The Route of Stone and Water, then farms and a beach

Leaving the monastery was quiet and we quickly began our descent on the Ruta da pedrae da agua. The babbling waters and the defunct grist mills are beautiful to listen to and to look at.Along the way there was a clearing with a chapel, a fountain and some interesting statues with no explanation. The beauty and the route continues on; we walked for about eight miles totally immersed in the sounds of nature. Then we abruptly and oddly crossed a major intersection. Fortunately we then walked literally at the edge of farms. The farms ended and we wound through hilly suburban homes with small gardens. As we approached a small town we heard music and what sounded like shots being fired. We were greeted by a mini-parade and man shooting off Roman candle fireworks.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UY4ky4cbZos

We felt very special. The town was setting up for a festival with rides, games and food. It was not close to being open, so we forged on. The next crossroads has a statue of a burro. One more turn and we were greeted with a view of a beach; it looked very inviting. We walked along the water and crossed a small pedestrian bridge into the town of Vilanova de Arousa. We bought our ferry tickets for the next morning and, as you can imagine, headed for a restaurant by the river. The food was plentiful and delicious. Pilgrim pricing is amazing. Several other pilgrims joined our table and we once again recapped our experiences on today’s stage two of the Spiritual Variant. We are all on the 8:00am ferry. We have all experienced a special moment together. This new route is not incredibly popular and because of that, it allows the few who choose it to have a special bond. The Camino provides.