Walking the Camino Frances

Last day! Today we walked about 20km into Santiago on day 34 of our Camino. Ali and Klaas came over to our place first thing so we could put our bags in their car. The plan was for all eight of us to walk to Santiago together and then they would taxi back to the car and bring everything to Santiago. We set off in cool and cloudy weather, but it was dry so we were all in good spirits. We hadn't had breakfast so we walked to Amenal at 2.3km for breakfast. The route was very busy as expected, but there was a buzz in the air as everyone was thinking about the end!  For the last four or five days we have been walking through eucalyptus trees. The smell is fabulous and they grow to an amazing height! The stone marking the entrance to Santiago appeared as we turned a corner. We then reached a beautiful little hamlet with a cafe and church on the outskirts of Lavacolla where we had coffee and cake. Mitch managed to see the end of the Welsh rugby game! Suddenly we were at 10km to go. The ex...

Today was a bit shorter, with the book saying 19km, so we had a later start and aimed to leave the house at 7.30am. The walk to town was about a kilometre just took reach the route, so we had a quick breakfast whilst watching the bull running in Pamplona!  Crazy!! The weather was cooler than before and we had a few stretches of mizzle again, so the rain ponchos got some use. We stopped to get a stamp in the church in Arzua Old Town before heading off with the hordes! Much of the path was through beautiful woods and tree lined fields, interspersed with pretty villages. The grain stores were still evident, as well as the maize fields. W e had lunch just over halfway and Mitch grabbed a cab to O Pedrouzo as his feet had been very sore all day and he wants to walk with us tomorrow obviously! After an uneventful last few kilometers, we reached O Pedrouzo where a quick beer stop seemed in order. Tomorrow we walk into Santiago!!  Alison and Klaas travelled to Spain yesterday to meet ...

Today was our last long day and boy was it long!  The good news is the Mitch was back with us, so after dropping the bags and grabbing a quick breakfast we were off, heading out of Palas de Rei. Proving its grand name somewhat false , Palas de Rei wasn't the most beautiful of stopovers and the apartment was very noisy, so not sure any of us had a great night's sleep. The day started cold, but it soon warmed up. The path was lovely in that it was away from the road but it could definitely be called undulating!!!  When the sun did come out the path was mainly shaded so we just kept going! After a drinks stop in the morning, we had a fabulous lunch in Melide. Almost half way.  Like yesterday, there were a lot of small villages, and a lot of hills. We stopped for an icecream after about 23km and Mitch grabbed a cab for the last few to try and save his feet for the last 2 days. After finally reaching Arzua, we met Mitch for a drink. Our accommodation is fabulous but a little w...