The walk out of Xinzo was not that exciting. It had become a bit overcast but the way was on flat roads with the occasional lorry running past. However it meant that the kms were covered quickly. Though there was one perfect picture in the village of Vilariño Das Poldras which caught my eye.
Just a perfect rose with an incredible scent. Hey, I am learning to stop and smell the roses.
Lunch was at a little village called Sandias. It was called Café O Capricho. There was a teenage girl serving and she was brilliant. I asked what food she had and she went off and cooked a delicious pork sandwich. What was funny was the Covid-safe stuff but the guests all knew each other and there was precious little fear present.
After lunch the track headed into woodland and stayed in there almost the whole way to Allariz. No cafes but the increased cloud cover made it a bit cooler.
There were again signs of an earlier, more prosperous past. There were high stone walls separating the path from the forest in many places but one had to marvel at the effort that must have been required to build them.
There was also a sacred fountain en route. Now dry but perhaps still sacred?
At Torneiros there was another encounter with a badly behaved dog. But no harm done. I guess that on some of these less-travelled routes, the inhabitants of these villages are not so used to keeping their dogs under control.
The lichen growth on some of these trees has to be seen to be believed. The air must be very clean.
And then into Allariz. There is a historic centre which was small but well-preserved.
The highlight of the centre was, for me, the Romanesque church of Santiago. Closed of course but the blind arcading was super. Dinner had to be at Casa Pepina, right next to the church. Casa Pepina was also a deli and it was sad to leave behind so much delicious looking food.
The hotel was comfortable but the check-in process was incredibly slow. It didn't help that the receptionist was a full-on covid compliant person. I presented my passport. She washed her hands with spray. She took said passport and wiped it down before opening it. She copied my id number from the passport. She then wiped the passport down again. Handed my wet passport back to me. She then disinfected her hands again. I felt like I should say something about aerosol transmission being the cause of infection but the whole act was somehow morbidly engrossing, like some sort of slow-motion car-crash. It didn't help that I couldn't see her face under her mask.
I think Allariz is nice but somehow I will be glad to be leaving the next day
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