We have enjoyed talking with all the people from different countries. It's fun to hear how similar stories are portrayed in different countries. The other night someone was talking about the speed at which people walk and I said you mean like "The Tortoise and the Hare"? He didn't know that story but said he had heard of "The Rabbit and the Hedgehog" The people from Holland said their version had a snail. Today we saw the snail....
Last night we linked up with some Australia's. Two ladies walking together and a husband and wife. They didn't know each other before the Camino but are making plans to get together when they get home. It was great fun. We had a dozen different tapas, wine, beer, and cake. We mainly had seafood - cockles, sardine, squid, and octopus. Nice location in an old grist mill with millstones for tables.
Another beautiful day on the trail. The high today was 64 degrees and it was perfect weather and beautiful Galician countryside. We did have rain for about an hour but it just kept today cool, and I got my hat washed for a second time. It was around 50 degrees when we walked into town.
Legend has it that it was near Padrón that Apostle Saint James first preached during his stay in what is now Portugal and Spain. Soon after his death his disciples Theodore and Athanasius brought his head and his body to this area from Jerusalem in a boat. They moored the boat to a padrón (big stone). The two disciples remained to the area to preach after burying the Apostle.
Iglesia de Santiago is where the fabled stone is situated where the boat carrying St James remains was tied. You feel the presence of St James here with the various sculptures and artworks and you can go to the altar and photograph the stone. The first church was built here around 900, the 2nd around 1100, and part of the present day Church in the 1400's.
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| This is Padron -- the Church is to the left of the bridge |
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| The 1st century pardon - where the boat carrying James was moored |
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| Iglesia de Santiago |
There's another magnificent church in town -- Santa Marie de Cruces. It was a cathedral at one time and has 15th bishops buried at the graveyard. Some dating from 1200. This church had particularly interesting statues dressed in real cloth clothing.
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| Santa Marie de Cruces |
Now just some pictures of today's walk with some of the smaller parish churches we saw along the way, and a slug that was going slower than the snail.
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| Church popping out of the vineyards |
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| I have never seen firewood piled like this |
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| Padron city park with trimmed sycamore trees. Ocean is 15 miles downstream |
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| just another 'chapel' along the way |
