Friday, September 26, 2014 – Don Negreira to Olveiroa

This would be a very long day. The route for this stage was supposed to be 33.4 km, but Don (as you will see) added a 2-hour detour. So he walked for nearly 11 hours.


Negreira to Olveiroa Map (caminodesantiago.consumer.es).

The route from Negreira to Olveiroa passes through a mix of forests and farms. There is almost nowhere to buy supplies, so pilgrims must stock up on lunch and dinner provisions before leaving Negreira.

Don ate breakfast at Albergue El Carmentostada with butter and peach marmalade; orange juice natural (price?). He began walking in a heavy fog.


‏‎8:21 AM – Negreira: arcade and Pazo do Cotón fortress gate from E in fog (see spots on lens).



‏‎8:22 AM – Negreira: Pazo do Cotón fortress gate from E in fog.



‏‎8:24 AM – Negreira: just outside the gate – E side of modern statue of emigrante/segadora (itinerant harvester) with a boy pulling at his father’s trousers through a window.



‏‎8:24 AM – Negreira: just outside the gate – side view of modern statue of emigrante/segadora (itinerant harvester) with a boy pulling at his father’s trousers through a window and mother and another child seated indoors.



‏‎8:25 AM – Negreira: just outside the gate – W side of modern statue of emigrante/segadora (itinerant harvester) with a boy leaning out window to pull at his father’s trousers and mother and another child seated indoors.



‏‎8:26 AM – Negreira: view back E to gate in heavy fog.



‏‎8:28 AM – Negreira: “67,615 KM” Camino marker stone just outside gate.

At the far end of town, Don came to the 18th-century Igrexa de San Xulian (aka San Xián).


‏‎8:31 AM – Negreira: sign for “Negreira Iglesia” with Concello de Negreira coat of arms.



‏‎8:32 AM – Negreira: another sign for “Negreira Iglesia” and “A Muxía 65,375 KM” Camino marker stone (first one with Muxía).



‏‎8:32 AM – Negreira: “A Muxía 65,578 KM” Camino marker stone (first one with Muxía) (close up).



‏‎8:34 AM – Negreira: cruceiro and hórreo near church.



‏‎8:34 AM – Negreira: front side of cruceiro with crucifixion.



‏‎8:34 AM – Negreira: back side of same cruceiro with Mary (and cemetery in fog).



‏‎8:35 AM – Negreira: church and cemetery in fog.



‏‎8:36 AM – Negreira: Igrexa de San Xulian – side.



‏‎8:36 AM – Negreira: Igrexa de San Xulian – façade and bell tower.



‏‎8:37 AM – Negreira: Igrexa do San Xulian – sign for “Par[o]quial de San [X]ulian de Negreira” over church door; statue in niche (probably San Xulian).



‏‎8:39 AM – Negreira: fork in road when leaving town (can you see the arrows?).



‏‎8:39 AM – Negreira: fork in road when leaving town; two yellow arrows on utility pole at left, pointing right and a faint yellow arrow on the stone post to the right indicating straight ahead from there (see red circles).

The beginning of the route after Negreira follows an old trail with fantastic views across multiple valleys.


‏‎8:42 AM – After Negreira: red roses in fog.

At 9 am, Don came to the next town, Zas (aka Xas) (pop?).


‏‎9:00 AM – Zas: city limit sign.

At 9:11, Don had to make an emergency stop in the woods. Up until then, he had passed all other walking pilgrims (all 3 of them), but when he came out of the woods, no one was in sight—ahead or behind.


‏‎9:13 AM – Zas: town still in distance.



‏‎9:14 AM –Zas: beware of dog sign (right after Don took this photo, the dog suddenly appeared just on the other side of the iron bars of the gate, barking very loudly and angrily (this shocked the dickens out of Don and would have shocked something else out except for the recent stop in the woods).



‏‎9:18 AM - Zas: many arrows: the yellow ones on the trash bin and pointed the right direction (the black arrow in yellow background should be ignored, as should the blue arrow on the other side of the utility pole).



‏‎9:18 AM –Zas: “65,064 KM” marker post.



‏‎9:19 AM –Zas: overgrown hórreo.



‏‎9:20 AM –Zas: village church – façade and (blank) right side.



‏‎9:21 AM –Zas: village church – façade and left side (one small window); hórreo at right.



‏‎9:24 AM – After Zas: pink roses and spider web (barely visible).



‏‎9:24 AM – After Zas: pink roses and spider web (a little more visible).



‏‎9:24 AM – After Zas: pink roses (close up).



‏‎9:26 AM – After Zas: fork in road with no arrow.

THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF A 2-HOUR ADVENTURE.

