Day 7: Palas de Rei to Arzua
It’s hard to believe that we are on the seventh day of our
journey. We are now only about forty kilometres from Santiago. Today was our last
long day of walking and it was beautiful. We walked through eucalyptus groves
where the perfume was intoxicating; we walked over medieval bridges to cross
rivers; we passed field upon field of corn, which they feed to the animals
through the winter; we saw bales of hay stacked neatly beside farmhouses.
Everywhere along the Camino, the locals go about their business, running their
lives and doing their work. All are fully aware of the holy path on which they live
and are proud and welcoming to the pilgrims. The Camino is fully alive, in
every sense.
In contrast to our peaceful morning, we passed through
Melide, without diverting from our Camino path. Melide is quite a big and
bustling city, and the streets were alive with Sunday activity. There was a market, with everything ranging
from fruits and vegetables to clothing to trinkets. There was also an outdoor dance
floor at which they played traditional Spanish music. The floor was filled with
couples dancing and smiling and laughing. Even Waldemar and Brenda and Rosaleen
got in on the action (Waldemar’s partner was his Go-Pro). It was marvellous to
see such fun.
Our accommodation this evening is in a 500 year old
farmhouse. We were picked up from the Camino path and brought to an idyllic place
where our rooms have original stone walls and the furnishings and décor echo
the era. We were treated to a delicious meal of rural Spanish food in lovely
surroundings. The people here take pride in their work and create a warm and
welcoming atmosphere.
It was somewhat jarring to have to navigate crowded city
streets once again. We have been living in the community of pilgrims for a week
now, where everyone is either walking the Camino or works to serve the pilgrims.
Today’s visit to Melide reminds us that our journey will soon come to an end
and we will have to enter our individual realities again. How will we see these
realities? What parts of our lives will remain important to us and what will
have moved to a less exalted position? We know that our perspectives will have
changed, but how will those changes manifest themselves in our daily lives? The
answers to these questions remain to be seen, perhaps for some time, but we
still have two days of walking reflection to come. We will take all that we can
from them.
A view of the countryside as seen through a corn storage structure.
The church near our farmhouse, where the bells are rung by hand by a faithful servant.
Walking through a quiet street in Melide.
The market in Melide.
You must try the octopus!
Walking peacefully in the countryside.
Our 500 year old farmhouse.
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