Day 49

Ponterroxan to Melide - 15 kms
29 May 2019

We laughed when we looked out of our window this morning. Our accommodation was opposite the Camino path and there, walking along, one behind the other, was a trail of pilgrim ants. This was the first time we had seen a non-stop line of pilgrims. For most of our walk we have stayed at places in the middle of the stages in John Brierley's guide book as so many people walk his exact stages; by staying between them we miss the morning exodus, however because our stay last night was so near the end stage of Palas de Rei we were starting out with quite a crowd. We joined the trail of pilgrims and soon found our own pace and didn't have so many around us and enjoyed our walk. We got to Melide where we're staying tonight well before mid day. We can expect the number of pilgrims to increase yet again as those walking Camino Primitivo join in here at Melide.
Just as we arrived at our pension where we're staying a woman from Florida started talking to us. She had been walking the Camino Primitivo and has severe muscle or ligament pain in both legs and has had to end her Camino here in Melide, so close to Santiago. She called a taxi and left with tears in her eyes.

Quite a bit of our walk was again through trees.

This is the second freedom camper we have seen. We understand that freedom camping is frowned on in Spain.

Walking through Carballal

Many of the small churches are surrounded by graves.

A lone eucalyptus tree. We passed many groves of eucalyptus trees of various stages of growth including newly planted blocks. They are grown for paper pulp.

Many places had this rose. It makes such a glorious display. 

At Lobreiro

One of the medieval bridges we walked over today between Lobreiro and Desicabo.

A photo to show how many pilgrims we had ahead of us at times - not many really but we usually have the path completely to ourselves.

Just before entering Melide was this bridge - Puente Velha - at Furelos.

View of roof tops from Puente Velha

Inside the church at Furelos

Walking into Melide:

Pappy's front door doesn't look too good does it and as you can see in the next photo his roof isn't very good either ...but Pappy does like to have a good project to work on.

We sat in the centre of Melide for a while and watched the line of pilgrim ants walk past - they are just visible behind the wall

Our washing out drying on the pension's back balcony 

and the view out from the balcony.