Today has been a low day for me on the Camino. Having slept well in a lovely hotel bed I hoped to be cruising effortlessly today in high spirits. Instead I woke to low cloud or fog that persisted for most of my 40km stage.
I am now following mainly small roads as my resources for evaluating the route for the capability of my wheels are limited. Im talking about aerial and satellite imagery, should have done more planning and research.
Eventually I hit the suburban outskirts of Ourense and the fog lifts. Now riding on pavements my progress was slow but safer. Some pavements have ramps some don’t. Some are completely blocked by vehicles, bins, skips whatever. You have to concentrate hard and frequently need to backtrack.
There was little to photograph on my route through the fog and I was completely uninspired. Seemed like the fog was seeping into my bones and my glasses were hard to see through.
To add some context here I am travelling on small roads starting in the dark in the fog. I am moving much slower than normal traffic, right into the edge and although I have lights and hi-visibility clothing, I feel vulnerable. This carried on for about 3 hours but felt never ending.
Ourense is an old town. It is blessed with many thermal springs which inspired the Romans to build here in 100 AD. It is split by the river Minho and apparently boasts 7 bridges. Some old
Some new
The central old town sits mostly south of the river and is a maze of grey Romanesque granite buildings.
I should be checking out the thermal spas, the cathedral museum but I find myself drawn to quiet sunny corners where I can bask like a lizard. The albergue is lovely again with fantastic staff and I seem to have the disabled facilities to myself. I have a bit of a cold so I’ll sleep on my back and snore all night making the most of it.
I notice It’s hard to maintain an upbeat mood when on Camino, especially the concluding sections. I’ve not set a return date and may continue to the coast depending on the weather but either way my journey is nearing the end.
There is a lot to process and being continually on the move can get frantic. You need to keep lots of balls in the air to make this work. There is my wheels: battery levels and keeping everything shipshape; the unpredictable weather when I only have limited warm clothing; route planning and making sure I have somewhere I can stay that accommodates my wheels.
Siesta time…
