Distance: 18.41 miles/29.63 km
Elevation Gain: 1897ft/578m
Time: 6h 51m
It was a decent, cold, morning start again. Again learning the news that our cat Rex isn’t doing well and Leo had to take him to the vet again, at 2am his time (Rex is officially been diagnosed with a UTI! Which is good because that means it can be treated). With the stress and then relief behind, we walked about 10km before we had our morning coffee break, like usual. Almost two weeks in and the morning rituals start to show. Part of this morning ritual usually includes having a tortilla for breakfast, however we decided to save our appetite for the promised octopus dish in Melide, our halfway point to Arzua, a place famously known for its countless pulperías (octopus restaurants). We arrived at around 11am, the perfect time for early lunch, and shared a plate of grilled octopus, bread, and boiled potato (and my dad, a beer). It was afterwards, with 4 hours of walking to go, that I felt my energy go downhill.
Today is the longest stretch before our last days to Santiago and I think this one felt the worst on my body. Maybe it was the rest days leading up to it that did more harm than good, but I couldn’t help but feel tired today, especially after such a big meal. I felt like I was fighting sleep for at least two hours after that. A little pick-me-up of a locally picked raspberries smoothie (so freshly picked, you could see the shopkeepers husband picking the berries in the fields behind her) helped wake me a little. The last 5 miles felt arduous as the rolling hills felt sharp on my knees and feet, aching them to oblivion. It was one of those moments where I was trying my best to be in the moment, enjoy the cold winds and beautiful trees, but have pain take over the mind and just have you wishing you were at your bed already.
Finally, we arrive to Arzua, a small town with a loud busy road cutting through it, and reach our albergue. We set up our beds in the bunk beds, shower, and finally nap. My legs and feet are still aching as we make our way to the supermarket to grab tomorrow’s breakfast, a drink at a local bar, and finally dinner. There wasn’t much of a moment to explore the town, honestly because it didn’t feel like there was much to explore, so I’m in bed now while my dad has a last glass of wine across the street.
Tomorrow is our second to last day before we finally reach Santiago de Compostela. Maybe my feet won’t hurt so much tomorrow…
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