Camino Primitivo Stage 7 – Grandas de Salime to A Fonsagrada

June 4, 2022

The morning started with a quick breakfast and me accidentally insulting the bar proprietor. I had pointed to what I thought was an egg bocadilla only to discover after taking a couple of bites that it was actually chicken. Pescatarians don’t eat chicken! I apologized for not eating it then Suzanne, Gary, and I headed out for the day. It was an overcast morning and the first 13K was uphill. We eventually ascended into the clouds along a beautiful path surrounded by forest and heather. We could hear the whooshing sound above coming from windmills lining the ridge of the hills. It was eerie hearing the windmills but not seeing them. But, you could definitely get the sense that they were big!

Once we hit the high point of the day, we crossed into Galicia, the home of Santiago de Compestela. We started a long gradual descent and were in need of a break! As luck would have it, we came upon the village of O Acebo and what looked like a bar right at the intersection of a road and the Camino. We went inside and were greeted by a quiet older gentleman in what was a very quirky establishment. He had all kinds of paraphernalia and photos lining every inch of the ceiling and walls. It was the perfect place for lunch and to rest for a while!

Feeling refreshed, we continued on our way to A Fonsagrada. There was definitely a difference in the trail once we crossed into Galicia. It seemed much better maintained and had gravel paths and newer pedestrian bridges alongside the roads. The waymarking for the Camino also changed. Instead of the shell on the marker pointing the way, now we had to look at the yellow arrows to guide us.

As we neared our destination for the night, we could see A Fonsagrada in the distance on top of a hill. That’s it in the photo above. My guidebook showed the elevation going straight up for the last 1.5K into town; it was not wrong. What started as a nice walk along a gravel country road turned into a seemingly never-ending uphill climb that tested every ounce of mental and physical strength you could muster. The photo to the left shows the final push to the top and certainly doesn’t do the steepness of the road justice. The views from the top were amazing though!

Since A Fonsagrada is known for pulpo (octopus), we opted to have dinner at a pulporia that evening. Dinner started with bread and a wonderful caldron of caldo followed by a platter of pulpo. While the octopus certainly wasn’t bad, none of us found it to be something we necessarily had to have again. Plus, I kept thinking of the documentary My Octopus Teacher and it made me sad to eat it.

I stayed in a different Albergue than my friends this night and it was probably my least favorite. Overall, it was very nice and modern and had separate, clean bathrooms for men and women and very friendly staff. The thing that made it bad for me was the placement of my bunk. Every Albergue assigns you a bunk and that is where you will sleep. You don’t get to wander around and pick the bed you want. Up to this point, I was always lucky to get a bottom bunk and not to be in an eyeshot of any lights. That ended this night. As the hospitalerio pointed to my bunk, I may have cried a little. It was the top of a free-standing bunk in the middle of the room facing the door that led into the hall and bathrooms. There were also no rails on the side of the bed. I knew I wouldn’t sleep well that night.

I tried to go to bed early but between the fluorescent light over my bed and the dozen people coming and going from the room and me being terrified I might roll off the bed, it was almost impossible to get to sleep. Once the lights were finally turned off and the door closed, I learned to hate the motion-sensor light that would pop on in the hallway every time someone would leave the room to go to the bathroom. That light would hit me right in the face and wake me up. It was a long and sleepless night!