Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
Lao Tzu
Thursday Sept 26th, 2019
Melide to Arzua
15 km, 26,000 steps, walking day #36
Hmm. How to describe a perfect day?
It starts off with waking up after a good sleep and having clean clothes to put on, since I washed everything the night before. Three cheers for synthetics that dry in a few hours, and a casa rural that has drying racks!
I was escorted to the special breakfast room. It was in an outbuilding beside the pool (!). It turns out I was the only one having breakfast, so the whole breakfast buffet was for .....me!
The whole pot of coffee, the whole jug of juice, the basket of fruit, the selection of yogurts, cereals, pastries - all for me!! The table for 12 was laid out with one place setting at the end. I felt like royalty, sitting at the end of a long table. Three cheers for the queen! I had the usual - my Serrano ham and cheese sandwich on toast, with coffee and juice. And a handful of chocolate cereal, just because I could.
I was on the path by 9:15 am. There was no rush since this was a short day, just 15 km. I began walking and noticed the peace and quiet. There was no one around! Had I been transported to an alternate universe? Had everyone else except me been transported to an alternate universe? I had a short day yesterday, and I think that the large groups of people who had started in Sarria on Monday morning had continued on yesterday, while I stopped in Melide. I think they were all now a day ahead of me. Three cheers for being left behind! I walked at a very comfortable pace, and listened to the birds singing all around me.
The sky had large fluffy clouds and the sun was warm. I continued to pass through farmland. On one farm I saw the yield of the pumpkin harvest.
About halfway through the day I found myself on a very quiet road. I was all alone, walking in silence through a Eucalyptus forest! It was magical. I was thinking to myself "Oh, this just too peaceful. There is no one around". Just as that thought was beginning to transition into "Uh-oh, this is just too peaceful. There is no one around.....", a car appeared on the road, and slowed to a stop beside me. The woman behind the wheel spoke to me in Spanish, but the word "Camino" was unmistakable, and so was the gesture of her pointing in the direction from which I had just come. Three cheers for the Camino, which not only gave me a Eucalyptus forest all to myself, but also provided me with redirection after having gone the wrong way for only a few minutes.
Eucalyptus is a very interesting tree. The bark peels off the trunk, leaving a smooth, pale greenish surface, and the branches of the undergrowth are hung with the strips of shed bark, giving the impression of poorly hung laundry.
I also walked through more oak and chestnut forest. The trunks of the trees were covered with a layer of moss and then a layer of ivy. The forests smelled of freshness and wild mint. Three cheers for diversity, renewal and surprise.
The homes of older families here are emblazoned with the family coat of arms. I'm convinced that this household had the monopoly on medieval soft serve ice cream.
(I know.....they're torches)! C'mon - three cheers for humor, please.
This family had an overabundance of peaches and placed a box of them out on the road for anyone to take. They smelled very good but I already had a large nectarine in my pack.
One damp section of the path today had many of these enormous slugs. I was careful to avoid them. There will be no songs written for these guys.
The farmer had just put down a large serving of bran for his cows. He poured the bran into this little corner, and a dozen cows where trying to get some. They were head-butting each other, and biting each other's ears to try and make room for themselves.
This dog blends in nicely with his surroundings, I think.
In the main square in Arzua, there is this statue of a lady holding something round, and more of these round items in a basket at her feet. I didn't know what it was all about, and there was no interpretive sign.
At the other end of the square, there is another statue, with two hands holding a similar round item. I was sensing a pattern, but was still not able to make sense of what I was seeing.
Later I walked into a grocery store, and browsed the cooler holding the specialty regional cheese. I think I'm beginning to understand. Three cheers for finding the clue.
The grocery store also had a self-serve freshly squeezed orange juice machine, complete with a supply of different sized plastic bottles ready to be filled.
I watched this cyclist use this very tall curb to climb up on his bike. There's no way he could touch the ground while sitting on that bike. I'd be afraid to be up so high and I talked to him about it. He is perfectly OK with having his shoes clipped in and riding with no hope of touching the ground. Three cheers for courage.
I stopped in to a restaurant for lunch. Patatas bravas with aioli, calamari and a beer. Three cheers for walking far enough to deserve it! I may never eat like this again, but at the moment it's a lot of fun.
I met up with Marco today. He's still wearing a sling but feeling better.
I also met up again with Eliana and Evandro again. We keep seeing each other on the street. We spent a delightful afternoon walking through the old part of town, checking out the pastry shops, churches, and shoe stores. Evandro's shoes are falling apart, and he's searching for a good pair of walking sandals. At the end of the afternoon we went back to their place in Arzua. It's a large apartment with a kitchen, where we had tea and cannoli. Three cheers, please, for loving, kind, generous and gentle people in general, and these people in particular.
