Day 42 – Arzua to Arca

Day 42 – May 14 - Arzua (Km 39) to Arca (Km 20) = 19 km - Cumulative 724 km

"Arca, Province of A Coruña, Galicia, 08 05 14, 20:03

Today we did about 19 km in almost perfect hiking weather. We are now about 18 km from the centre of Santiago which we will complete tomorrow. It is quite cool this evening. Jean has put her long underwear on. And in most places we stay, the heat has been turned off for the summer. Fortunately most places are well supplied with thick extra blankets.

I will check my messages now and come back with a bit more detail. I know you are also getting messages from Jean so you already have some of the extra details. As has become the norm, Jean takes the bus or taxi and has each town scouted out by the time we arrive.

Yesterday we shared a balcony with a couple of men from England. One of them was sleeping but the other joined us for wine and entremeses (the English word for entremeses is hors d'oeuvres). His daughter had written some quotations in a book for him before he left. Here are some:

“It is better to travel than to arrive” (Buddha)

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page” (???) (ed. note – apparently from Saint Augustine - patron saint of brewers, printers, sore eyes, and theologians

“Sometime you find yourself in the middle of nowhere and sometimes in the middle of nowhere you find yourself” (???) (ed. note – possibly from Mark Twain)

“Travel like Gandhi, simple clothes, open eyes and an uncluttered mind” (???) (ed. note – from Rick Steves - an American author on European travel)

WE will have to find the sources of the last 3.

And last but certainly not least

“Not all those who wander are lost”

I knew the last one but could not think of the whole quotation so I looked it up. All of my children will know it well.

All that is gold does not glitter
Not all those who wander are lost
The old that is strong does not wither
Deep roots are not reached by the frost
From the ashes a fire shall be woken
A light from the shadows shall spring
Renewed shall be blade that was broken
The crownless again shall be king

I leave you to guess the source and the author

Len”