Arzūa to O Podrouza, Spain

This morning the 3 of us met for breakfast and excitedly started clipping the kilometers down. The weather was cool enough for a light jacket for about 15 minutes and about 15 minutes after that the long sleeve top came off. There was a huge train of people on the Camino today. The routes have joined and ohh dear it’s a bit of a jolt to the system! About 3000 people were granted a Compostela yesterday!!Many of them smelled of perfume, hair was cutely done, colorful clothing, clean shoes, WHITE SOCKS, makeup…you get the idea. The rest of us sweaty long haulers were making our way through the crowds, doing it politely as possible, saying “Buen Camino” as we passed them out of courtesy and respect. Maybe all they had time for was the last 100km (5 days). Maybe they don’t have the time or money for a month on the road, but wanted to see what it was like? Maybe they have health issues preventing them from enduring the whole thing? All sorts of reasons. But..why do they get the same Compostela as those who walk an entire route? Doesn’t matter. Everyone does their own Camino and there is no room for judging, and if one finds themselves doing that, then maybe they need to keep walking? Back to today. So so many cafe options. It seemed like every kilometer there was a cafe and another stamp opportunity. Where were all these stops the last 800km??!! I think I collected 6 stamps today. I filled up my first book yesterday and started a new one, and it just looked sad had I only got one or 2, so I got several. We arrived in this town at about 2:15 and it was so hot. 82*. Our room has air conditioning, so after a shower, bite to eat downstairs, we were back up to the room to get laundry put away, e-mail the luggage storage guy to make arrangements to get our suitcases tomorrow, and now chilling in a cool room. We are setting out at 4am in the morning to not only beat the heat (supposed to be 88* in Santiago tomorrow, typically it is raining buckets), but also to make it to the noon mass. It’s the big day. The day I have been working so hard to get to for the last month. So many challenges and discoveries physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It’s bittersweet, always is. Excited to go back to my blessed life, family and friends, but also going to miss the pure simplicity of all this…just walk, eat, sleep, repeat.Read more