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Palas de Rei to Arzua - Stepping into the flow

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Every one of these students was delightful. We wished each other buen camino. These young people bring life - La Vida - to the Camino. Today I stepped into the flow, and was carried along to Arzua. This morning was cool and misty. Thunder happened across the night. Perfect for a long walk if you don’t mind a raindrop or two. The local church offers a pilgrim mass every night. Humanity and spirituality somehow coexist with traditional religious practices- it is a Mystery. I am constantly astounded by the devotion of parish communities of centuries past in building these structures. Why? How? Their legacy is uncertain.   Then it started to rain. Fabulous! I donned my hobbit coat - and walked on 🎵 with hope in my heart - and all of a sudden realised - I will never walk alone.  How fragile we are.  Melide! It’s pulpo time. A seat by the window was just the ticket - I smiled and pointed as Peregrinos shuffled by. Into the forest once again - brothers with matching yellow pack...
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Portomarin to Palas de Rei - Bed race logistics

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Reality sets in - there are pilgrims everywhere. ‘Mike, it is time to adapt. . .’ First, get going early to avoid the herd - and the heat. They went right so I went left - lakeside! Serenity for a while. The alternative routes merged too soon.  Still there are moments of inspiration - I have passed these friends several times over the past few days. We smile and bid each other’Buen Camino’ When surrounded by hundreds of pilgrims, ahead - behind - beside, one’s thoughts inevitably turn to accommodation. Sure there are more places these days but that is little comfort at the end of a long hot walk when you are told ‘sorry we are full’. This has happened to me several times over the last few days. Yesterday, I got the last bed in this Albergue - a top bunk on the top floor (the stairs felt like the final assault on Everest with no Sherpa). Things must change Mike. Book ahead! So I have - All the way to Santiago and then some. Not so much freewheeling. But on balance, it’s worth it for...
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Sarria to Portomarin - Joining the herd!

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‘The heat was hot [well derr America 🙄],  the ground was dry and the air was full of sound.’ That pretty much describes the walk from Sarria to Portomarin.. Despite the challenges, it felt good to join the herd, and especially satisfying to arrive. I had a salad with fruit and Albariño at an Elvis-themed restaurant overlooking the lake. The overriding impression  is ‘people on the move’ - school students (lots of them), single people of all ages, couples, walkers with day packs - and cyclists (aka MAMILs - middle aged men in Lycra, they are almost always males - I may/may not do a separate post about this peculiar peregrino sub genre). Back to morning in Sarria, I found the way beneath my feet. and pondered about peregrino friends travelling between destinations on fast and regular trains to and from the Camino. People on the move . . . Passing donativo stalls and awe inspiring oak trees  This is a horreo - an iconic Galician (and Asturian)  farm store designed to k...
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