Rua/O Pino to Santiago
13 miles
5/25/2019

No messing around today...vitamins, juice, 2 cappuccinos and toast for breakfast. Advil for the poor little toes. On the trail by 7:30 AM with my diet trifecta - tangerines, power bars and water. I knew the line for the Compostela (certificate) would involve almost 2 hours of waiting, so I wanted to try to line up before the masses showed up around 3 PM.

The trail, thankfully, was almost all woodland and forests. I knew I was humming at a pretty good pace when I reached this marker past my halfway mark. No horses came by the entire route and only 2 crazy cyclists. So it was as peaceful as the first few days I spent on the Primitivo.

I had plenty of time to photograph some beautiful stone churches and buildings as well.

This stone church had cemetery plots lining both sides as far as the eye could see.

Up one more climb, down about 25 steps and we arrived on the outskirts of Santiago and a park with the monument of the 2 pilgrims dedicated to the Camino.

I don't know how many miles we walked after entering the outskirts of the city, but I knew we weren't absolutely near the end until we saw the Cathedral spires. And just as I was beginning to give up hope, there they were - as beautiful as I remembered from October 2015 - even with the scaffolding.

Before we entered the main square, we enjoyed the 2 young women providing a festive feeling with their Galicia Celtic music.

https://youtu.be/Jwhqwa023qo

I joined 2 Canadian couples who were also using Camino Ways for their trip as we reached the old town and the Cathedral square. Now came the challenging part - where were we supposed to go to get our Compostela?  I had been told by Eric and others that this could prove to be very difficult, but the 5 of us finally found it after not too long. We timed our waiting in line to be 1 hour 45 minutes, but didn't care because we worked hard for that certificate, and if we tried later more people would be in line and it would take even longer.

When we joined the end of the line I ran into Suzana, gave her a hug and asked how her ankle was doing. She told me pretty much the same and once again thanked me for being there for her. I told her the greatest gift she could give me was to keep in touch to let me know where her life was going.

I was helped by a young, really nice Italian guy, who, after noting my surname in my passport, asked me if I was Italian and I said my paternal grandfather and grandmother were both from Italy. We had a wonderful conversation as he examined my stamps to make sure I had 2 for every day I was in Galicia (a rule put into place because of the rampant cheating done by the pilgrims who did not really complete the Camino). All was well. And he was kind enough to put my total distance in miles instead of kilometers after I told him none of my friends would understand how far I actually walked unless the certificate stated miles. I did pay the extra 3 Euros for the original Compostela in Latin - which will be framed after I return home. 

When we were leaving with our fresh Compostelas, I ran into Bev, who was just getting in line to get hers.

Once that challenge was dealt with the 5 of us had a short walk to our hotel right next to the Cathedral. The 2 couples decided to get cleaned up and crash, but I wanted to get some more photos of the old town because it was such a gorgeous day; try to find some Camino peeps and grab a bite and a beer.

While we were waiting to check in the hotel, a woman who looked very familiar to me walked up and said, "Barb?" I said, "yes" and realized I did know this woman, and I knew her from one of my OAT adventures, but my mind was pretty worn out so I had to ask her name and which trip. Once she said Alix and our Croatia trip in 2017, I recognized her immediately. She was traveling to Santiago to meet up with some American friends who finished the Camino. I could not believe that she not only recognized me but also asked me about my knees - commenting that they must be great since I just completed the Primitivo. It was great seeing her again and reconnecting!

So, off to see if I could find the Arcadia crew to see if they were able to get on the Finisterre day tour tomorrow in the hopes that I could meet their professors and see them one more time for drinks before we all returned to the states. I was pretty sure I'd find them waiting in the Compostela line and sure enough there were 3 hardy souls who waiting in line almost 2 hours for their Compostela. Turns out they are going to Finisterre, but we're not sure until tomorrow if we're in the same group.

