they have “horns of great proportionate” – my translation app. 

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It was gorgeous walking:

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Then we came into Portomarín for the night – in by 12:00. Wise Pilgrim says this town “has the distinction of being the newest oldest town along the Camino. There’s a document from 993 that calls the town Villa Portumarini, so a bridge must have existed at the time. The river was damned in 1956 and the whole town moved up the hill. They moved the Iglesia de San Juan and a few other buildings and churches stone by stone to make sure they had it exactly right. You can still see some of the numbers on the blocks. It’s amazing. They had just earned the distinction of historic district the decade before so I’m guessing there are feelings that are being glossed over. But it was Franco and doubt there was much ability to protest. 

Here’s the stair case that was there and they moved the tiny chapel of 16c Iglesia de Santa Maria and put it on top of the stairs – the natives believe it will protect them from drowning. Can’t see it from this angle, but you walk under it after the stairs.

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The Iglesia de San Juan is the largest single-nave Romanesque church in Galicia.Built 12c – 13c by the Knights of Saint John. The four corner towers lead to walkways protected by battlements that indicate the dual purpose of the church. I took one inside photo as we were waiting to do for the mass – Sunday here.

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Must have been something to see it rebuilt. 

The stand alone cross above is a Cruceiro. The sign nearby said, “Castelao said that a cruceiro is a ‘forgiveness of heaven’ because Stone Crosses are erected to obtain forgiveness of sins. Considering that in Galicia there are about 12,000 creceiros, our sins must be many.” They also protect traveling and given how hard it was to be a pilgrim in medieval times, protection was probably warranted. 

Iglesia de San Pedro’s facade was all that was rescued of this church from the drowning town and is from 1182. But it’s wonderful and we would have like to be able to see inside.

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And here’s the ancient bridge that was covered over and the extremely high (particularly for me, really practicing my breathing to get across it into town) bridge built to the newly placed village. It’s fall so low water and you could see the bones of the old village and walk across the bridge if you wanted to do so.

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This is the welcome sign – “Star of Desires” Portomarin. I’m guessing it probably means something a little different for the locals, that’s Google’s translation from the Galician. Different spelling, pronouncement, words…

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