Rest day and Camino Day 8: Vigo to Redondela, 18.6 km (23 September)
We were rather sorry to leave Vigo. It was a busy and prosperous city and we only scratched the surface on our rest day. We have also lost touch with some our pilgrim companions: Thu Hang and Jane will finish a day before us, and Rod and Cynthia were at breakfast on Sunday, but will have their break in Redondella. We may be lucky enough to see them later.
We made the most of our rest day, doing the mandatory wash before wandering around town. DInner was not quite to the standard of the previous night, and we hit the carné for a bit of variety, which proceed to sit in our stomachs as we walked up the hill. But our overall impressions of the city were favourable and the view from the Castro above the town was stunning.
We made good time walking out of the city: it was probably the simplest day to navigate and the most picturesque. The weather was much cooler as we walked further into Galicia, with a lovely hint of autumn, but we know that the weather is on the turn and we will be blessed with some rather more typical weather in the next couple of days.
As an aside, I’m interested in how the Falange is invisible and Franco is a non-person. It’s like a whole history is erased. I’ve been to places in Spain where the murder of priests and religious by the Republicans is brought up, but in this trip, the whole Civil War seems disguised. It is certainly a dramatic change from my Spanish history lecturer’s descriptions of Spain in the sixties and seventies when he would regularly visit.
It was easy walking along the hillside into Redondella and then on to Hotel Antolin at Cesantes. It is pretty run down, with hard beds, small rooms, thin walls and an oversupply of northern Europeans travelling in organised groups. The afternoon wind-surfers were spectacular and interesting to photograph when one has only a 200 mm lense; dinner was a delicious baked hake, hats off to the hardworking staff, but a bit of luxury would have been welcome after a solid walk.
