Albergue: 6€
Food: 14€ (we ate out for lunch and stocked up for a couple of days)
15 miles or so today, October 29. Lugo is a very interesting city and nice to be in and rest for a while. Like the whole afternoon, as we arrived just past 1pm!
I walked with Tash today, faster than I walked yesterday, but she said slower than she walked, so we both compromised. It was a bit chilly to start, but not as cold as prior days. Probably because it was overcast and hadn’t cooled during the night.
We had a coffee and bread in the morning near our albergue and made plans to stop again after a couple of hours. Signs promised coffee and cold drinks, but the first place was closed and the second consisted of two vending machines and some tables and chairs. It was a nice place to sit, anyway, and we just ate our own food we had carried with us. We saw Javi there and walked with him a while, then stopped again and he continued. We saw him and the other guys later in Lugo.
Today was a good day to have someone to walk with. Lots of road and lots of buildings. Not to industrial, which was quite nice, but still a definite approach to a city.
Once we found the albergue and checked in, Tash, Vittorio, and I went to lunch in the city. We all got the special because it came with meat, fries, salad, bread, drink, and dessert, all for 6.5€. Quite a good deal. I also went grocery shopping, did laundry, and wandered around the city. I went up on the city walls, then sat in a plaza and people-watched and updated the blog.
I headed to the cathedral for Mass at 8pm and arrived to find they have perpetual adoration! I could not bring myself to get in a good position to take a picture, so you’ll just have to believe me when I say it was absolutely beautiful! Lots of silver and tons of candles making everything glimmer and shine. The walls and arch overhead were painted with great detail and lots of color. So beautiful to look at and what a wondrous surrounding for our Lord in the monstrance. Which actually was a permanent fixture above the high altar, with a silver cover that hid our Lord with the push of a button as Mass started.
I do not know how many people were at Mass because I was sitting towards the front and there were side sections facing the middle but behind large pillars, so I could only really see the 4 people in front of me and the lady next to me. Who was an absolute sweetheart! Quite a bit shorter than I, plump and elderly. She could tell I was not a regular and I confirmed it for her when I told her I was a pilgrim. Which got her all excited and telling me about the church. She introduced me to her Son and said they had done the Primitivo before. She said she was on night adoration and stayed at the church until 2am, but that I had to go because they needed to lock up the church. Then she made me let her give me kisses on the cheek and told her son to walk me to the albergue. Which he didn’t, but it was sweet of her to offer!
andreaonthecamino 