Don may have missed a turn in the fog. There were no other pilgrims is sight and no yellow arrows. So, Don looked in the “Introduction” in the CSJ notes, and it said: “Passing the tiny church (R[ight]), KSO R [keep straight on (right)] at fork. KSO(L[eft]) at next fork,” a bit later, it said: “Pass  to L[eft] of house #21 then take LH [lefthand] of two grassy walled lanes at fork.” These were the only two mentions of fork, and both times it said to go left. These two paths were not “walled” but were grassy (on the sides); so Don took the left-hand one. The path became walled a bit later. He walked a long way with no arrows, markers, or signs (except one about “Caballeros de Negreira” with a picture of a horse and an arrow in the reverse direction).


9:33 AM – After Zas [approaching Lameiro]: spider webs in fog.

Finally, after 17 minutes, the dirt path came to an end, where a paved road led across a small bridge to the right (east) and toward a village. Don got suspicious, when there was no arrow or marker around this bridge, as there would normally be.


‏‎9:43 AM – After Zas [approaching Lameiro]: approaching bridge.



‏‎9:43 AM – After Zas [approaching Lameiro]: wooden hórreo.



‏‎9:43 AM – After Zas [approaching Lameiro]: looking across bridge (no arrows).

Shortly after the bridge, Don came into the unidentified village (no city limit sign or other markings). He heard a noise behind a stone wall and found an older man and woman chopping and stacking wood in a farm courtyard. Don asked the man (in Spanish) the name of the town [probably O Lameiro (pop 42)], but never got an answer. Don showed the man his strip map of the camino route, and the man said he had just crossed the bridge over Río Barcala; he said to turn left (probably north) and take that road to a farmácia (pharmacy) and tanatorio (funeral home), then turn left and follow the caratera (highway) to Camino Real (which Don’s map showed on the camino route).

Up that road, Don soon came to the town of Cores (pop 18), Parroquia de Barcala, Concello da Baña at 9:55.


‏‎9:55 AM – Cores: city limit sign for “Cores.”

At 9:59, he reached the highway (AC-546), turned left and then saw a sign pointing (back south) to Lameiro. (This was when he figured out the name of the last village.)


‏‎9:59 AM – Cores: approaching highway.



‏‎10:00 AM – Cores: sign pointing (back) to Lameiro.

Signs at the intersection with the highway said nothing about Camino Real, but the back of a yield sign had a yellow arrow pointing to turn right. (Unfortunately, this yellow arrow had nothing to do with the Camino.)


‏‎10:02 AM – Cores/Seoane: signs on highway, with yellow arrow on back of yield sign (still foggy).



‏‎10:03 AM – Cores/Seoane: yield sign with yellow arrow on back pointing to turn right.

The first sign on the road off the highway to the right read “Seoane – Parroquia de Barcala, Concello da Baña.” (Barcala means boat.) [Don never did find Seoane on any map, including Google map detail that showed Lameiro and Cores. What it did show, just NW of where road from Lameiro meets AC-546 and on the N side of the highway, is a place it identifies as “Barcala (San Xoán)” [which could be related to the name of the church Don saw]), population 303.]


‏‎10:12 AM – Seoane: city limit sign for “Seoane – Parroquia de Barcala, Concello da Baña.”

In what seemed to be Seoane (pop ?), Don found a church “Parroquial de San Juan (Xoán) de Barcala.”

‏‎10:12 AM – Seoane (Barcala): cruceiro and church.

http://patrimoniogalego.net shows a photo of this church located in Concello: A Baña/A Barcala (comarca), Parroquia: Barcala (San Xoán, Lugar: Seoane; 16th-18th century: Baroque church with granite masonry, gable roof (except apse) and façade devoid of ornamentation. In the niche is an image of San Xoán (St. John). Bell tower with 3 bodies.
https://gl.wikipedia.org  lists Seoane as “un lugar da parroquia de Barcala” [a place in the parish of Barcala] (pop 70). The cruceiro has a capital with scrolls on the corners and heads of angels in the center of the faces. At the top is an image of Christ (crucified) and the Virgin with hands in praying. The base of the cruceiro is surrounded by a chain supported by four metal bollards. [The description of the cruceiro matches what Don saw in front of the church.]
According to www.conceollodabana.es, Seoane (or Seone) is a derivation of San Xoán, and San Xoán de Barcala (St. John of the Boat) has been a parish since ancient times.



‏‎10:22 AM – Seoane (Barcala): church façade with sign over door: “Parroquial de San Juan de Barcala”; the statue in niche over door is probably St. John.

Seeing no further signs indicating the Camino, Don went back to the highway, where he finally saw the pharmacy and funeral home signs.

At the pharmacy, the young lady pharmacist spoke no English, but she tried to explain in Spanish how to get back to the Camino route at Rapote. Finally, she drew a “map,” but it turned out that her lines between towns had nothing to do with direction, but only indicated going up. She told him to take the road to the left just after the pharmacy and to stay on the “main road” and to always keep going up (subir). From her “map,” Don understood that he was supposed to turn left after San Martiño and then turn right at the Stop[sign] before Rapote.


Pharmacist's Map (Scanned).



