El Camino Portuguese Arcade to Pontevedra

El Camino Portuguese 

Arcade to Pontevedra 

Now that we were in Galicia, there would be many of these granaries to be seen along the route. This was an old granite built granary sitting on six stone staples or mushroom shaped columns to prevent vermin from raiding the larder.

Perhaps yesterdays large arrow was not so unique after all when I found this particular bench down by the water's edge...

...and a more traditional triangular shaped marker with a scallop shell carved near the top...

...all overlooking the Ponte Sampaio bridge over the Rio Verdugo. It was rebuilt in 1795 using the exiting foundations.

It was here, remembered by a plaque on the far side of the river that the Portuguese militia successfully opposed French troops in their plan to recapture Pontevedra and Vigo in June 1809 and forced Marshall Ney to retreat from Galicia.

There was a variation on a theme and the way markers were made of wood, cut into an arrow shape and painted yellow and nailed to trees. This particular one also had a scallop shell painted yellow and nailed to the tree.

Another location where an El Camino tradition lives on. A fence around a factory had had multiple crosses weaved through its wires using sticks to create crosses.

It was a peaceful walk through forest, although mainly up steep slopes but spoiled by a major engineering project cutting a motorway through the hills.

A view of the road as it comes up the hill.

It must have been my lucky day to see four black cats together. There are four cats but it was difficult to see the view finder with the sun over my shoulder and the fourth was just out of shot sniffing the wall to the right.

La Sanataria da Peregrina, an 18th century pilgrim chapel designed by Arturo south with a floor plan in the shape of a scallop and the window above the door also in the shape of a scallop..

The main Plaza de Ourense with the name of the city in case you forgot where you were.

The Convento de San Francisco.

The council offices and tourist information centre and in red ear the bottom centre of the photo in the name of the city just in you had forgotten since walking a couple of hundred metres from the last sign.

I recognised the architectural style immediately as art nouveau although there was no date plaque to be seen but unmistakeable and similar to the facade of the Malmaison Hotel in Newcastle.

The bridge over the Rio Lerez which I would be taking in the morning to escape the city.

In the middle of a pedestrian street was a number...the distance in metres to Santiago de Compostela.

The basilica of Santa Maria A Grande.

A well renowned five way cross roads in the old city called Praza das Cinco Ruas.