Melide to Arzua Day 7 of the Camino

We awaken with the sunshine today. This is indeed something unique this past week. I wondered now how do we dress. The Galician countryside during April has a fickle mind of its own when it comes to weather. But today is a treat and maybe we will get a perfect day after all. So we don the shorts and a light weight T-shirt, but never leave home without your rain pants, jacket, back pack cover, hat, and poncho…just to be safe. You somehow get used to the extra weight on your back and become again like all the other pilgrims putting one step in front of the other and walking with a smile and a purpose.

The Camino is starting to get more crowded as we are now only 45 km (32 miles) from the Cathedral. I think the weekend has added more travelers, as their clothes seem to be nice and clean and no major mud around their boots and other clothing to distinguish them from those who have come much further. Each person determines just how far they think they can walk, depending on time and circumstances. We fit the middle of the pack, but there are others and quite a few actually, who have walked from St. Jean Pied de Port France which when completed will have walked the entire French route which is approximately 764 km or nearly 500 miles. They are the ones I salute for such an incredible sacrifice of time and energy. I believe that our 160 km is about enough for those in their right mind. It does make you wonder however, if you could really pull off the entire Camino de Santiago.

We leave the big city of Melide after we watch the locals setup for their annual festival. We watch the bag- pipers practice their art and their melodious sounds ring out near the Church of the Holy Spirit…it just seems to go along with our mission and makes us start down that first hill with a spring in our step. We traverse mainly small country roads, wooded foot paths, and small streams with stone bridges I am sure were built by pilgrims from centuries past. We walk through the small hamlet of Boente and see the tiny Church of Santiago. I think every village, even those with four or five homes has a church within its boundaries. I think back to a time when most likely there was no shortage of priests and all had a resident pastor to tend to their needs.

We come upon the city of Arzua following another gourmet picnic lunch prepared by our guide Alex and consisting of a wonderful salad, olives, sliced pork, sardines, strawberries, homemade cheese from the local village and of course cookies and cake. And how could you do a Galician picnic without a glass of the local Albarino blanco vino (white wine). I can only say that I am glad we are walking some of these calories off.

I forgot to mention that our typical day begins with a small breakfast around 8:30 usually consisting of cereal, ham and cheese (home made of course), toast, bread, juice, coffee or tea. Lunch is usually around 2:30 as a rule and is usually a stop in a local village or a picnic prepared by our guides, with dinner at 8:30 and always a feast , and always prepared with local ingredients. It all seems to run about two hours later than we do things in America, so that was a little strange at first, but after a week or so you get used to it.

Tomorrow is Sunday and we will walk 11 miles or 19 km and we will again stay at another Galician Pazo (Palace)
which has been in the same family for fifteen generations. Check out the previous post for the link for the web cam in Santiago. Hopefully you will see us on Monday around 9:30 AM ET.

So again it’s…
Buen Camino

Dave and Judy