‏‎10:22 AM – After Cores: At bridge (probably over Río de Barcala) with sign for leaving Concello de A Baña – “Boa Viaxe” is Galego for buen viaje (good journey).

In a short time, Don reached Trasbarcala (pop ?), the name probably meaning “on the other side of the Barcala” river, which was the first town shown on the pharmacist’s map.


‏‎10:28 AM – Trasbarcala – signs (on both sides of road to right) for entering town; the hórreo-shaped bus stop says “Concello de Negreira.”



‏‎10:30 AM – Trasbarcala: city limit sign (in fog).

After Trasbarcala, however, the next town Don encountered was San Martiño (pop ?), which was the THIRD town on the pharmacist’s map, without having passed through her second town, Redemuiños. (At this point, Don decided that taking photos was like leaving bread crumbs to trace where he had been.)



‏‎10:46 AM – San Martiño: city limit sign and hórreo (with cross); finally, a bit of sunshine.



‏‎10:47 AM – San Martiño: hórreo and cruceiro; another “beware of dog” warning by gate at right.



‏‎10:47 AM – San Martiño: cruceiro – side with crucifixion.



‏‎10:49 AM – San Martiño: church side.



‏‎10:50 AM – San Martiño: church façade.

After San Martiño, Don came to a fork in the road with no signs, but there was a bus stop at the intersection, on the road to the left. So Don thought that might be the “main” road he was supposed to follow. After turning left, he noticed an old woman sitting on a bench in the bus stop, and he asked her if this was the way to Rapote. She was hard of hearing, but finally said and motioned to go that way.

Less than 10 minutes later, Don arrived at Redemuiños (pop ?), which had been the SECOND town on the pharmacist’s map.


‏‎10:59 AM - Redemuiños: city limit sign.

As the paved road curved around through Redemuiños, looking farther on the road, Don could see what looked like the highway and Seoane (or Barcala) ahead, meaning that he was going in circles. Before he decided his next move, a little dog appeared in the street, followed by a mid-size dog who seemed very unhappy with Don’s presence there. Don used his walking poles to keep the dog at a distance until he finally stopped following as Don retreated. (Apparently, dogs—and people—in this area were not used to seeing strangers walking through their villages.) At this point, a 40-ish man approached Don and told him to go back the way he had come, to the right. This led Don back south into Redemuiños, where he saw an older man coming out of a house with an even older woman. That man tried to explain to Don how to get back on the camino route. Since we were having trouble communicating (Don in broken Spanish and the man apparently in Galego), the man took a rock and scratched on the pavement a diagram of some intersection. (This was the first person Don met who actually seemed to know where the camino was and how to get there.) However, shortly after leaving that town, Don must have missed a left turn, and he heard the old man yelling at him to come back and motioning to a left turn onto a 2-rut gravel road. (Apparently, all the previous directions on paved roads were never going to lead to the camino.) Don followed that path through the woods and finally came to the intersection the old man had drawn. At the intersection, he saw what looked like a marker post, but with a blank face. On the other side, it had the Camino scallop shell—Halleluiah! Don assumed that the town he could see straight ahead was finally Rapote, but he later figured out that it must have been Camiño Real (pop ?). So, at 11:24, after a 2-hour adventure, Don was back on the camino route, but only 1.5 km from Zas where he had made the wrong turn.

Google map shows the area in which Don’s “adventure” took place: Zas (at bottom right) and a stub of road leading into woods north of Zas; after the woods, another stub of road leading across Río de Barcala into town of Lameiro; a road from Lameiro north to Cores on highway AC-546; a road crossing back over Río de Barcala toward Trasbarcala; then San Mariño and a road curving back around to Redemuiños; [after which Don backtracked a bit and then headed southwest through the woods to] Camiño Real on highway CP-5603, just 1.5 km down the road from Zas.


Google map with points on Don’s “adventure” highlighted (in red underline).

Google Earth satellite view shows a stub of paved road at northwest corner of Zas leading into the woods; then a dirt path to the north (mostly hidden by trees until it emerges bordering the tree line south of Lameiro); a stub of paved road over a bridge to the right (east) into Lameiro; a paved road to the north leading to Cores on the AC-546 highway. [After Don’s circular route from Cores/Barcala through Trasbarcala and San Mariño to Redemuiños] this view also shows the dirt path that branches off the paved road southwest of Redemuiños and leads south through the woods to just northeast of Camiño Real [where Don rejoined the Camino route just before emerging from the woods].


Google Earth satellite view of Zas, Lameiro, Cores, Redemuiños, and Camiño Real—all highlighted (in red underline).

Another Google Earth view shows the northern portion of Don’s adventure: at the upper right is Barcala on highway AC-546 (Cores is just down the highway to right, and the place where Don turned off toward Trasbarcala is up the highway to left); the town of Trasbarcala is to the southeast of its underlined name (on the road), but that is probably the road Don followed to San Martiño; the road around left (right in this view) through the woods seems to be the only paved road between Trasbarcala and San Martiño; from San Martiño, a paved road goes southeast and then back northeast into Redemuiños; looking up the road to the northeast out of Redemuiños must have been where Don could see the AC-546 at Barcala.


