13.0 miles, 33,355 steps, 2 cats 

Nice flat walking today…beautiful weather (but cold in the morning). Just a nice little 13-mile stroll through forests and farms. 

After walking about 4 miles without any cafes or other services, I came to a tiny train station that had 1 bathroom and a long line of people (women) waiting. It was like a home bathroom (not a public restroom) and even had a shower (?!) and 2 vending machines. There was a woman “attendant” (for lack of a better term) and she was collecting 1 euro per person to use the bathroom. When each woman gave her a euro, she’d pull 50c out of her waist pack and put that coin into the lock/device on the bathroom door.  Ok, that’s fine, there are often pay toilets in Europe, no big deal. However, this was officially a 50c pay toilet and the lady—probably just a woman who lived nearby—was charging 1 euro and pocketing the 100% profit! She was definitely not official. If any police drove up, she could just walk away in the crowd of women. Gotta admire the nerve. 

Much of today’s walk was along the Via XIX Romana, an ancient Roman road, mostly winding through small farms and vineyards. I tasted a few grapes — it reminded me of the grapes we would taste at my aunt Blanche’s house near Sacramento in the 60s. She had a small grape arbor and I remember they had drying racks of some sort to make raisins. These grapes don’t taste anything like the seedless grapes we get at the grocery store in New Jersey. (And each grape seemed to have 2-3 seeds, so not really great for snacking.)

In Caldas de Reis, where I stopped today, I visited a Roman bridge which has been preserved in the center of town. I also visited the Balneario Dávila, which is a pair of fountains — one fed by a natural hot spring and one by a cold spring. The fountains have been here since the Middle Ages and it was common for pilgrims on their way to Santiago to stop and soak their tired feet. I saw a few people get their feet wet—one Russian guy was having a hard time getting down to the ground and almost fell in. I tested the water with my hand and it was perfect bath temp! Apparently the water is packed with minerals that are good for your skin (?) but I saw an old man come up and fill a thermos. I decided to brave my Spanish skills and asked him “¿Que hace con el agua?” (What do you do with the water?) He told me he drinks it! A little every night, for his asthma. I asked him if it helps and he said “Si.” (This was right after I heard another guy explaining to his friends that you should NEVER drink the water. Hmm…) Then the old guy asked me if I speak French lol i guess I have an accent, just not American? 

It was so warm and sunny at 7pm that I sat in a plaza and had a glass of wine and some olives, and watched a kid kick a soccer ball against the wall of a giant church. There was a guy playing guitar along with a backing track. His musical selections were all over the place: Creep, New York New York, Sugar Sugar (the Archies) and the Girl from Ipanema. Cannot beat the price of wine in Spain — 3 euro for a glass of house white. 

Tomorrow’s walk is to Padrón, home of the famous roasted peppers. Excited for that! 

Three more days to walk.