Palas de Rei to Santiago de Compostela!

Palas de Rei- Melide-Arzua-Arca do Pino

The next four days was a gradual and lengthened descent from the town of Palas De Rei at 560m to 260m elevation at our final destination of Santiago de Compostela. However, the Camino was never without a few steep hills here and there thrown in for good measure!

These were days of crossing shallow river valleys, clambering over stones and rocks as we crossed small babbling streams and walking through woodland forests. The countryside was beautiful and that vibrant green of the grass in the meadows was always so uplifting.

One of the most memorable and surprising of this stage was the Eucalypt forests we walked through. We learned later, that these trees were grown for the wood pulp industry.

The strange sensation was that it felt like being home in our Australian bush, but there was nothing Australian about this environment! The trees were planted in rows and the only sound was an occasional robin darting across the pathway. Our Australian bush is so noisy- but here, not an animal, a bird, an insect. No wonder the early Europeans in our country documented that they nearly were driven mad by the noise and strangeness of the environment!

Still, it was comforting to be walking over fallen gum leaves strewn across the pathway, like a red carpet paving our way to Santiago de Compostela.Read more