Google Earth satellite view of Barcala, Trasbarcala, San Martiño, and Redemuiños—all highlighted (in red underline).



‏‎11:24 AM – Near Camiño Real: intersection of 2 wooded paths, with what looked like a Camino marker post and a town ahead, in the fog.



‏‎11:24 AM – Near Camiño Real: Entering the intersection, Don saw the Camino symbol and a yellow arrow on the other side of the marker post, indicating to turn right (just as the old man had said) (there was also a red arrow pointing that way).



‏‎11:25 AM – Near Camiño Real: Camino marker post at that intersection (close up).



‏‎11:25 AM – Near Camiño Real: the path to the right was a rocky, walled path apparently worn down into the ground over many years.

The CSJ notes had described a “walled lane” after Camiño Real, saying: “This is a very old, historic route, completely overgrown and impassable until the late 1990s, becoming wider as you proceed, // [parallel] to the ‘main’ road all the time.”

Don had assumed that, by rejoining the camino route farther along, in Rapote, he would miss this old part, but he did not. At first, Don thought this must be a continuation of that path, past Rapote (but it turned out to be between Camiño Real and Rapote).

Starting around Zas, this is the nucleus of the ancient Camiño Real (its name derives from the original route to Fisterra [Finisterre]), one of the most beautiful parts of the route, as the pilgrim ascends from the A Barcala valley on a path covered by oaks and chestnut trees.


‏‎11:30 AM – After Camiño Real: more of the old path, with a cobblestone track on the left side, and another Camino marker stone.



‏‎11:36 AM – After Camiño Real: the wooded path continues after crossing a paved road; another Camino marker stone.



‏‎11:36 AM – After Camiño Real: more of the rocky, walled path through the woods.



‏‎11:43 AM – After Camiño Real: on one side of the path, running water had washed a ditch through MANY layers of rock added over the years.



‏‎11:56 AM – After Camiño Real: more of the walled, wooded path.

At 11:58, Don came to the next town, which turned out to be Rapote (pop ?). Along the Camino path was a fountain, with a sign identifying it as “Fonte de Rapote.” (This was when he confirmed that the last town had actually been Camiño Real.)


‏‎11:58 AM – Rapote: sign for “Fonte de Rapote” with “Agua apta para consumo” (water fit for consumption).



‏‎12:14 PM – After Rapote: more of the walled, wooded path; fortunately, the sun shined on the yellow arrow on the rock at right (ah, sun!).

Around 12:20, Don came to A Peña (pop 92). The CSJ notes indicated it had a church and a cruceiro.


‏‎12:21 PM – A Peña: sign for “Igrexa Parroquial de San Mamede da Peña” (in Galego).



‏‎12:21 PM – A Peña: façade of church with sign above door “San Mamede de A Peña.”



‏‎12:24 PM – A Peña: past the church – hórreo and cruceiro.



‏‎12:24 PM – A Peña: cruceiro – side with crucifixion; hórreo in background.



‏‎12:25 PM – A Peña: crucifixion at top of cruceiro (telephoto, 64 mm).



‏‎12:25 PM – A Peña: other side of cruceiro with image of Mary standing on a large head (telephoto, 64 mm).

After seeing these two highlights of A Peña, Don looked at the CSJ notes and saw that the next town was 4.5 km; so he decided to go back and take the option to a bar on the highway that paralleled the wooded path. After taking a path uphill to the highway, however, he saw no bar in either direction; he even asked a biker stopped on the highway. This sidetrack was rewarded by seeing more hórreos, and there was a nice view of the church from above.


‏‎12:31 PM – A Peña: small and large (wide) hórreos on highway.



‏‎12:34 PM – A Peña: view of Igrexa Parroquial de San Mamede da Peña from highway.

So Don went back down to the main Camino path and sat down on the steps of the church in A Peña to eat his “Red Chief” apple (12:23-12:55). At 12:46, he started to write in his notebook about his morning adventures.


‏‎12:55 PM - A Peña: leaving the church, again, toward the cruceiro.



‏‎1:36 PM – [Between Cornovo and Vilaserio]: cornfields with wind turbines on ridge.



‏‎1:36 PM – [Between Cornovo and Vilaserio]: cornfields with wind turbines on ridge (telephoto, 76 mm).

After this high point, Don was concerned about getting to Olveiroa before sundown (probably around 8:30). So he decided to speed up by running on downhill or level parts of the highway (on shoulder or in left lane) when there were no curves or intersections. He did this perhaps 20 times, sometimes for as much as half a mile. Although this was to help get to Olveiroa before dark, he thought it would also help get his running muscles in shape (for a race two days after returning from the Camino). Just in case, he also had a card for Casa Loncho in Olveiroa with a phone number for their taxi service, if needed at the end.

At 1:50, Don came to Vilaserio (pop ?).


