30 May 2023

La Caridad to Ribadeo

Stage: 25

Walked: 30,73 km

Planned: 24,1 km

Steps: 37,701 

I had a wonderful and peaceful night. We woke up at 6:30 and headed out of the albergue. 0.5 km later I realized I had forgotten the trekking poles so I run back to the albergue while Vicente waited for me on the road. The day was very pleasant, warm and cloudy with lots of haze coming from the Cantabric sea onto us. We took the along-the-sea option to Tapia de Casariego - where we had a hearty breakfast. I have to say that this portion of the country side has been one of the most peaceful walks in the entire Camino. One car every two hours, almost empty towns, lots of livestock. We bought cherries from Abelardo on the way and we swiftly reached the 600 m long Puente de Los Santos bridge, separating Asturias from Galicia. Across the bridge was Ribadeo. Crossing the bridge was very emotional for me - a mix of feelings including accomplishment, pride, success, tiredness, disbelief, nostalgia, power, to list a few. Only 3.5 weeks ago I was wondering how on earth was I going to walk 600 km to Galicia. There I was. We walked into town and had a beer to celebrate, Vicente used my shower to freshen-up and we headed for octupus and salad and more beer before I finally walked him to the bus station where I helped him book his ticket and he parted for Vilalba to make his way to Santiago.  Ana María booked my hotel in Ribadeo (Boutique Loriente) which is such a treat. All my love. Thank you Ana Maria!