“Una copa de vino blanco de la casa por favor,” I said to our server.
The woman taking our order was the owner of the both the café and also the adjoining albergue (hostel) in which we were sleeping that night. In fact, Natalia and I had given her all our dirty clothes a few hours ago to launder in her washing machine.
I was more than a little pleased with myself for remembering how to order a cup of house white wine in Spanish. All those years of high school Spanish classes were coming in handy now!
She asked me to confirm my order and said something in Spanish that I couldn’t understand. So I nodded my head yes.
Selfie time on the Camino! From left to right: Natalia, Katy
After she walked away, Natalia leaned across the table and confided: “I don’t think they serve your typical house wine here. They might actually *make* their own wine in-house.”
Oh. That was interesting. Usually the term “house wine” just means a bottle of something inexpensive. That being said, I adore Spanish wines. In Spain, even the cheapest wine is usually amazing.
Sure enough, when our hostess returned a few minutes later, she had a silver pitcher full of wine in her hands.
This wine had apparently come straight from the cask. It was a deep amber color which was a few shades darker than your typical white wine.
I couldn’t wait to try it!
Vino Blanco de la Casa
Table of Contents
Good Morning O Porriño
Earlier that morning, Natalia and I started our day in the town of O Porriño. We had a leisurely morning and lingered over breakfast at a nearby café before setting out.
The plan for the day was to walk along the Portuguese Camino (Camino Portugués) to the city of Redondela. The town was only 15.5 km (9.6 miles) away so it was going to be my shortest day on the Camino so far.
Needless to say we weren’t in any particular hurry.
The view out our hotel window. Sunset comes an hour earlier in Spain!
Welcome to O Porriño, pilgrims!
Walking through a tunnel on the way out of town
Natalia strikes a pose next to the Zona de Tránsito de Peregrinos sign
Only 100 km to Go!
Not long after leaving O Porriño, we passed the 100 km marker. This meant that we we only had 100 km (62 miles) to go until reaching Santiago!
From here on out, the trail markers would all be in double digits instead of triple digits. Woop woop!
100 kilometers until Santiago!
Walking through vineyards in the countryside
Another lovely village church
Lunch at O Alpendre TaperÃa
A couple hours later, we arrived in the municipality of Mos. It’s a charming little village and would be a great place to stop for a night on the Camino.
We hadn’t walked far enough today to justify sleeping here. But I filed this little piece of information away for later in case I came this way again.
Before leaving, however, we stopped for lunch at O Alpendre TaperÃa. This restaurant is right on the Camino and draws an interesting mix of pilgrims and other tourists, as well and locals.
Downtown Mos (if one could even call it a “downtown”)
Yummy lunch at O Alpendre TaperÃa
Another traditional hórreo (grain storage building)
Another (Smaller) Hill
After lunch, we steeled ourselves for another uphill climb. Thankfully, this hill was much shorter than the Alto Da Portelo which we ascended a few days ago.
It was still a good workout, however, and we were both glad to finally reach the top.
Climbing the hill
We made it over the hill! Yay! Time for another selfie.
A rare photo of me from the back, courtesy of Natalia.
Albergue O Corisco
As Natalia and I descended the other side of the hill, we came across an albergue nestled in the hillside.
Albergue O Corisco is a family-run hostel and café located in the small hamlet of Padrón near Saxamonde.
Even though we were still 3.5 km (2.2 miles) away from Redondela, we decided to call it a day. We liked the look of the hostel and essentially had it to ourselves. Plush, they provided laundry services for a reasonable fee and we could get dinner at the café right next door.
We also thought it would nice to stay in the countryside instead of sleeping in a city. So it was an easy decision to make.
Outdoor seating at the O Corisco Café
Natalia and I splurged on this cute 2-person bedroom rather than staying in the hostel’s dorm bunk beds.
The view from the street near our albergue
Homemade Vino de la Casa
And that is how Natalia and I found ourselves drinking homemade wine at the O Corisco Cafe later that evening.
My amber-colored white wine had a hint of a sour tang to it, which I quite liked.
I noticed that we were the only pilgrims in the café. The other patrons were all elderly locals who were watching an old western movie on tv.
Natalia noticed that these gentleman were all drinking red wine served in white bowls. She quickly realized that they must be drinking the vino tinto de la casa (house red wine).
So of course she ordered a bowl. I tried a sip and it was really interesting. It was a very young wine and tasted something like alcoholic frothy grape juice.
After dinner, we headed next door to the albergue. On the way, we happened to pass an open door leading to the basement level. We peeked inside and found an entire room filled with casks of fermenting wine.
Aha! This is where the magic happens. Very cool.
Vino tinto de la casa
These guys are all engrossed with the western movie playing on TV (dubbed into Spanish)
Where the magic happens!
Portuguese Camino Stats
Date: Thursday, October 14
Starting Location: Pension Cando in O Porriño, Spain
Ending Location: Albergue O Corisco in Saxamonde/Padrón, Spain
Camino Distance Walked: 7.5 miles/ 12 km (3.5 km from Redondela)
Distance to Santiago: 53 miles/ 85.6 km
AllTrails Map Recording
See below for a recording from today’s walk along the Camino Portugués. Note: I had some technological issues and the recording today was broken into two parts.
Part I
Part II
Stamps Collected Today
A Francachela cafe
O Alpendre TaperÃa
Albergue O Corisco
Continue Reading
- Previous journal entry:Â Portuguese Camino Day 9: The Magnificent Tui Cathedral
- Next journal entry:Â Portuguese Camino Days 11 & 12: A Sick Day
For more information about my pilgrimage along the Camino Portugués, visit my Portuguese Camino web page.
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