‏‎1:50 PM – Vilaserio: city limit sign (with yellow arrow).

Around 2:17, Don reached Cornado (pop ?), which was the last village in Concello de Negreira.


‏‎2:17 PM – Near Cornado: Camino marker stone (with rays of scallop shell pointing to right; signs on both sides of that road pointing toward Vilaserio.



‏‎2:17 PM – Near Cornado: sign pointing to Cornado.

After Cornado, the high plateau of the Xallas region with low-lying hills stretches way off up to the horizon.


‏‎2:19 PM – After Cornado: water wagon for cows.



‏‎2:20 PM – After Cornado: in same field, “honey wagon” for spreading liquefied cow manure. [Don took these photos because he had been trying to explain to MT the difference between the 2 kinds of tank wagon used on farms in Europe.]



‏‎3:07 PM – Between Cornado and As Maroñas: 1st of 3 photos, panning left to right, of the green fields typical here in Galicia.



‏‎3:07 PM – Between Cornado and As Maroñas: 2nd of 3 photos, panning left to right, of the green fields typical here in Galicia.



‏‎3:07 PM – Between Cornado and As Maroñas: 3rd of 3 photos, panning left to right, of the green fields typical here in Galicia.

Around 3:20, Don crossed the Río das Maroñas, near the village of As Maroñas (pop 435) in the Concello de Mazaricos.

In As Maroñas there is a different style of hórreos, made entirely of stone boulders, since the rain-drenched Galician climate rots wood quickly, and stone is plentiful.


‏‎3:20 PM – Around As Maroñas: Camino marker post and bridge ahead [over Río das Maroñas].

Around 3:23, Don came to the village of Santa Mariña (pop ?).


‏‎3:23 PM - Santa Mariña: street entering town, with no signs.

Santa Mariña is a typical gallega (Galician) village with two beautiful hórreos and a 12th-century church (reconstructed in the 18th century).

Here, Don saw the first (several) of many all-stone hórreos that would become common on the rest of the way to Muxía.


‏‎3:24 PM - Santa Mariña: 2 stone hórreos (one on left with 5 pairs of legs), with crosses.



‏‎3:25 PM - Santa Mariña: 1st stone hórreo with 5 pairs of legs (2nd hórreo at right).



‏‎3:25 PM - Santa Mariña: 2nd stone hórreo with 5 pairs of legs and stone steps.



‏‎3:26 PM - Santa Mariña: view back at both those hórreos.



‏‎3:26 PM - Santa Mariña: ruins of another stone hórreo (view from end).



‏‎3:26 PM - Santa Mariña: ruins of that stone hórreo (view from front side) with stone doorway.



‏‎3:27 PM - Santa Mariña: view back to all 3 of those hórreos (they were that close together).



‏‎3:44 PM - Santa Mariña: sign for “Albergue-Bar Casa Pepa en Santa Mariña” in 40 m (this was the first indication of what town this was); a modern, brick hórreo in background.



‏‎3:44 PM - Santa Mariña: another stone hórreo, with solid base and cross.



‏‎3:49 PM - Santa Mariña: Stop sign when road reached a major highway (AC-400); no obvious indicators of which way the Camino route would turn (the towns on the highway signs, Santa Comba and Muros, were not on the Camino route).



‏‎3:49 PM  - Santa Mariña: Stop sign when road reached a major highway (AC-400); no obvious indicators of which way the Camino route would turn; however, there turned out to be a yellow arrow spray-painted on the pavement on the corner to the left (see red circle).



‏‎3:50 PM - Santa Mariña: spray-painted yellow turn arrow, mostly in shade, indicating left turn at that intersection.

Along the AC-400 highway, Don stopped at the bar Casa Victoriano. He asked the owner what town this was, and she said Santa Mariña, although the sello she gave Don said: “Casa Victoriano – Maroñas (Mazaricos)” [there is also a Café Victoriano is As Maroñas]. He got a (packaged) vanilla-chocolate ice cream cone and a small bottle of water to refill his water bottle (total 3.60€).


‏‎3:51 PM - Santa Mariña: Casa Victoriano exterior on approach.



‏‎4:11 PM - Santa Mariña: Casa Victoriano exterior when departing.



‏‎4:29 PM – After Santa Mariña: DeKalb corn sign (like those we see in the US).

After his 2-hour detour and lunch, Don saw only 7 other pilgrims, including 2 just before Olveiroa—and passed them all.

Around 4:30, Don saw a column of cows approaching the road from a pasture on the right and decided to wait and yield to them (for safety). A woman was driving them home for the evening. Don thought it was to the next village, Bon Xesús.



‏‎4:32 PM – After Santa Mariña: woman driving cows down road.



‏‎4:32 PM – After Santa Mariña: woman and cows approaching a large truck headed the other direction (Don was curious what would happen).



‏‎4:33 PM – After Santa Mariña: cows winding around the truck to the right.

Then Don finally came to Bon Xesús (pop ?).


