I walked today’s stage to Palas de Rei with my friend Mairéad from Ireland.

I met her a few days ago when we both took the “alternate path” to the wrong city, and had to catch taxis to where our lodging was booked.

It was a lovely walk, with no sunrise ascents or descents, and only 22 km. Most of the trail was along a wooded path through farming villages and pastures.

Stopped at a “bar” for a bite to eat about mid-way (everything here is called a “bar”). It was called the Paso de Formiga, which I recognized as having something to do with ants (Formosa from French, formic acid from English). Turns out it is actually Galician, as the Spanish word is the similar hormiga). One of many tiny clues from French that would help with my Galician, and later, my Portuguese.

And what did they have in the garden? Giant, car-sized ant sculptures.

Do you have things like this in California, Mairéad asked. Well, yes, I confessed. There is this thing called Burning Man…

Mairéad sat at a table while I waited in line to get some food. She requested a kind of packaged ice cream that was available almost everywhere along the Camino. Her favorite was the “magnum.” I couldn’t think of the last time I’d seen packaged ice cream, but perhaps it was from ice cream trucks in the 60s.

I got a sello on the way out, as we need to have two stamps per day for the final 100 km. The bar’s stamp had a trail of ants crawling across the border.

Palas de Rei is a small town, with a handful of restaurants and hotels. I had a delicious dinner of Galician octopus, a local specialty.

I have a private room tonight—with 5 beds!—but a shared bathroom across the hall. Quite an elaborate check-in procedure, all done via WattsApp in English and Spanish. Very efficient!

A place down the street opens early for breakfast at 6 AM, so I will get an early start on tomorrow’s long, 29-km stage.