Day 5 Friday 19th July
I slept poorly last night which surprised me as the day\u2019s riding \u2013 as well as the high anxiety of arrival was exhausting \u2013 and sleeping conditions were perfect \u2013 dark and silent (unlike London).<\/p>\n
This is a small, intimate place, a beautifully restored old stone building with a fairly newly planted garden \u2013 some familiars like fig trees and olive trees. A young American couple are also here who are committed hikers. They leave today. Its misty this morning and I am restless unsure whether to hang about here and read, to go for a gentle walk or to get on the bike, brave the exit and steep re-entrance and take a quick blast down to Santiago de Compostela. I noticed that there is a Galician gin and I\u2019d like to try to find some to bring home. So its either today or tomorrow to do that as on the third day \u2013 Sunday \u2013 I ride back in an easterly direction to hotel number 3, just north of the Picos.<\/p>\n
Today I rode to Santiago de Compostela, mostly a pleasant ride but with some lost-getting due to the GPS mistaking a dusty old track for the trunk road that had been converted to a brand new motorway. As ever, taking a motorcycle into a big city where parking is difficult is not an enjoyable experience. In fact following a hastily entered location \u2013 the Cathedral \u2013 into the GPS I found myself riding up a steep cobbled lane to the front of the church surrounded by a sea of tourists feeling that my large motorcycle was rather out of place. So a hasty U-turn and I headed off back down the hill and out of the city via a stop at air conditioned Lidl. Returning here involved a similar ride to yesterday down a bewildering labyrinth of narrowing lanes, often covered with cow shit and gravel, between ancient buildings and beside stunning small churches made of pitted and dissolving stone and strange walled graveyards. Finally, my entrance up the steep gravel footpath went successfully. The garden here is beautiful. I can see it has been planned and planted maybe five years ago. With my new slight awareness, I actually know the names of some plants and trees \u2013 but not the beautiful pink flowering bush (see previous post) that greets you as you arrive at the top of the drive.<\/p>\n