Day 32: Palas de Rey to Ribadiso aka Pulpo Fresco
Upon leaving our ´hotel,´we located a bar to have coffee and zummo OJ. It wasn´t raining until about 10 minutes into our trail. Having a cold, this really put a damper on things (no pun intended). Luckily we had stopped at a pharmacy were I was able to get some herbal medicine. I was also able to get a refill on my prescriptions I had on me. Why is the US Healthcare system as corrupt as it is? For example, I got 30 Tramadol tablets for 5 euros without a prescription or insurance. Must be nice, Europe. Must be real nice. Unfortunately, no Z-pack without a prescription.
As all good pilgrims do, we threw on our ponchos and moved forward. Throughout today´s Camino, rain would start pouring, then lighten up, then the sun would come out and make it 75 degrees again, and then it would be back to square one. Layers are seriously everything on the Camino. I noticed a lot of the pilgrims who were hoping to make it farther, were not able to… Except those on the Camino tour bus (pictured below), of course.
We stopped for coffee and a tortilla about 8k in at Taberna Casanova, where the owner mostly complained about pilgrims who use his restroom without saying anything. I was more interested in the Galician dialect, which put the owner in a better mood and quenched my curiosity.
Our app recommended that we stop for the ´best Pulpo´in Melide, halfway to our destination at Pulperia a Garnacha. This place is like the crab hut of Spain, but with Octopus, and everything is boiled in humungous steel pots. It was really was good, and we had fried peppers and a delicious salad to accompany our tentacles followed by no other than delicious dessert. I am learning how to make all of these candida-causing dishes when I get home.
A kilometer prior to making it to our Albergue in Ribadiso, we had to stop at another albergue because of how hard it was pouring. We again ran into old friends who to grab a coffee, rather than proceed forward. After drying off enough, and the rain deciding to cool its jets for a moment, we ended up at our albergue, Albergue Los Caminantes, 10 euros for a dormitory style bed, and 6 euros to wash and dry your clothes. There is a kitchen, but no market in town. However there is a mediocre restaurant next door. They have a massage chair you can pay for, and a computer for use. The owner is very nice. The con? They are currently burning and will continue to burn cow manure outside our window. I wish my plugged up nose would at least hook me up in this situation. Womp womp. The sweet S. Korean gals are staying here too, so that´s nice. I can´t believe we will be in Santiago in two days. Meanwhile, I am hoping my cold does not get any worse.