Arzua to Rua/O Pino
11.2 miles
5/24/2019

It's not even 8 AM yet and pilgrims are pouring out of the hotels and albergues on both sides of the trail. It sounds like the Tower of Babel and reminds me of the Columbia Pike buses making their way toward and away from the Pentagon and Washington DC. during the Arlington, Virginia morning and afternoon rush hours. There is a building cacophony with so many different languages and accents - like a model, smaller-scale United Nations. After today, we are one more stage from the Cathedral and the Compostela and our final pilgrimage destination. (My feet cannot wait to get back to flip flops).

Bicycles are driven at breakneck speed around and through us vulnerable hikers. (Most of the cyclists not even warning us with a bell or a verbal alert). Even the horses are multiplying and almost stepping on some of us. Plus they are adding horse manure to the cow patties, which we are trying desperately not to step in - like that will really make a difference to everything else on our boots.

The villagers are actively clearing their property, farming and keeping us supplied with food and drink along the way.

There is a hilarious biergarten with what appears to be thousands of empty beer bottles containing messages in every nook imaginable. Of course, just my luck, the first bottle I zoom in on for a possible photo has a penis drawn on it (sorry, no photo taken. I had my fill of illustrated penises in Bhutan. Feel free to check out that blog to see some of the most intriguing photos I have ever taken).

Beer - it's what's for breakfast according to these 2 Spaniards!

Recycling your boots. 
No need to add any organic matter - it's already present.

I am so envious of the amazing vegetable gardens almost every has. The cooler, rainy climate and the perfect soil easily keep the villagers in fresh produce year round.

I finally arrive at our beautifully renovated stone hotel, Casa de Acivro in Rua-Pedrouzo. I made really good time - arriving in 4.5 hours, around 1:30 PM. When the proprietor asked me what time I wanted to eat dinner, I asked him what times were available (usually the choices are 7:30 PM or 8 PM). He replied, "any time you want." Well, my luggage hadn't arrived yet and I was starving so I asked him, "How about now?"  He didn't even blink an eye, and he even walked over to the hotel restaurant with me to let them know my dinner was already paid for and I was ready to order from the dinner menu (2 courses; basket of sourdough bread; beer, wine or water; choice of coffee/tea or dessert). By the end of these enormous 2 courses, I chose coffee/tea - until I saw flan - and then it was no contest.

Just as course #1 was placed in front of me (a vegetable lasagna that could easily feed 2 adults), another woman came in to eat. She was seated at her own table behind me (sometimes very strange how solo travelers are treated). When she spoke to the waiter in English, I asked her if she was from England. She was and we both laughed when she asked if she could join me. So I met Bev and we sat there eating and talking for a couple of hours. She was lots of fun and quite interesting.

Toward the end of dinner I saw 3 young women come in and yell, "Barb!"  Lo and behold, some of the Arcadia University women tracked me down. They are late risers so they were at least an hour behind me starting out. Apparently they saw me in the window and came in to say hello and exchange email addresses. I introduced Bev to them (Bev had met the professors who are traveling with the students, but I apparently missed meeting them the other night). 

Anyway, time to crash and dream about the last stage of an incredible adventure...

Melide to Arzua
8.7 miles
5/23/2019

Wow! After multiple days of double digit distances, we got a break with one under 10 miles. And I must admit it did seem quite easy, especially since I did complete it within the estimated time of 3.5 hours - even though I took my time and paused for several photos. 

Some time was even spent trying to decide which was the way to go at two different split points. I consulted my route notes at the first one, sharing with the small group gathering at the Camino board that going right was suggested for hikers and left to the paved roads for cyclists. So off to the right we went into a quiet woodland trail (where the cyclists were our biggest threat). BTW, this was the first day we actually had anyone riding horseback on the trail (another option for travelers). 

At the second split point at least eight women were discussing which way to go - my route notes were vague; another woman couldn't get a signal on her phone; but Suzana (25-year old from Brazil) said that going left was 300 meters longer according to her GPS. Well that was all it took for all eight of us to go straight ahead without the slightest bit of hesitation.

