To Santiago de Compostela

October 8

To Santiago de Compostela 20km

What a glorious day! Sunshine made reaching Santiago so much more glorious, and there were many peregrinos who were thinking the same thing. Today's trek followed forests of pine and eucalyptus trees with many coffee stops along the way. Now that there are more peregrinos at this stage of the Camino, the variety and quality of food improves. However it takes a little longer getting into Santiago with more stops along the way. And what a beautiful sight when we arrived in the old town. The cathedral spire was visible from blocks away. 

But what a mistake we made not checking for national holidays. The usual hotel we stay at was booked for the weekend, as were nearby hotels, but fortunately we were referred to a hotel about a few blocks away. The bad luck continued. When we went to book the train to Alicante, they were all full. Lucky there were buses but our travel time doubled from 9 to 18 hours. 

So it goes on the Camino...be patient and be flexible.

To O Pedrouzo

October 7

To O Pedrouzo 18km

What a surprise this morning when leaving Arzua. There are peregrinos from three caminos that converge at Arzua, hence today we were always surrounded by 15-20 peregrinos and there were more coffee stops along the way. However lunch was problematic with restaurants full and long waits. We were spoiled during the Northern Way, never having to wait for coffee or meals, and meeting few people along the way. Today about 50% of the people were walking with day-packs. Not surprising as there are tour companies that will organize hotels and backpack deliveries, which is an excellent way to experience the Camino without the physical rigger required.  At O Pedrouzo there are many hotels, pensiones and albergues to accommodate the throng of peregrinos entering the town.

Mario, HELP me!

Special beer for peregrinos.

1999

To Arzua

October 6

To Arzua 23km

The day started with light rain an a little colder, however eventually the rain ended, with a few sprinkles along the way. The excitement today was the fact we are two days away from completing the Camino. It's hard to believe the trek of 720km is coming to end. Sad but glad, because in a few days after we will be in Alicante enjoying the sand and sun. 

Note to self: pack less! Today we met a young couple who were traveling with packs half our size. 

To Sobrado dos Monxes

October 5

To Sobrado dos Monxes 15km

In the morning there were dark clouds lingering, and within 30minutes of our trek it began to pour for 6 hours. And the wind was strong, blowing the rain sideways. This was not a pleasant day for any of the peregrinos, and many cut their trek short, including us. We found the hotel however the lobby doors were closed and no one was answering the phone. After an hour of waiting, and about to give up, the hostess arrived. It was a relief to shed the wet clothes. When I took off my socks, my feet were wrinkled.

To A Roxica

October 4

To A Roxica 25km

It was "a walk in park", Julie said, but in the rain. The terrain was park-like going through hamlets and mountain hill-tops. It wasn't as cold as expected and the rain was warm on the skin. The cafe stops were few but at one stop we met 10 peregrinos looking for a warm drink and shelter from the rain. As we travelled up the mountain we could see wind turbines in the distance, and therefore not surprising the constant winds. Thank goodness our backpack covers are tied down otherwise they would have blown off. Today was our first albergue experience - common sleeping and dining area, which was an interesting experience. Met people from Holland and Germany and had interesting conversations about the current refugee crisis, VW scandal and reasons we are doing the Camino.  And Elan, the hostess served a fabulous meal. It made for a great evening.

To Baamonde

October 3

To Baamonde 18km (106km to go)

It was a dark and spooky morning, and fricken cold! Time to pack the shorts and unpack the pants. The fog was thick as we made our way through the forest and small hamlets. Lucky day! We had three cafe stops along the way. Not a lot to see in Baamonde. There is a medieval church, and next to it is a hollow tree where a talented local sculpture carved out Virgin Mary inside it.

To Vilalba

October 2

To Vilalba 18km

It was a foggy cool morning and we started our trek at about 8:45am when there was more light. As we walked through the wooded area it sounded like it was raining, but it was the moisture from the fog on the leaves that resulted in water dropping on us like rain. We switched our trek to a secondary road to avoid getting wet. We had no hills and therefore it was a relatively easy walk today. On hilly days we average about 4km per hour. Today, I'm sure we were travelling at 5km per hour. Vilalba is a relatively large town(6,000 population), and only a few attractions - a church and Parador 4-star hotel converted from an old ruler's house and tower. A very impressive hotel!

This horse came out o greet us.

The Parador 4-star hotel

Old hotel switchboard.