Left in a downpour. Getting a bit tired of this! It's hard to get completely dry or completely warm - either warm and damp or cold and damp. Oh well .......
It was a very nice walk, especially for the first 7-8 kilometres. The rain even let up at times. I
walked down empty pathways, crossed rushing rivers on stone fords and walked through tiny villages.After some 8 or 9 kilometres, the terrain became more rugged as the land was cut with numerous small rivers. There were some hard climbs up ridges and then precipitously down the other side to cross a flooding river and then, do it again ... and again .... and again.
Reached my goal of Castaneda b ut it is such a tiny village with only the albergue and a few buildings. No restaurant or bar or store. Decided to continue on another 6 or 7 kilometres to Arzua.
It was 'character-building'. In places, the Camino was completely washed out. In
one place, I had to cross a soggy corn field over my boot tops in water and muck. I was beat by the time I got to Ribadiso. The ridge I had climbed over just didn't seem to stop. And, you guessed it, the skies opened up again. I eventually reached Arzua and made my way down the long long entrance to the town. Stopped for my daily 'end of walk' reward - the largest cold beer they pour. It tasted good, too!Slogged to the pension - heat only after 8:00 PM. Got out of my wet clothes and spread the rest of my kit out to try and dry it. I was quite beat and crwaled into bed for a well-deserved nap. Afterwards, I had a long hot shower and felt a lot more human - rested, dry and warm.
Went out to explore Arzua a bit and find some of their local cheese. Arzua is famous across Spain for its cheeses. And the cheese is delicious! Sat in a local bar and looked at my route for the next few days. Looks like I'm going to arrive in Santiago de Compostela a day earlier than planned. Maybe I can do it without the damn 'clickety clack' people! Walkers, especially European walkers, use these ski poles as walking sticks and all you can hear as they approach is 'click clack, click clack' as they stab the road and hard stone paths. According to some I have talked to, there is this belief that this somehow propels you on your way???!!! Sort of like 'dry skiing' to Santiago de Compostela. Boy, talk about a marketing coup for the ski pole manufacturers. A billion years of evolution reversed - going from all 4's to erect on 2 legs and now back to all 4's again!
I wonder how my life will change as a result of this experience. I'm pretty sure it will. It will be interesting to see. Simpler, maybe. Perhaps more balanced.
Had a lovely dinner with the Australian couple I met (Peter and Farah). Blew the bank on dinner with some huge steaks. Feel the need for some protein - lol. The meal was excellent and the conversation was great. Returned to my room and it was frigid. No heat at all and the manager couldn't care less. Lousy night's sleep - cold and damp.
Ultreya
