Melide to O Pedrouzo, Spain - October 11

Melide was quiet when we set out around 8:00am to begin our second to last day of walking. With lots of elevation change and over 21 miles to cover, today will be a challenge. Thankfully, there are quite a few small villages along the way, and much of the of the walking will be along well groomed paths through beautiful forests.

We hadn’t gone far when we could hear someone playing loud music ahead of us. Our first reaction was, oh boy, someone brought their boom box (yup, dates me right?). As we walked over a small rise in the trail we found the source of the music. A man was seated next to the path where he had setup an electic keyboard complete with portable power supply and an aplifier! No idea how far he carried these items, as there was not a cart, vehicle etc. in sight. He sounded quite good, albeit a bit loud for early moring in the woods before coffee :). We gave him the all the euro coins we had in our pockets. Sorry for the lousy photo - I only took video of him playing, so had to grab a screenshot.

We continued on our way. We had read many warnings from other pilgrims posts and books about how difficult it would be walking through Galicia. We should expect cold, wind and lots of rain during October. Mother Nature must have taken pity on us because the weather for our walk through Galicia was beautiful every day save the first morning when we had really high, cold winds. This stage of the walk was easily my favorite. The scenery is amazing, many small villages along the way with food and supply options (as stated in a previous post). Nothing like walking through the forest, hills and mountains in the fall.

We did come across a couple of spots where trail work was being done. There even was a temporary detour (just to remind us of getting around back home…). Worth mentioning here how well groomed and maintained the Camino is. From our start in France, all the way to Santiago the majority of The Way was well marked, and in excellent condition. Very much appreciated.

Detour!

We came across some fun interesting sights during the afternoon which helped to take away the drudgery of walking, walking, and walking some more.

This one is for Sunita! Translation: “You can’t buy happiness but you can buy a beer. A smile is free!”

Unlike Olga the walking machine, I found myself moving a little slower than usual. At the end of the day today we will have walked nearly 70 miles in three days, and I am a bit worn down. As a result, it was nearly 4:30pm by the time we arrived in Pedrouzo and caught up with Sunita. We had a private room with a ton of windows and a great view of the town. We had shower, dinner and then sat down to relax…. uh, except Olga who did her normal “I want to explore the town!”. Me: have fun! See you later :).

We arrive in Santiago tomorrow. Can’t believe we are almost there. Buen Camino!