Santiago to Puente Maceira

Written on June 27, 2009.....11.3 miles.

Puente Maceira..Hostal, large building on right.

photo courtesy of www.roadscholarswa.com

This morning as we were leaving Santiago there were few yellow arrows. At one point we were deciding which way to go. Soon Manuela walks up to us, a pilgrim we met with Lisa. She checked her book and off we went out of Santiago, up a hill and into a suburb. As we reached the summit we turned around to see the first glimpse of the sun highlighting the spires of the Cathedral. Breathtaking is the the only word that comes to mind.

As we were walking we could hear live music at 7 a.m. We remember seeing alot of young people in Santiago dressed in formals. An all night grad party...I enjoyed hearing the music as I walked. Now that we´re on our way to Finisterre or Fisterra there are many more miles in between bars and villages. I prefer Finisterre...to me it represents end...the end of the world. It is recommended to have your food and water with you.

This is definitely the road less travelled.

Great walking weather, cool and overcast. We walked for one hour to the summit of Trasmonte.

One of the tips that Alex had given us was to not go to Negreira today as is recommeded in most Camino guide books. He suggested that we stop at the wonderful hostal-restaurant in Puente Maceira.

When we came around a corner near Puente Maceira there was one of the most beautiful scenes ever...a river with a semi-circle waterfall like a smaller version of Niagra Falls. Right next to the falls is a hostal with decks overlooking the river. We immediateley asked for a room. We checked in, took care of clothes and showers, took a nap and spent some time exploring this wonderful ancient Roman village. We walked over the beautifully restored medieval bridge over the Rio Tambre. Many of the original mansions have been restored. As we walked along the river we discovered two ancient mill houses built in the water. Again, the use of stone slabs to create these mills is mind boggling. We love our room overlooking the water fall.

We were even able to wash our clothes in a machine....what a dream.

At 7 p.m. we had dinner with three other pilgrims: Matt from S.F., Jim from Ireland and Sybelle from Sweden. All English speaking. We had a wonderful dinner of homemade chicken soup, chicken, salad and potatoes in sauce....and the first time in spain, cheesecake. Vern and I even had time to play cards.

A great first day for our adventure to Finisterre.