Day 5 - Pontevedra, Friday, 15th September

I cooked us scrambled eggs for breakfast and we lingered a long time over this so that it was 9:30 by the time we set off - definitely the latest I have ever set off on Camino.

The day was sunny but there was a breeze so that it wasn't too hot for walking.

At Pontesampaio we went down to the small beach by the river before heading to a bar for a tortilla and some drinks.

We seemed to be stuck at 73km for hours as the marker stones distance did not seem to alter at all.

It was a bit of a relief to start going down although it was a little bit steep.

Pontevedra is quite a large town so when we arrived we weren't sure where to go and couldn't see any maps so we tried asking at the train station but couldn't find any help so decided to follow the Camino until we got to some shops where we asked at a small fruit shop.

We bought a few supplies and then headed to the hotel.

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The Camino Primitivo

The Camino Primitivo (or the Original Way) is reportedly the very first Camino Way to Santiago in the 9 th century when most of Spain was under the control of the Moors and it runs from near the city of Ovideo in Asturias as it starts in Villavicosa (which also lies on the Camino Norte so many people follow this Way from Basque city of San Sebastian (Donosti in Basque) or in from the French border at Irun ( this route then hugs the Bay of Biscay passing through Guernica, Bilbao, Santander, Llanes before going under the Picos de Europa and then heads along the coast to Ovideo) before branching off onto the Primitivo which goes across the mountains and through the city of Lugo before joining the Frances at Melide. The route is 320km long. Image taken from https://viaalpina2013.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/camino-del-norte-camino-primitivo/

Symbols of the three main Christian Pilgrimages

The symbol of the Pilgrim to Santiago is the Scallop shell of which many can be found on the coast of Galicia and it is actually a symbol of the Pilgrimage (and has become a symbol of other Christian Pilgrimages too) partly because you could find the shell easily there and so could go back home and show it off as proof that you had done the Pilgrimage. It has also been included in carvings in some Churches.

Camino Mascot

Those who have walked the Camino will probably have seen one or more of the Camino mascots along the Way but do you know their names? http://m.elcorreogallego.es/xacobeo/ecg/xubi-jubila-pelegrin-mascota-xacobea/idEdicion-2010-06-08/idNoticia-555962/

On the Camino

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