So funny…..I only ever sleep 5 or 6 hours but I woke up in a panic this morning. I had to look, blink, and look again at my watch. It was 8.50 am and our breakfast was booked for 8 o’clock. Breakfast is done in shifts as the hotel is so big and always booked out.
I threw on some clothes and raced down to the restaurant. You almost need a packed lunch and a water bottle to get there, but the door lady just laughed and sat me down at a huge empty table. (My room was right out the back, hence the sleep in. It was so dark and quiet!). The hotel is an old fort and it is HUGE!
I hastily ate breakfast, watching all the waiters flitting around like sparrows, clearing the evidence of previous diners and replacing the starched white table cloths and napkins. They have a 15 minute window to prepare for the next wave. I felt such a nuisance.
The reason I was so tired was because I barely slept the previous night. Anyway, two of my group decided to walk 12 kms towards our next destination, because our next stop had a 4pm check in time and it was only an hour or so drive. We arranged for a taxi to pick us up at 2.00, waved goodbye to them, and stored our bags. Belinda, Helen and I walked around the perimeter of the hotel and went out for a coffee and another lemon mousse as it was so tasty the night before.
Moncho, our lovely driver, packed our luggage into the car and drove us to meet the other two who had finished their walk, and then took us to our apartment in Pontevedra .
My lovely friend Patti has come to join us and we spent the evening wandering around this vibrant busy town. We are staying in old town and it has so much character. ..Lots of bars and restaurants. We also visited the pilgrim church (Igrexa da Virxe Peregrinae ). It is in the shape of a shell, and we climbed the spiral staircase to the roof.
We watched a busker blowing bubbles as all the children ran around excitedly bursting them and trying g to catch them. We ate pizza and drank Aperol spritzes again. Such a great vibe here.
Tomorrow Gonzalo will pick us up and we will spend a few days with him in Galicia. I’m excited!
Margaret Caffyn 
oh what a fabulous trip Marg, makes me want to come back as a tourist now rather than a perigrina (?) Happy days!
LikeLike