There is always a price to pay for a good evening and I certainly paid for it the next day. The morning sailing up to Pontesecures (a short distance from Padrom) was due to leave early so I staggered to the nearest cafe and bought breakfast which I took back to the apartment and then made a miserable second stagger down to the little port. There were other pilgrims waiting for the boat and then the captain of the ferry turned up and led us out to the boat. I was pleased to see it was a substantial ferry - modern looking and I would be able to curl up in a corner to die.
Except that wasn't the ferry. This was.
So the rucksacks were piled up on the bows and off we went. The captain however was in no hurry and took us out to one of those floating platforms and showed us how they collected the mussels off the long ropes left hanging in the water.
I couldn't really have cared less about fishing habits as all I wanted to do was get off this bouncing dinghy. It's some 25km on the river and I felt every wave hit me as we roared up the estuary.
Eventually, after 12 hours, or what felt like 12 hours, we arrived at Pontesecures and disembarked.
Crossing the river, one arrives in Padron where it was now lunchtime. The two German girls I was with ordered beers and greasy pork dishes while I ordered a Diet Coke and ate a quarter of a bread roll. I felt a certain sense of shame, having let down my country's reputation for hardened drinking.
The afternoon passed quickly as I headed north towards Santiago. In the afternoon, I came to an albergue at Teo where the Germans intended to stop for the night. The albergue was quite full and I decided that I would head off and taxi to a hotel. However I then realised that the albergue had a second floor which the owner had closed off. A negotiation followed between me and the owner, he not wanting to open up the second floor, me happy to stay if I could have an entire floor to myself. 30 years of practice paid off and I was soon passing the packed-like-sardines pilgrims on floor one up to a large room all for myself.
So it was dinner and then time to sleep before heading early to Santiago to make pilgrim mass at 12. I headed upstairs and then Johanna appeared and asked me whether it was ok if she moved out of the first floor and took a bunk on my floor. Then a few others did the same, all politely asking my permission as if I had paid for the entire floor.
I slept in my silk liner, next to an open window. It was a little cold.
Comments