6/8/17-6/9/17 – 25.9/16.1mi from La Caridad to Ribadeo, and then a “rest day” in Ribadeo.
The walk to Ribadeo was nice but long, our feet pounding the pavement a solid 16 miles. Aside from a nice lunch stop in Tapia, we walked through farms and along roads. There wasn’t all that much to the hike apart from great ocean views, which we know we won’t have once we leave Ribadeo and turn south toward Santiago. Once we crossed a loooong bridge over the river separating the states of Asturias and Galicia, we stopped briefly at the Ribadeo marina, and realized that the crew was hurting. The trail has taken its toll on a lot of knees and feet, and we resolved to take a “rest day” in Ribadeo to allow everyone to recover.
On the first evening, the boys slept mega early while the girls went out and got LIT. I heard stories of vodka after vodka after vodka! I heard stories of buying to-go magnum-sized wines at the bar in water bottles (because the stores were closed)! I heard stories of multiple hotel guests asking them to quiet down! I can’t believe the guys slept through it all, but that’s just how tired your body gets on this journey.
The next day we all went to a truly special place, the As Catedrais beach. It’s a remarkable place where, during low tide, the waters retreat so low that you can walk beneath all kinds of brilliant rock formations. On those rocks we could see all kinds of sea life including mussels, crabs, and lots of other shellfish. In the little pools that remained were families of brine shrimp and countless other creatures. You could also climb to the top of the rock formations for some great views and photo ops. It was a truly spectacular place. We all got a chance to go swimming, and had a great time as we got ready to say goodbye to the beautiful northern Spanish coast. Tomorrow, we turn south and inland for a final weeklong push to Santiago.
Of course our beach trip was not without its… interesting points. We took a train to get from Ribadeo to the beach, which is about 5 miles outside town. The train station was in the middle of nowhere. We exited the train to a 10-foot long platform surrounded by farms. There was nothing connecting it to the road, nearly a half-mile away! What the heck? And it got even better on our return journey. While waiting for the train to take us back to Ribadeo, we saw a real-life nature documentary unfold right in front of us: a bull decided to make amore to a cow. Right next to the train platform. The Camino continues to astonish.