From that point until we reached Arzua, Suzana and I walked together - with our initial conversation focused on her struggle with walking on an extremely sore ankle. She spoke both English and Portuguese and was very easy to chat with on a wide range of subjects. When we reached Arzua, I offered to treat her to lunch - which we decided had to include a beer and a bacon/cheese bocadillo. 

Suzana was no stranger to a bocadillo, but this was her first (and she assured me, not her last) bacon/queso one. (This one was the third one for me). It's the best with an ice cold beer!

Now that we reached our destination for the day and could enjoy a relaxing lunch, we discussed our reasons for doing our first Camino. When she shared with me her concern that at 25 she had not figured out what to do with her life, I laughed and tried to convince her that at 67 I was still working on that myself. It certainly didn't help that her parents were both doctors or that her older brother had followed his plan at 25. She already had a degree in psychology but had not found it to be as fulfilling as she had hoped. 

I tried to be helpful by sharing my stories of disappointment that actually proved to be turning points in both my personal and professional life and by encouraging her be open to life and its many unexpected opportunities. We shared email addresses and wished each other well before heading off to our separate hotels.

I met 8 wonderful young women from Arcadia University (just north of Philadelphia) at dinner tonight (2 recent graduates). The University was helping sponsor them on their Camino. They were a delightful group majoring in the sciences, the humanities and music - so enjoyed chatting with them and will look for them these last 2 stages of the route.

It's interesting to meet more English-speaking nationalities now that we are on the shorter route to Santiago. There are more young and retired Americans, more Brits and my first Irish and Denmark folks. Truly a model UN. I absolutely love it!

Ferreira to Melide
13 miles
5/22/2019

I should have taken a couple of photos of the old Roman bridge and the prayer chapels last afternoon but couldn't manage to walk another meter, especially after relaxing with a beer and some olives. Leaving this morning I felt like I was in the English countryside with the low-lying fog instead. Oh well, lesson learned. I think the photos are still okay.

Almost every house had these structures nearby which served as granaries. Typically they contained corn cobs for the other smaller farm animals from the corn fed to the cows. They were built of either wood or stone (now more stone for its sturdiness against the elements) on a platform so they wouldn't get wet. They usually had round bases that the frame rested on - like the 2nd photo below. These were added so mice could not enter the granary - instead they slid off the sloped circular bases. They also had a religious and a pagan symbol at either end of their peaked roof to keep evil away and gods nearby. (Apparently witchcraft is still going strong in Galicia).

It didn't take long for the sun to burn off the morning fog during the first challenging ascent on the highway. And it didn't take much longer for those 3 crazy Italians to catch up with me. They invited me to join them for pulpo (octopus) at the best restaurant for this dish in Melide (arguably the best town for pulpo). I would have gone with them if I hadn't already reserved dinner at my hotel instead. After all, I was the only one to attempt squid gelato back in Spain in October 2015. (BTW, it was gross)!

Massimo on the move.

Pietro, Massimo and Enzo.

After the second serious ascent, it was swiftly changing to Florida-like weather (minus the humidity), so I unzipped the legs from my convertible pants and finished this stage of the route with more comfortable shorts. 

When I arrived at my hotel within the approximate time based on the distance, my luggage was not there. I realized this might happen because this was the only hotel change to occur since my booking. Apparently Camino Ways forgot to alert the transportation guy that I was relocated so he delivered my luggage to the original hotel.  Once we contacted them, all was resolved and the luggage was delivered within about 20 minutes. 

However, what was more than interesting was the type of room I was assigned to. Mine was the only room on the ground floor - designated as the handicap-accessible room - and tucked into a little hideaway located behind the reception desk. The bathroom was very large and had a fold-down seat in the shower, and the room itself was double the size of a standard room. In my mind I have decided that this was my reward for somehow giving up my original room to help Camino Ways solve a problem they were confronted with. So I will consider this a win-win.

Dinner was very good - lentil soup, spaghetti bolognese, sourdough bread (of course) and a carafe of tinto.  Perfect amounts and great carbs to fuel the fire for tomorrow.

