Day 40 – Palas de Rei to Melide

Day 40 – May 12 Palas de Rei (Km 68) to Melide (Km 53) = 15 km – Cumulative - 691 km

“Melide, Province of A Coruña, Galicia

Hi

Melide is a small city in the centre of Galicia. It is mostly renowned for pulpo and pulperias (octopus restaurantes). We are now approximately 53 km from Santiago and that will be 3 days march. Today was a relatively short day, only 15 km but it seemed longer because my little toe (on my right foot) woke up after being blessedly tranquil for about two weeks. It spent the day telling me that I had ignored and abused it and that it was not going to stand quietly by and let that happen. Actually I think I inadvertently caused the damage this time because I had a bandage on the next three toes and that caused a rub on the little toe. And I will have to live with that now for the last 53 km. Tomorrow we will also walk only 15 km to Arzua, and then about 19 km to Arca and 19 km to Santiago on Thursday.

Dad”

“We are all in Melide with 3 more days to go. I have the autobus system under my belt and for 1.2€ I made it to Melide today. I also have the times for tomorrow. This bus line goes all the way to Santiago. There are usually other pilgrims on the bus too. Today there were 2 retired teachers from Norway and a man from Poland. There were also a number of young people who looked like they were heading back to college today ... perhaps in Santiago. I sat beside one but she was very closed in her actions and avoided any eye contact so I didn’t talk to her....imagine that!
The others hiked about 15 km. I hiked about 1 km out to meet them and there was a little village church where the priest was giving people a stamp in their credentials and signing it. We see lots of churches...all Catholic and sometimes 4 or 5 in 1 town. All have fresh flowers in them but we haven’t seen evidence of many services even on Sunday!
The local specialty here is pulpo ( octopus) so tonight we hope to have it for supper. Dad thinks he will go to MacDonald’s!!! This area also specializes in white wine and we are enjoying it. Yesterday I found a wonderful bakery so we had breakfast there this morning before everyone set off.

While I was waiting for our group to arrive, I spoke to a few people.... there is a couple from St. Paul, Minnesota ... he has a sore shin but they are hiking 15 km beyond here today so they will have hiked a total of 30 km. Three ladies from Ireland were hiking together … one was born in Scotland. The couple from Paris that I have written about on another day was at the little church where I met Len, Sue and Dick and they are at our hotel so we hiked in together.

Love Mom"

From Sue Schubert
"Still around 65 dg. F - An easy 15 km day

We are beginning the countdown to our final town, our goal Santiago de Compostela (Thursday). I asked Len how he feels about his Camino experience soon ending, since he has been at it since April 3. A mixture, he said, of sadness and of anticipation of things to come. The Camino offers a style of life never before experienced by us and hard to imagine if one doesn´t don his own boots! We will all savour what we take from it.

Our destination today is Melide, of pre-Roman origin. This is where the French way (Camino francés, the Camino we are on) joins the Northern coastal route that goes along through the Basque country, Cantábrica and Asturia.

The time passes slower today as we head into a much less interesting part of Spain--newer, more commercial, with fewer photo ops. That is, until I met Kristof, a young Hungarian with 3 years of college (philosophy), traveling with his girlfriend. However, they have separated for a few days while she takes it easy on a sore leg. In the meantime he hikes up to 45 K a day (he´s young), trying to make time and be frugal. In fact one night he and his girlfriend arrived in a town too late for a bed at the local albergue (they close by 10pm) and simply put their sleeping bags down on the floor of a house under construction! Kristof filled me in on the poor economic situation in Hungary in spite of their belonging to the E.U. Unfortunately, it hasn’t benefited them at all. Many of his friends have multiple degrees and no job. Kristof has taken another approach to life--work hard for a year, then travel for a year, and think about life while traveling.

We approach a Medieval Roman bridge (the second of the day) and Kristof’s good eyes spot a woman doing her wash in the river! As Catania would say, "Cool". I am certain the woman doing the wash would describe it differently. She is leaning into the river, her knees on a wooden support, while she scrubs and scrubs, running a bar of soap over the garment now and then, and then into the river to rinse. I would guess that she might be a part of a dying generation. We are on the outskirts of the village, in the old, interesting part. Another neighbor was already hanging her laundry to dry (while Spaniards have dryers, most hang their wash out), while a third was hoeing her garden. I wonder about their husbands: Dead? Working? In the city square passing the time with the other local men? At the bar drinking and chatting up their friends? It’s hard to know. By the way, wine isn’t considered an alcoholic drink as it is in the U.S., but just another beverage to be enjoyed at all times of the day and night. I’ll drink to that!

Okay, time to talk about a few interesting pilgrims we have seen. Today it was an older woman toting her belongings in a backpack on wheels. It made so much noise on the stones that it drove the other pilgrims a bit loco! Then the two Swedes, a mother and daughter. The mother is at least 75 years old and a brisk walker. We discovered what propels them when we stopped for our second breakfast along the trail: They always have a beer, no matter the time of day. "