Bruno worked until after 4 a.m. last night, checking data for his PhD thesis, which he has to submit in October. He tried to explain to me yesterday what it’s about: “The role of proteins in cell structure in laryngeal cancer.” I’m not sure if I fully understand it. This morning, it was difficult to wake him up. So, I went to breakfast alone around 8 a.m., and just before 9 a.m., I told him that breakfast would end at 9:30 a.m. He immediately jumped into his clothes and went to eat. By the time we finally got on our bikes, it was almost 11 a.m. Today, we only had 50 km to go, but we knew that the last 25 to 30 km from Mondoñedo would be particularly tough, with an elevation gain from sea level in Ribadeo to 600 meters at Abadín. From those ridges, we will gradually descend to Santiago de Compostela, where we will arrive the day after tomorrow after another 130 to 140 km. Since yesterday, we’ve been in the Autonomous Community of Galicia and have left Asturias. Before that, we were in Cantabria and the Basque Country.
Yves and Bruno with Richie Wyatt at our hotel Santa Cruz
While checking the bikes in front of Hotel Santa Cruz, located right on the Camino del Norte, Bruno starts talking to a Dubliner, an Irishman named Richie Wyatt. Last year, he and his wife had walked the Camino Portugués in the height of summer, his first Camino, and he loved walking the Caminos. This year, he had just set off alone from Avilés Airport. His wife is a teacher and has to return to her school tomorrow. When I asked him why he was on the road, he gave two reasons: to meet lots of people and to eat well. He had been a chef on a large yacht for wealthy people (including many Russians) for almost 20 years and had had enough of being away from home all the time. Now he stays with his wife, except for his pilgrimages. He calls himself Bon Camino Chef on his Instagram page because he tries to eat well everywhere he goes. It’s the first time that good food has been a motivation for a pilgrimage, but why not? He had read the poster about the Rinus Pinifonds and thought it was a great initiative that he would try to support. This evening, Bruno had already received a message from him with best wishes.
Ribadeo
The weather is sunny again, and as we leave Ribadeo, I can take some sunny photos of the bay and the surroundings. We cycle steadily for three hours. On the way, the road leaves the Atlantic coast and turns southwest, into the interior of Galicia, near the Ría de Foz, a large inlet. From there, the road gradually climbs. We take a break for coffee; Bruno regularly needs coffee... He also vapes nowadays and blames it on his PhD work.
Ria de Foz, the ascending road and the cathedral of Mondoñedo
After about 15 km, we leave the quiet N-634 (it’s Sunday) and take a small, fairly steep road to Mondoñedo for 1.5 km. I want to see the beautiful village/town with its old village square and the stunning basilica/cathedral: a mix of late Romanesque art (round arches) and Gothic arches and vaults (even a star vault in the choir), with two towers at the front and a sort of connecting piece that was added during the Baroque period.
Everything is built from the same beautiful local rock, which looks very warm and also literally feels warm when the sun shines on it for a long time. Inside, there is an abundance of furniture (such as wooden choir stalls, murals, organs, including one from the 16th century, a beautiful Baroque altar in the choir, and some less attractive small Baroque altars). The architectural structure is clearly late Romanesque and Gothic in style, but with few heavily decorated capitals.
Mondoñedo: the kathedraal with ribbed vaults and the Baroque altar
There is also a cloister, but it’s closed (unfortunately). The square in front of the church is surrounded by beautiful covered houses, where Bruno is hungry again and devours a local dish: pork with fried potatoes; I stick to coffee. The streets are very cozy, and nearby, in a side street, there is a beautiful 16th-century fountain/well that used to provide the village with water. There are many other buildings, all built in the same typical Galician basalt stone. After over an hour of exploring and eating, we leave the beautiful town heading towards Abadín.
Mondoñedo: tower of the cathedral and a water basin. Bruno needs some food
There, the long (25 km) climb of the high hills awaits us, which we need to cross to reach Abadín. By now, it’s after 2 p.m., and it’s warm, even too warm, but we want to reach our accommodation, Casa Goas, as quickly as possible. We decide to ride at our own pace because Bruno doesn’t have an electric bike. Around 3:45 p.m., we reach our lodging for the night. Casa Goas has large rooms for pilgrims, with bunk beds for 8 to 12 people, or there are rooms with two beds. Magda booked such a room for two because Bruno wants to work every evening/night.
At 4 p.m., we are in our room, and we have something cold to drink, as there is a café and a restaurant that serves a pilgrim menu from 7 to 9 p.m. We are very satisfied. Bruno starts working, and I leave on foot to visit the Romanesque Santa Maria church (12th century), 1.5 km outside the village.
Abadin: the Galician double cross; the church and the cemetery
It is also built from the heavy Galician stone, with a small bell wall in which two bells hang. To the right of the church is a double cross: on one side the crucified Christ and on the other side his grieving mother. The cemetery is also typical, with Gothic pinnacles or small towers on the stacked graves. On the surrounding hills, there are large wind turbines producing electricity, as we are at an elevation of 600 meters.
It was a fine day. I take a shower, call Magda, write my blog, and at 7:30 p.m., we go to dinner together. Tomorrow we will head to Parga on the Camino del Norte, always in a beautiful regional nature park. We have another 50 km to go, and then the city of Santiago awaits, another 80 km further, but that’s for Tuesday.
Abadin: detail of the double cross
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