Lugo to Ferreira
16.2 miles
5/21/2019

There are some interesting subtle and not-so-subtle changes that this section and the succeeding sections of the Primitivo route takes... 

• There is far more hiking being done on paved roads (3 hours this morning alone before we even entered one pine forest).
• The number of pilgrims is increasing but not overwhelming yet. 
• It becomes very easy to spot those who have been traveling the route from the very beginning in Oviedo - they are setting a mean pace now that the conditions are somewhat easier.
• Clothing and shoe selection of those just starting in Lugo are questionable for the distance to be covered.
• Physical preparation is lacking in those starting in Lugo.

Galician guard at the bridge crossing leaving Lugo.

I liked this colorful neighborhood and its rock wall.

Gorgeous stone churches and homes.

Our hotel in Ferreira, the Casa da Ponte, was amazing! The lovely couple, who were the proprietors, lived in London for a while before moving to Spain. They couldn't do enough for us. Upon arrival, I enjoyed a beer and plate of green olives while relaxing in their garden.  (Very common in Spain - would be a great combination at home after mowing the lawn).

Dinner was absolutely delicious - homemade noodle soup, potato tortilla, thinly sliced pork loin (which I could smell up in my room hours before dinner), salad, sourdough bread, wine (at no extra charge), coffee or tea and Camino cake (a wonderful citrus-scented torte with sprinkled powdered sugar.  I ate nearly everything and almost polished off that bottle of wine as well. (The best part of traveling solo is that your plate is at its own table - which means so is your very own bottle of tinto (red wine).

I met a delightful group of Belgians who just started the Camino in Lugo. Three were retired and five were still working. They definitely seem to know how to party so I'm hoping to run into them again soon.

Enjoying a day off in Lugo
5/20/2019

After a nice relaxing breakfast in the hotel, and with directions in hand for the closest ATM location, I made my way to the Roman Wall and historic center of Lugo. No sooner had I entered Porta de San Pedro and walked a few steps when I heard men yelling my name from somewhere above. I cannot believe that the Italians - Massimo, Pietro and Enzo - were yelling my name from the 2nd story of the albergue they  were staying in just as I walked below. And, I must admit that I love how these European men pronounce my name with all three of its syllables, with the accent on the first one. Sounds so much better than just Barb.

When I went back into the walled town again for a late lunch at Las Cinco Vigas, those three wandered in and sat at the table next to me! BTW, the baby sea scallops I had were truly amazing! The only problem was that there weren't enough of them. And the omnipresent sourdough bread was perfect for mopping up the melted butter in each shell. I would eat there again if I had another day in Lugo!

After the ATM I headed directly to the Cathedral e Museo Diocesano - stunning inside and out. It took me a while, but I finally got the credential (now only one cathedral left for the trifecta). The challenge was in finding the stamp, but finally a priest saw me enter an area that was somewhat restricted. When he saw that a just wanted a stamp for the Camino he was relieved; started chatting with me in rapid-fire Spanish (I don't know how they do that without taking a breath); then he handed me a holy card, then another holy card and when he was just reaching for a third, I said very sincerely no thank you as nicely as I could. He seemed genuinely hurt, but I'm not even interested in organized religion so I'd really have no use for holy cards.

Some interesting factoids about the Cathedral...

• the building of the Romanic temple began in 1129
• in the 14th century the original chancel was replaced by the circular nave and Gothic apse chapels
• later renaissance and baroque additions were made with 18th century facade

I took a photo of the town hall, Casa do Concello, before strolling around the full circuit of he Roman wall, taking interesting photos.

Praza Maior

Some interesting factoids about the Roman Wall...

• constructed in the 3rd century and still largely intact
• has a length of 1.24 miles around the historic center of Lugo
• contains 13 portas (entry passages)
• it is the only roman wall in the world that is complete
• declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000

Ronda Da Muralla

Eventually back to the hotel room to relax and pack for another walking adventure tomorrow.