Country Roads & Roman Walls
Hiking Day 33 May 12
Lugo to Ferreira
Miles 17.5
Total miles 471.8
Ascent 1432’
Descent 1230’
Last night we stayed in Lugo, an ancient city which is the only city in the world surrounded by intact Roman walls. The wall around the city stands between 26-40 feet high and 13-23 feet thick.There are 10 gates and 71 towers and you can walk along the top of the walls for 1.3 miles around the old city. Lugo was settled by Celtic inhabitants of the region. In 13 BCE the city was conquered by the Romans who built the walls over several decades in the 4th century. Despite the monumental defenses, the city was lost by the Romans in the fifth century. Later the city was ceded to the Suebi and Visigoths.
After a period of decline, the city rebounded and became a center of pilgrimage during the Middle Ages for pilgrims on the way to Santiago.
Last evening we walked on the walls over looking the city and enjoyed a wonderful dinner. We start the day today by walking past the Cathedral of Santa Maria in the city center and then continue out the city walls as we head south across the Mino River on a Roman bridge.
Walking the Roman walls of Lugo
Cathedral of Santa Maria
Shrimp with garlic in boiling olive oil
Today is a day of country roads. We are hiking mostly on pavement, with a few short areas on unpaved paths. The roads are through farmland and along mostly quiet rural roads, narrow with no shoulders, no center lines, and no edge markings. Just the old back country roads in the midwest US.
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| Rural country roads |
The weather is cooler and cloudy which makes for very pleasant walking. We reunite with a few hikers that we have not seen for several days and hear of some injury recoveries that have some walkers back “on the road again”. You never know when you will see someone who you thought was now either far ahead or far behind. Interesting how things seem to even out.
Tonight we are staying at a rural Casa in the middle of no where. It has only 5 rooms and is also where we get drinks and have dinner…the only place in miles for both of those activities!
Our rural Casa in the middle of no where!
A stone arch bridge less than a minute’s walk from the Casa
Tomorrow will be a transition day. We will complete the Camino Primitivo just before we reach our destination for the day and we will finishing our adventure ion the Camino Frances. Our last three day of hiking will be on the Frances. The number of pilgrims will be increasing to unimaginable numbers. Instead of a few hikers per day, we will be seeing hundreds or more each day.
Those last 40 miles into Santiago will be a zoo! And just like going to the zoo, there will be lots of interesting things to see and enjoy!!
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