‏‎4:37 PM – Near Bon Xesús: wooden sign for town of “Bon Xesús” [Good Jesus] ahead.

The paved road passes through the hamlets of Bon Xesús and Vilar de Xastro, skirting Monte Aro along the road, where there are no yellow arrows but some remains of an ancient castro [hilltop fort]. On the other side of the hill, there are fantastic views of the surrounding countryside and the Embalse [Reservoir] de Fervenza, and there are many rubias Gallega, Galicia’s typical rust-red cows, in the fields.


‏‎4:38 PM – woman and her cows heading toward Bon Xesús; more cows above, behind fence, also started heading in that direction.



‏‎4:40 PM –Bon Xesús: woman and her cows entering town.

Instead of stopping at Bon Xesús, as Don had expected, the woman and her cows went on to the next small village, Gueima (pop ?).


‏‎4:40 PM – Gueima: another wooden sign for next town “Gueima.”



‏‎4:41 PM – Gueima: another group of cows from road above right, colliding with the first lady’s; this group had some cows with horns and calves and was accompanied by dogs (so Don stayed clear).

Around 4:50, Don came to the next town, Vilar de Xastro aka Vilar de Castro (pop ?).


‏‎4:49 PM – Vilar de Xastro: approaching town.



‏‎4:52 PM – Vilar de Xastro: wooden sign for “Vilar de Castro” and yellow arrow on utility pole.



‏‎4:53 PM – Vilar de Xastro: stone hórreo, with cross (part of it resting on a concrete block wall).



‏‎4:54 PM – Vilar de Xastro: other side of same stone hórreo, with 5 legs (on that side) and cross.



‏‎4:55 PM – Vilar de Xastro: same stone hórreo with van and Camino marker stone (yellow arrow back to right).

Here there arise a couple of possibilities: If the crossing of the Monte Aro has been recovered and signposted and is open for passage, in good weather, you can cross the mountain and its castro (fort) along a track. If it is still cut off, there is no choice but to turn to the right at the height of the informative panel and continue along the asphalt road.

Don took the road to the right, since that was the marked Camino route.


‏‎4:55 PM – Vilar de Xastro: wooden sign for “Castro Monte Aro” ahead (pointing left), and same Camino marker stone (with yellow arrow pointing right).



‏‎4:56 PM – Vilar de Xastro: stone hórreo with solid base, steps, and cross.



‏‎4:56 PM – Vilar de Xastro: another stone hórreo with 6 pairs of legs.



‏‎4:57 PM – Vilar de Xastro: view back toward Gueima and Bon Xesús (all very close together).



‏‎5:14 PM – After Vilar de Xastro: another water wagon for cows.



‏‎5:21 PM – After Vilar de Xastro: first view of reservoir Embalse da Fervenza, constructed in the 1960s, through trees.



‏‎5:24 PM – After Vilar de Xastro: Embalse da Fervenza and green fields.



‏‎5:32 PM – After Vilar de Xastro: another stone hórreo with only 4 pairs of legs.

After seeing the reservoir, Don came to a place where a dirt and grass path veered off right from the paved road, with no arrows (except perhaps a poor attempt to make an arrow out of stones laid on the pavement). Don elected to follow two other walkers ahead of him, who had taken the smaller path, which looked like it might lead down to a town.

Around 5:33, Don came to the village of Lago (pop ?), meaning Lake.


‏‎5:33 PM – Lago: wooden sign pointing to “Lago.”



‏‎5:34 PM – Lago: stone hórreo, with 5 pairs of legs but supported by concrete blocks.

Next, Don came to the village of Porteliñas (pop ?).


‏‎5:41 - Porteliñas: wooden arrow sign pointing to “Porteliñas.”



‏‎5:41 PM - Porteliñas: “A Muxía 38,879 KM” marker post, with yellow arrow (in Galicia, the markers were very regular at having the rays of the scallop shell point in the direction to take).

Around 5:48, Don came to the village of Abeleiroas (pop?).


‏‎5:48 PM – Near Abeleiroas: approaching intersection with sign on right for entering “Abeleiroas” and another sign pointing right to “Corzón” (San Cristovo de Corzón).



‏‎5:48 PM – Near Abeleiroas: close-up of signs for entering “Abeleiroas” and pointing the way to “Corzón,” both in Concello de Mazaricos.



‏‎5:49 PM – Near Abeleiroas: more signs for same two places (a wooden arrow for “Abeleiroas”).



‏‎5:49 PM – Abeleiroas: 1st stone hórreo, with 5 pairs of legs.



‏‎5:50 PM – Abeleiroas: other end of 1st stone hórreo.



‏‎5:50 PM – Abeleiroas: 2nd stone hórreo, with 5 pairs of legs.



‏‎5:50 PM – Abeleiroas: other side of 2nd stone hórreo.



‏‎5:51 PM – Abeleiroas: 3rd stone hórreo, with 4 pairs of legs.



