Stage 30 from Portomarin to Palas de Rei is 25 kms and it’s another 10 more to Casa de Somoza where we are staying the night.
It was so fun riding out of Portomarin in the early morning, down the central street by the relocated church and across the ancient bridge into the countryside. Peregrinos of every shape and kind, a foot, on bike and horseback are now everywhere.
About 10 kilometers out, you can detour into the woods to the site of an ancient Celtic ruin called Castromaior. It has round stone structures like those in O’cebreiro.
I always seem to forget that the Celts were here in Galicia before the Romans. Indeed, the word Galicia is derived from the Gallaeci, a Celtic people occupying the territory of present day Galicia who were conquered by the Roman Empire in the first and second centuries AD.
Gallegos recognize and celebrate their Celtic ancestry. They love Celtic music and dancing and all things Celtic. Felipe told me that he loves to attend Celtic festivals and concerts with Celtic music and dancing. The Gallegan musician Carlos Nunez, is internationally famous, playing the gaita de fol (gaita with bag), a Galician bagpipe which is the best-known European bagpipe after the great Highland Bagpipe. And Gallegan the official language of Galicia has many words which have their foundation in ancient Celtic.
In fact, Galicia is now accepted as a member of the Celtic League of Nations along with Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man. Who knew?
For our morning break we stopped at a place thick with peregrinos where they make the largest tortilla español I’ve ever seen. Over 50 eggs in each! And just as quickly as the owners wife finishes making one the peregrinos eat it up and wait in line for the next!
We rode through Palas del Rei, stretches of country and catered through forests before stopping for lunch. I chose to have two primer platos off the menu peregrino, the mixed salad and lintel soup. I really love the lintel soup here, and they don’t offer you a cup or a bowl, when you order soup they bring an entire tureen!
By late afternoon we had arrived at Casa Somoza a delightful rural guest house where we stay the night.
We are now less than 59 kilometers from Santiago!
Tomorrow’s a light day, horses can use one. The rest of Stage 31, the shortest day of the tour, at 20 kilometers, to Arzua where we spend the night.
Santiago here we come!
Buen Camino!
