Day 37: Ponte Compaña to Ribadiso 21.1 Kilometers

Municipal Albergue de Ribadiso Da Baxio 8€

We left the albergue early (for us) today at 7:15 this morning.

Knowing that we want to stay in the municipal albergue in Ribadiso tonight inspired us to get moving and head out a bit earlier than normal.

Most municipal and parochial albergues do not reserve beds. The talk among the pilgrim community is that there are more pilgrims than normal and albergues are filling up fast.

We normally book our beds a day or two ahead to ensure there will be a place to sleep when we arrive. But that’s not an option tonight for Ribadiso.

It was still cold when we started walking. The trail side outdoor seating that’s normally full of pilgrims was still empty.

We grabbed a quick Spanish tortilla and cafe con leche to warm up and got right back to the trail. We kept a pretty good pace and tried not to let too many things distract us.

We had to stop to visit the sheep and feed them fresh grass from our side of the fence. The whole “grass is always greener” thing apparently applies to sheep too.

We couldn’t pass up a bridge and a kilometer marker together. 54.139k to go!

Melide, Spain is known for their pulpo (octopus). I have been looking forward to it ever since I had lunch here in 2016.

We were so happy to find Pulpería A Garnacha open, and handing out samples, as we passed through at 9:45 this morning.

To make a perfect day even better, some of my favorite pilgrims were already at a table with room for two more. Pulpo and peppers for everyone!

Time for a 2nd breakfast/1st lunch combo with some Pulpo and Padrón Peppers, another Galician specialty.

As we arrived at Albergue Ribadiso, we were greeted by Jennifer, a volunteer hospitalera from the US, with a tray full of candy.

There was only one other pilgrim that had arrived and checked in before us. The hospitaleros told us that they have only been about half full each night and expect to have plenty of room tonight too.

The Municipal Albergue in Ribadiso da Baixo is one of the oldest pilgrim hospitals in the Galicia Spain. The original hospital was built sometime in the 13th century, and the doors are still open for pilgrims today.

This rustic albergue is run by volunteers, many who have walked the Camino Frances multiple times. All the volunteers are so sweet and offer water and a sweet treat upon arrival.

The large sleeping room has sets of bunk beds with the showers and bathrooms in a completely different building.

We were assigned beds in a bunk room of 40 beds and quickly headed out to relax by the river.

We sat by the bridge and cheered on other pilgrims as they arrived

The sun setting behind the Albergue