‏‎5:51 PM – Abeleiroas: other side of 3rd stone hórreo.



‏‎6:09 PM – After Abeleiroas: rocky, mountain-like terrain.

It was not until around 6 pm that Don started feeling confident of making it to Olveiroa before dark. (This had been a concern, especially because his headlamp was in the backpack forwarded to Olveiroa.)

Around 6:15, Don reached San Cristovo de Corzón (pop ?).

San Cristovo de Corzón (aka San Cristobo [or Cristóbal] de Corzón, aka just Corzón) has a church, Iglesia Parroquial de San Cristovo de Corzón, a sober rural construction with elements that range from Romanesque to Neoclassical, with a separate bell tower, a cruceiro, and a cemetery. The arched cemetery looks like a gallery of graves around the church. The graveyard itself contains some splendid-looking crosses.


‏‎6:16 PM - San Cristovo de Corzón: separate bell tower, cruceiro, church, and cemetery,



‏‎6:17 PM - San Cristovo de Corzón: cruceiro and separate bell tower (on upper level).



‏‎6:17 PM - San Cristovo de Corzón: church (on lower lever with cemetery); sign on church “Iglesia de San Cristobal de Corzón.”



‏‎6:17 PM - San Cristovo de Corzón: mausoleum, cruceiro, and separate bell tower (on upper level, near road).



‏‎6:18 PM - San Cristovo de Corzón: top of cruceiro with crucifixion on one side and Virgin on other (telephoto, 186 mm).



‏‎6:25 PM - San Cristovo de Corzón: two quail-like birds in field (one at far left is hard to see).



‏‎6:26 PM - San Cristovo de Corzón: advertising sign for Albergue Hórreo/2-star Pensión Casa Loncho in Olveiroa, 2.2 km—Don was getting close.

Around 6:32, Don crossed a small bridge (probably over Río de Mazaricos). On the far side of the bridge there was an old mill, Muiño da Mollón. (Muiño is Galego for mill, Molino in Spanish; Mollón [or Mallón] was apparently a nearby town.)


‏‎6:32 PM – Near Mollón: wooden arrow sign for “Muiño da Mollón” just after bridge.



‏‎6:36 PM – Near Mollón: Muiño da Mollón – view from road to mill and historical marker sign (shows how ill-kept the mill site was).



‏‎6:33 PM – Near Mollón: historical marker sign for Muiño da Mollón.



‏‎6:33 PM – Near Mollón: Muiño da Mollón – photos (of mill and bridge) at bottom of the historical marker sign.



‏‎6:34 PM – Near Mollón: Muiño da Mollón – old mill ruins, with sluice to right.



‏‎6:34 PM – Near Mollón: Muiño da Mollón – sluice leading to mill.



‏‎6:34 PM – Near Mollón: Muiño da Mallón – sluice entering mill.



‏‎6:34 PM – Near Mollón: Muiño da Mollón – view through sluice into woods.

At 6:37, Don came to Ponte Olveira (pop 25).


‏‎6:37 PM – Near Ponte Olveira: wooden arrow sign for “Ponte Olveira.”



‏‎6:39 PM – Ponte Olveira: city limit sign for “A Ponte Olveira, Concello de Mazaricos.”

Entering the town, signs indicated this was still in Concello de Mazaricos, but when the Camino crossed the bridge (17th-18th century) over Río Xallas, it entered the Concello de Dumbría. (Parts of the town were in two different concellos.)


‏‎6:41 PM – Ponte Olveira: the road curved around to bridge over Río Xallas; welcome to [Concello de] Dumbría sign.



‏‎6:44 PM – Ponte Olveira: another city limit sign for “Ponte Olveira, Concello de Dumbría.”

It was here, at Ponte Olveira, in 1809, that a battle took place against Napoleon’s armies during their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. The Gallegos, poorly organized and armed, were soundly defeated.


‏‎6:46 PM – Ponte Olveira: private house (No. 13) with Santiago statues on gate posts.



‏‎6:49 PM – Ponte Olveira: stone hórreo, with 10 pairs of legs (a new record [so far]) and 2 crosses.

Around 7:01, Don finally arrived in Olveiroa (pop 179).


‏‎7:01 PM – Olveiroa: city limit sign for Olveiroa.



‏‎7:02 PM – Olveiroa: but the road was still in open country, before town.

Don overtook a pilgrim couple who seemed to be having a heated discussion with sign language. Then he came to a “welcome” sign for “Olveiroa” at a corner where a yellow arrow pointed left, off the main highway into town, but that left turn seemed to be the way to the albergue/pensión.


‏‎7:08 PM – Olveiroa: intersection with welcome sign for Olveiroa.

Olveiroa is a tiny village with stunning examples of rural architecture, Its houses are made of thick stone walls; village hórreos are made of stone and are precariously balanced on mushroom-shaped legs; the village’s cruceiro is a lovely one.


