21. Day 17 - Portomarin to Sambreixo

Well, the bike saga continued for most of the morning. The bike hire company organised a taxi to take Barry and I and our bikes to be repaired yet again, in Malide. The taxi driver had obviously done the trip several times because he drove through narrow roads at a steady 80k/hr without any fear that another vehicle could be coming in the opposite direction. And he apparently had only one hand. Well we could only see one on the steering wheel.
Anyway perhaps the most interesting part of the taxi ride was that we became aware of just how much the volume of pilgrims had increased since Sarria, which you will remember is the starting point for those who walk and want to get the Compostela. Barry counted over 500 people walking as we went 20k. Astonishing.
While we were waiting for the bikes to be repaired we  went for a coffee and snack at a typical Spanish bar where the speciality of the region is whole, boiled octopus. If that didn't temp you, you could have a plate of pigs ears - yum! A beautiful young man from Pennsylvania joined us and and we started chatting as you do on the Camino. He told us that he had originally planned the trip with his girlfriend Heather who was killed last year. So now he is doing it for both of them. He said he was really enjoying it but finding it both emotionally and physically challenging. Yesterday we met a young woman from Mexico who was travelling in a van. Her husband and his friends were doing it on horseback. Moments later they came riding around the corner and made quite a sight riding down the main street on these magnificent animals. The bikes fixed, we decided the ride was not worth doing as it was through a large industrial area, so we gave ourselves permission to have the whole day off and caught another taxi to our accommodation in Sambreixo. Alisha if you are reading this - this is where your friends stayed. Our accommodation is in a magnificent rural setting, on a river about 6 kms off the Camino.  Our room is in a Palloza, a traditional Galician stone house, round in shape with curving thatched roof.  After a long, hot bath and a G & T, we are about to set off on a 6 km hike to explore a castle up on the hill before dinner.