Arzua

It’s really amazing what a day can make. Yesterday I texted my friend Denise, ready to throw in the towel (she said don’t you dare you’ll regret it and a few other choice words I won’t share on here 😂). It was such a trying day. Between the never ending rain, so many pilgrims on the trail, and the laundromat fiasco, I was so done. I woke up at 2:30am this morning, opened the window and it was still raining…I was so disappointed, but didn’t dwell on it and went back to sleep. We woke up at 7, got all our stuff together, and stepped out to go to breakfast only to be greeted by just enough rain to need the rain gear. Come on, enough already. But, we just rolled with it. A few hours into the walk the rain stopped so we peeled it off, had a break, and I think it was from there on where I was so happy I didn’t give up after yesterday. We walked through beautiful eucalyptus forests, ferns growing everywhere, saw rivers, streams, and walked along wooded dirt tracks most of the day. There was a lot of mud on the trail but we could maneuver around the puddles. The crowds thinned out (maybe the rain storm scared them off?🙏🏻) and at times it felt like it did the first few weeks. We had space. We had peace. We could hear the birds sing and thoroughly enjoyed our walk today. While it was long, 27km (17 miles), with a mix of ups and downs, it restored my sanity. For lunch we stopped in Melide, where they are known for their Pulpo (yes, octopus!). We had the best lunch at the sweetest place where it appears to be family-run and everything is freshly prepared and homemade. We both had pulpo, Holly had a pulpo burger and I had pulpo on toast with caramelized onions, smoked cheese and smoked paprika. It was so delicious. We also ordered a plate of grilled vegetables to share. It was the perfect lunch to give us the energy to push on another 12km. As we were about 6km from finishing for the day, we came upon a lady playing bagpipes in the forest. What?! How cool is that? Another God shot. I kept getting all these little reminders of how good it is to be here. I got out of my negative headspace from yesterday and became so grateful for His grace and mercy. Look at all the little gifts that I would’ve missed had I quit. The crowds came and went today on the trail but I didn’t feel crowded. We stopped at a bench for a break towards the end and the lunch crowd had caught up to us after their beers and wine. We just laughed, we had the peace we needed and the acceptance that this is just how it is. I had to record a clip of it as they passed. I missed half of them in the video, but you’ll get the gist. 😂 Also, we have our clothes washing/drying at our pension right now. No fighting for a machine at the local laundromat tonight. I’m sitting on a deck outside our room waiting the take clothes out of the dryer and not a single person is around. Enjoying the calm, drinking a big bottle of water (I’m not drinking enough water still, so I’m chugging it back now). Just 2 more days until we arrive in beautiful Santiago de Compostela. 24km tomorrow and 20km into the final destination. We will have that evening and the next day to celebrate before catching our flights home. We have an overnight in London and then a direct flight from Heathrow to Seattle, then Spokane where our husbands will be there to greet us. They have joked about making us walk home from Spokane because they know we can do it. Very, very funny…not! 😂 Enjoy some photos and a couple videos from today, I’ll check in tomorrow. 😘❤️En savoir plus