‏‎7:12 PM – Olveiroa: first sight of Albergue Hórreo/Pensión Casa Loncho, on right side of road, with real hórreo out front; pensión behind hórreo; albergue behind sign; and bar-restaurant at right.



‏‎7:12 PM – Olveiroa: Bar-Restaurante Loncho, with clothesline to right.



‏‎7:13 PM – Olveiroa: stone hórreo (with 6 pairs of legs, one cross); Pensión Casa Loncho; Albergue Hórreo at right.



‏‎7:13 PM – stone hórreo (with 6 pairs of legs) in front of Albergue Hórreo/Pensión Casa Loncho (view from courtyard by restaurant).



‏‎7:13 PM – Olveiroa: stone hórreo (with 6 pairs of legs) in front of Albergue Hórreo/Pensión Casa Loncho (view from road with restaurant in background).



‏‎7:14 PM – Olveiroa: Bar-Restaurante Loncho and stone hórreo (view from road).

Don checked into Pensión Casa Loncho, named for the family who transformed their home into a hostel and recently opened the pensíon (loncho = bit, piece, slice in Gallego; loncha in Castilian Spanish). He got the double room reserved for 40€ and paid 10€ for backpack transport (2 days) and another 10€ for the dinner menu. He asked about a church, and the receptionist said it was “enfrente” (in front of) the albergue/pensión (it was actually 300 m).


‏‎7:20 PM - Pensión Casa Loncho – Don’s room No. H-8, with twin beds.



‏‎7:20 PM - Pensión Casa Loncho – Don’s room No. H-8; with beds and door.



‏‎7:21 PM - Pensión Casa Loncho – Don’s room No. H-8; view across twin bed to door, bathroom, and Don’s backpack and walking poles.

Don got a sello: “Pensión R[ural] Casa Loncho.” Then he went out to see the Romanesque church, Igrexa de Santiago de Olveiroa, built in the late 12th century and also saw some hórreos between the pensión and the church.


‏‎8:10 PM – Olveiroa: stone hórreo (with 5 pairs of legs).



‏‎8:11 PM – Olveiroa: another stone hórreo (with 5 pairs of legs) with crosses of cemetery and church tower behind it.



‏‎8:11 PM – Olveiroa: two more stone hórreos (one at left had a cross) on street toward church.



‏‎8:12 PM – Olveiroa: other side of that hórreo with one cross (with 5 pairs of legs and stone steps); another hórreo coming up at right, closer to the church.



‏‎8:12 PM – Olveiroa: the stone hórreo to the right (5 pairs of legs, no cross), with crosses of cemetery to right.



‏‎8:13 PM – Olveiroa: Igrexa de Santiago façade and belfry; parts of cemetery mausoleums.



‏‎8:14 PM – Olveiroa: relief sculpture of Santiago over church door.



‏‎8:14 PM – Olveiroa: left side and façade of church and part of cemetery.



‏‎8:17 PM – Olveiroa: another stone hórreo (5 pairs of legs) W of church.



‏‎8:18 PM – Olveiroa: other side of that hórreo and a 2nd one at right.



‏‎8:18 PM – Olveiroa: that 2nd stone hórreo (5 pairs of legs) at right and a 3rd one to its left (with 6 pairs of legs, previously hidden behind the 1st, across the street from it).



‏‎8:20 PM – Olveiroa: a 3rd stone hórreo (5 pairs of legs) at W end of town.

Then Don went back to Bar-Restaurante Loncho for the 10€ menú del día: 1st course: Caldo [Galego] (which he told the waitress was the best he ever had: no green, just white cabbage and a lot of potatoes in red sauce; Don filled his bowl 3 times; only the 2nd and 3rd bowls needed to add bread); 2nd course: merluza [a la plancha] with salad vice fries; dessert: [no notes, but probably either tarta helada (ice cream cake) or tarta Santiago]; bread; one drink [red wine].


‏‎8:24 PM – Olveiroa: Bar-Restaurante Loncho – sign for 10€ menú del día.


‏‎8:32 PM – Olveiroa: Bar-Restaurante Loncho – Caldo Galego in serving bowl.



‏‎8:33 PM – Olveiroa: Bar-Restaurante Loncho - Caldo Galego in Don’s bowl.



‏‎8:51 PM – Olveiroa: Bar-Restaurante Loncho – Don’s merluza and salad.

After dinner, Don used the coin-operated computer in the restaurant to inform MT of his change in plans—to make the trip in only 3 days rather than 4. The machine cost 0.50€ for 10 min, but Don had to put in another 0.50€ because he had trouble finding out how to type “@”—he finally got the waitress to show him. In the Outlook in-box, he found an email from Miriam, who was forwarding a message MT had sent her on Facebook, since she could not access webmail. The message was that MT was staying at Hostal La Cruz rather than A de Lolo – Hotel de Encanto. Don sent a reply to Miriam for her to forward to MT, acknowledging MT’s message and informing her that he would be arriving a day early. After sending this, Don used the rest of his time to check the Kansas City Star for Royals and Chiefs news.



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