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Neil Armstrong's Travels
Now, I know what you're thinking...and we agreed by the end of this tough stage of 20k there was to be little or NO alcohol consumed!!!
There is a famous McGuicken saying which goes something like this...'You can never have a hangover the day after a hangover'...well we blew that theory out of the water Deaney!!!
The hill up and out of Pontedeume was not funny in the slightest. A few kilometres later we found some great views over the open countryside and eventually came across a Lavadero where we would have a bite to eat (breakfast) and fill up on water. I made a ham and cheese baguette which went down a treat and we rested a while while introducing ourselves to Paul (forgive me for forgetting your surname).
Paul, from the corn state of Iowa, explained that he was an English teacher living in A Coruna and he had gone to Pontedeume the evening before to watch the encapulating Paula Rey, lead singer of Luar na Lubre. Knowing that he was going to the town, and being a big swim fan, he had entered a swim race which he had thoroughly enjoyed...Speedos and all. He'd slept under a tree with a bottle of Galician white wine (I like him already) and he had decided to go for a walk before stumbling across a waymark for the Camino Ingles. He stated that the Camino had found him and I really hope that one day he will get to complete the Camino Ingles...I for onw would join him. We asked him if he'd like to join us which he did, and two quickly became three.
We discussed our journey so far and Paul thought, 'Yep, they're Irish OK'. We explained that if he was searching for romance that Ferrol was the place to find it, 'even the ugly women are beautiful' we exclaimed! In hindsight meeting Paul was a blessing as he entertained us with stories from America and we enjoyed the fact that we all shared a good sense of humour. Apparently in the US I would be a size 30 waist so a new friend was born! He spoke about his experiences in Galicia and I for one reckon he might remain there for a long time to come. On one occasion, before ascending yet another steep section of hills, he told us to imagine that there was a spring attached to our chests which would pull us up the hill with ease...well it didn't work for any of us of course, but the camaraderie between the three of us new found friends certainly pulled us along. Cheers Paul!!!
We stopped in Mino and had a couple of beers and some Callos - (cheers again to Paul who picked up the tab). Callos are a typical Spanish dish that use calf’s stomach lining (although it may also be beef or lamb), cut into small pieces. The tripe is sold clean and cut, but requires extended cooking (approximately four hours, or an hour in a pressure cooker) in water, with an onion, garlic cloves, a bay leaf, peppercorns and a glass of white wine. When the tripe is soft, a fried mixture (sofrito), the ingredients of which vary according to the region, is added, and it is cooked for another 30 minutes. I left the meaty part but the rest was lovely and very welcomed and enjoyable...just enough before we got back on the road.
It was while having lunch and avoiding the next tables cigarette butts that were flying all over the place, that I decided to inspect my boots as my right foot was aching under the sole. Schoolboy error number 1 - when going on a 114k walk, please ensure you have boots with tread on them before leaving for the road. Unfortuantely there was nowhere to obtain new ones and as they would need to be broken in anyway, I decided to stick the old trainers on for the last 10k of the day. Paul took some notes including the website address and the charity details and Craig handed him a wristband to take with him. He explained that he would walk with us to Betanzos where he would jump on a bus and head back to A Curuna.
The photos attached show us along the road and we enjoyed both the scenery and the company along the way. Paul would wave and salute the locals as we passed and the sound of 'Buen Camino' was becoming part of our day. Betanzos is a lovely town and well worth a visit. We bade farewell to Paul, promising to keep in touch and set off in search of a Hotel as we were completely wrecked...we checked into a Hotel following a bit of blagging with the Manager and following a bath, some dinner and a solitary glass of wine, turned in for the night like the two 40 somethings we are. Lights out by ten o'clock with the promise of a full breakfast in the morning!!! Buenas Noches!!!
There is a famous McGuicken saying which goes something like this...'You can never have a hangover the day after a hangover'...well we blew that theory out of the water Deaney!!!
The hill up and out of Pontedeume was not funny in the slightest. A few kilometres later we found some great views over the open countryside and eventually came across a Lavadero where we would have a bite to eat (breakfast) and fill up on water. I made a ham and cheese baguette which went down a treat and we rested a while while introducing ourselves to Paul (forgive me for forgetting your surname).
Paul, from the corn state of Iowa, explained that he was an English teacher living in A Coruna and he had gone to Pontedeume the evening before to watch the encapulating Paula Rey, lead singer of Luar na Lubre. Knowing that he was going to the town, and being a big swim fan, he had entered a swim race which he had thoroughly enjoyed...Speedos and all. He'd slept under a tree with a bottle of Galician white wine (I like him already) and he had decided to go for a walk before stumbling across a waymark for the Camino Ingles. He stated that the Camino had found him and I really hope that one day he will get to complete the Camino Ingles...I for onw would join him. We asked him if he'd like to join us which he did, and two quickly became three.
We discussed our journey so far and Paul thought, 'Yep, they're Irish OK'. We explained that if he was searching for romance that Ferrol was the place to find it, 'even the ugly women are beautiful' we exclaimed! In hindsight meeting Paul was a blessing as he entertained us with stories from America and we enjoyed the fact that we all shared a good sense of humour. Apparently in the US I would be a size 30 waist so a new friend was born! He spoke about his experiences in Galicia and I for one reckon he might remain there for a long time to come. On one occasion, before ascending yet another steep section of hills, he told us to imagine that there was a spring attached to our chests which would pull us up the hill with ease...well it didn't work for any of us of course, but the camaraderie between the three of us new found friends certainly pulled us along. Cheers Paul!!!
We stopped in Mino and had a couple of beers and some Callos - (cheers again to Paul who picked up the tab). Callos are a typical Spanish dish that use calf’s stomach lining (although it may also be beef or lamb), cut into small pieces. The tripe is sold clean and cut, but requires extended cooking (approximately four hours, or an hour in a pressure cooker) in water, with an onion, garlic cloves, a bay leaf, peppercorns and a glass of white wine. When the tripe is soft, a fried mixture (sofrito), the ingredients of which vary according to the region, is added, and it is cooked for another 30 minutes. I left the meaty part but the rest was lovely and very welcomed and enjoyable...just enough before we got back on the road.
It was while having lunch and avoiding the next tables cigarette butts that were flying all over the place, that I decided to inspect my boots as my right foot was aching under the sole. Schoolboy error number 1 - when going on a 114k walk, please ensure you have boots with tread on them before leaving for the road. Unfortuantely there was nowhere to obtain new ones and as they would need to be broken in anyway, I decided to stick the old trainers on for the last 10k of the day. Paul took some notes including the website address and the charity details and Craig handed him a wristband to take with him. He explained that he would walk with us to Betanzos where he would jump on a bus and head back to A Curuna.
The photos attached show us along the road and we enjoyed both the scenery and the company along the way. Paul would wave and salute the locals as we passed and the sound of 'Buen Camino' was becoming part of our day. Betanzos is a lovely town and well worth a visit. We bade farewell to Paul, promising to keep in touch and set off in search of a Hotel as we were completely wrecked...we checked into a Hotel following a bit of blagging with the Manager and following a bath, some dinner and a solitary glass of wine, turned in for the night like the two 40 somethings we are. Lights out by ten o'clock with the promise of a full breakfast in the morning!!! Buenas Noches!!!
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