Arzua to Rua
All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware (This is like the Johnstone Castle woods)”
The penultimate walk of the Camino. It has been a very relaxed 19km walk in the company of our friends from back home. This morning we assembled at 08.30, the sky overcast, mist on the hills. It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t sunny. Of course I pointed out that we had spent virtually every day strolling in bright sunshine prior to their arrival. I didn’t go so far as to hold them responsible for the unfortunate meteorological (Larry?) downturn. But I definitely thought it.
Luckily (for them), by midday the sun had appeared and everything heated up. Jumpers were abandoned and sun tan lotion was applied. For the rest of our walk we luxuriated in the sunshine, chewing the fat and generally talking spurious nonsense while gradually making our way to Rua.
Rua is very small. It looks lovely, as long as you don’t want to visit the local hotspots and party hard. The Paisley contingent are billeted up the road in O Pedrouzo, which is another 2k along the road. We’re sat there right now, enjoying the enveloping embrace of the late afternoon sun. It’s magical !
The route today took us through beautiful forests, with more tree branches forming leafy canopies that made the journey a joyous wander down an aesthetic wonderland. (Eat your heart out, Lewis Carroll). Fairly early on in the journey we passed a place with vast displays of empty “Peregrino Beer” bottles. The deal seems to be that you buy a beer, drink it, write your name on the label and it gets added to the collection. Unfortunately it was too early for me to break my Camino rule of “no alcohol until you’ve finished for the day”, so my name has not been added to the pantheon of boozy pilgrims immortalised in glass.
Not a great deal else to the day, to be honest. Our friends have distracted us to such an extent that I can barely remember how I got here. And I’m perfectly sober. On the plus side, the day has been huge fun. It’s fantastic to meet new people who have now, you would like to think, become our friends, but it’s so great to see some of the people from home who have always been there for us.
The beer is cold, the chat is childishly silly, the sun is shining, and, once again, all is well. A special mention for Helen, who has walked the entire distance today. An amazing effort!
Tomorrow we arrive in Santiago de Compostella, the end of our journey. Neither of us has any idea how we’ll feel, but we’re in good company, so we’ll be ok. Can’t believe it’ll soon be over.
Today’s album track is “Moonlight Shadow” by Mike Oldfield. This is for our Aussie friend Simon, who has battled through the last few stages despite suffering from plantar fasciitis. He requested this, Don informed him that Maggie Riley is from Glasgow, and everyone agreed it would make an excellent selection.
All too soon, it ends…………☀️☀️☀️
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