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Melide → Pedrouzo 32.7 km (20.3 mi) |
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¡Boa tarde, meus amigos!
What can be said about today? There were not many historical sites along the way, which meant fewer pictures and more reflection (in the rivers too). Having debated and planned for days on which town to make my last stop before Santiago, I decided on the town of Pedrouzo, a mere 20K ahead of my destination.
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Using the precise markers as break guides, I took my first break of the morning at Ribadiso do Baixo, which means “Upon the lower Río Iso.” There, I sat myself upon a step by the Río Iso and enjoyed a snack while waving to passing peregrinos and the birds swooping low over the water. The river was completely still and reflected the trees perfectly, creating a mirror world under my feet!
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Following this snack break, I continued onward to Arzúa, home to some famous cheeses, like Ulloa! How famous, you ask? This region produces over 3,000 tons of cheese per year! This cheese only comes from the Rubia Gallega, Friesian, and Parda-Alpina breeds of cows and has to be aged from six days to six months, pasteurization optional! It’s supposed to have a very distinct, creamy flavor with a slightly acidic aftertaste, and there are several facilities in town dedicated to cheese tasting. However, after seeing the blocks of cheese for upwards of €8 in shop windows, I decided to move on. I’m more of a chocolate beaver anyway.
In accordance with the recent rules of Galician afternoons, this one turned hot and shadeless. The Camino passed through five more small towns before reaching the point where my guide said I would arrive in Pedrouzo. Not so! I still had 3 more kilometers to go! Had there not been a fountain near Santa Irene, I probably would have passed out from the heat! Then, after weaving back and forth under the freeway, I arrived at the border of Pedrouzo and followed the arrows into the woods.
One kilometer later, I realized that I was actually getting farther from town, or at least, it wasn’t visible at all. I just wasn’t willing to risk an extra 10K, so I backtracked to the edge of the woods and followed the road into town instead. That led me to the Albergue Porta de Santiago, where the hospitalera told me to select a bed. I chose one next to the glass enclosure housing a tree and a burbling fountain! On the roof, folks were doing their laundry to classical music! What a beautiful place to stay!
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I dined with a Swedish couple, and we discussed what it meant to be a peregrino. They reminded me that the title of “peregrino” is very special. Everyone who has set foot on the Camino becomes part of something much greater through their shared, higher experiences, and cannot go home unchanged. As if on cue, a group of Australians piped in, having started in Sarria with the specific intent of doing as little as possible to be considered a peregrino and get their compostelas. When I asked them if they had any other reason for making the journey, one man replied, “I’m looking for the light. There it is!” and pointed toward the sun.
What a thing to hear the night before Santiago! After all the time spent worrying about what I would say to the Inquisition Board, who knew I’d have to face my Camino so soon? I was standing directly between the higher and lower intentions. Where did I belong? Would the Inquisitors see that I wanted to be higher or, as a non-Catholic, consider my intentions to be lower? Would I get the compostela or the tourist certificate, and would one mean I had walked a better Camino than the other?
These were the questions I took with me to bed tonight, and swirling in and around these questions was another, heavier one: What if, one day, I reach the end of my journey and meet George, only to find that the years have made him cranky or lazy or some other trait I don’t remember in him? What would I do then?
Buen Camino!
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Total Distance Walked: 740.5 km (453.9 mi) |
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