Whoa Nelly

February 20, 2022

Day 2 - Arzúa to Palas de Rei not Portomarín

Whew! You know how I was talking about that "what the fuck are we doing" feeling... Well, after the struggles of yesterday, due to unknown reasons, call it cycle madness (cyclopathy?) and the vagaries of accommodation, we decided to go a bit further today than yesterday, to Portomarín.

And there were so many hills!! I had glanced at, though definitely not studied, the gradients of the first few days, but it has been harder than expected. Thank the lord for cafés open on Sundays.

Blessed coffee and free(!!!) sugary snacks near Melide.

Despite being promised "moderate hills" rather than yesterday's "severe hills", today was even harder. Sarah managed to deflate her sleeping mat and the night was pretty cold so suffered a bit. It also rained, which combined with the condensation inside and the humidity led to some drips making it onto our bags and the tent floor.

Would've thought we could make it after such a good breakfast!

The landscape was again beautiful. A bit more overcast today but some great views. There are forests of eucalyptus trees everywhere which are elegant and pale, but can also be spooky with their flayed bark and looming shadows.

Anyone know if these are cultivated for something or just growing wild?

Hard to know what to think of forestry like this, but the smell is amazing.

Lots more farms too, although they tended more towards the tumbledown than they did yesterday.

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Lots of construction too - at one point the road we were following on komoot disappeared into vibrant red earth, while the new road we followed detoured a few dozen metres to the side. We also witnessed a bridge in mid construction, a stubby road jutting out to meet huge concrete pillars.

After much discussion, many breaks, several snacks, some foolhardiness, the eventual truth made itself known to us and we scrambled for a hotel when we got to Palas de Rei. A Romanian man with one foot who told us he had cycled 297,000km over 8 years, 6 months on and 6 off, was very helpful and recommended a hostel and a hotel open for business. After being informed there were only top bunk dorm beds available, we chose the hotel, and spacious and furnished and comfortable it is. It isn't quite yet the penny pinching, wild camping adventure I imagined, but I'm not mad about it. Given the state of our fitness and the constant climbing, I think we are doing pretty well. It is only day 2.

A special thanks to Sarah who's Spanish has rapidly returned from her travelling in South America, and so is making the whole thing not only easier but more fun. Love u babe.

Today's ride: 36 km (22 miles)
Total: 77 km (48 miles)

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