Day 45 – To Arzua

Melide to Arzua – 14 Kms, 20,761 steps

Given the short distance to Arzua and my lengthy walk yesterday, I decided to take it very easy today. I slept the deep sleep of the exhausted, then I got up a little later than usual, had a good breakfast, and didn’t leave Melide until 9:00 AM.

Once again, I had a cloudy, cool start and then it warmed up and the sun came out. It was 54 F when I left, so I wore a long-sleeved tee-shirt and a windbreaker. As it warmed up, I shed the windbreaker and later rolled up my long sleeves. When I arrived in Arzua, it was 64 F. Does’t seem like much of a temperature change, does it? Well, there was fog in the morning and the humidity went way down by midday. And, I was going up some long and steep climbs, which definitely warms you up.

There was a crowd of pilgrms around me when I left Melide but it had stretched out and dissipated by 10:30. It was hard to tell if the national holiday was affecting cafes and bars along the Camino, as many were open.

Another pilgrim and I were talking about the one thing we all tend to gloss over when we look back on our Camino: this is hard. It’s hard to walk this distance every day, and many of the ascents and descents are really tough. Then there’s the weather. No matter what anyone else tells you, this is a difficult undertaking.

After reaching Santiago, a lot of pilgrims carry on to Finisterre on the Atlantic Coast, another 88 Kms, extending their Camino by 4-5 days. I’ve never been interested in doing that but, more importantly, I’m not sure I could do it. I’m using up just about everything I’ve got in the tank to get to Santiago.

Despite my efforts to take it easy, I still arrived in Arzua at noon, and had to wait an hour before I could check into my hotel. I waited over a cafe con leche, watching cars, locals, and pilgrims go by on the main drag.

It’s really starting to hit me now: the day after tomorrow I’ll be in Santiago! Has it really been 45 days? I’ve got 18 Kms to O Pedrouzo tomorrow and I imagine there will be a collective sense of anticipation from my fellow pilgrims on the Camino. Just two more days!