Lao Tzu
Thursday Sept 26th, 2019
Melide to Arzua
15 km, 26,000 steps, walking day #36
Hmm. How to describe a perfect day?
It starts off with waking up after a good sleep and having clean clothes to put on, since I washed everything the night before. Three cheers for synthetics that dry in a few hours, and a casa rural that has drying racks!
I was escorted to the special breakfast room. It was in an outbuilding beside the pool (!). It turns out I was the only one having breakfast, so the whole breakfast buffet was for .....me!
Well, yes, actually, it was all about me!
Table for one.
I was on the path by 9:15 am. There was no rush since this was a short day, just 15 km. I began walking and noticed the peace and quiet. There was no one around! Had I been transported to an alternate universe? Had everyone else except me been transported to an alternate universe? I had a short day yesterday, and I think that the large groups of people who had started in Sarria on Monday morning had continued on yesterday, while I stopped in Melide. I think they were all now a day ahead of me. Three cheers for being left behind! I walked at a very comfortable pace, and listened to the birds singing all around me.
The sky had large fluffy clouds and the sun was warm. I continued to pass through farmland. On one farm I saw the yield of the pumpkin harvest.
About halfway through the day I found myself on a very quiet road. I was all alone, walking in silence through a Eucalyptus forest! It was magical. I was thinking to myself "Oh, this just too peaceful. There is no one around". Just as that thought was beginning to transition into "Uh-oh, this is just too peaceful. There is no one around.....", a car appeared on the road, and slowed to a stop beside me. The woman behind the wheel spoke to me in Spanish, but the word "Camino" was unmistakable, and so was the gesture of her pointing in the direction from which I had just come. Three cheers for the Camino, which not only gave me a Eucalyptus forest all to myself, but also provided me with redirection after having gone the wrong way for only a few minutes.
Eucalyptus trees
Eucalyptus is a very interesting tree. The bark peels off the trunk, leaving a smooth, pale greenish surface, and the branches of the undergrowth are hung with the strips of shed bark, giving the impression of poorly hung laundry.
I also walked through more oak and chestnut forest. The trunks of the trees were covered with a layer of moss and then a layer of ivy. The forests smelled of freshness and wild mint. Three cheers for diversity, renewal and surprise.
The homes of older families here are emblazoned with the family coat of arms. I'm convinced that this household had the monopoly on medieval soft serve ice cream.
(I know.....they're torches)! C'mon - three cheers for humor, please.
This family had an overabundance of peaches and placed a box of them out on the road for anyone to take. They smelled very good but I already had a large nectarine in my pack.
This is my first Spanish lemon tree!
One damp section of the path today had many of these enormous slugs. I was careful to avoid them. There will be no songs written for these guys.
Eww.
The farmer had just put down a large serving of bran for his cows. He poured the bran into this little corner, and a dozen cows where trying to get some. They were head-butting each other, and biting each other's ears to try and make room for themselves.
This dog blends in nicely with his surroundings, I think.
In the main square in Arzua, there is this statue of a lady holding something round, and more of these round items in a basket at her feet. I didn't know what it was all about, and there was no interpretive sign.
At the other end of the square, there is another statue, with two hands holding a similar round item. I was sensing a pattern, but was still not able to make sense of what I was seeing.
Later I walked into a grocery store, and browsed the cooler holding the specialty regional cheese. I think I'm beginning to understand. Three cheers for finding the clue.
The grocery store also had a self-serve freshly squeezed orange juice machine, complete with a supply of different sized plastic bottles ready to be filled.
I watched this cyclist use this very tall curb to climb up on his bike. There's no way he could touch the ground while sitting on that bike. I'd be afraid to be up so high and I talked to him about it. He is perfectly OK with having his shoes clipped in and riding with no hope of touching the ground. Three cheers for courage.
I stopped in to a restaurant for lunch. Patatas bravas with aioli, calamari and a beer. Three cheers for walking far enough to deserve it! I may never eat like this again, but at the moment it's a lot of fun.
I met up with Marco today. He's still wearing a sling but feeling better.
Three cheers for Marco's unstoppable spirit!
I also met up again with Eliana and Evandro again. We keep seeing each other on the street. We spent a delightful afternoon walking through the old part of town, checking out the pastry shops, churches, and shoe stores. Evandro's shoes are falling apart, and he's searching for a good pair of walking sandals. At the end of the afternoon we went back to their place in Arzua. It's a large apartment with a kitchen, where we had tea and cannoli. Three cheers, please, for loving, kind, generous and gentle people in general, and these people in particular.
Ultreia y Suseia
(Go further and go higher)
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