Spain, Day 10

June 1: Arzua to Pedrouzo/Arca do Pino

As of tonight we are now barely 18 km from Santiago with mixed feelings about being so close to our destination. Not quite sure of the name: is Pedrouzo the town and Arca do Pino the region? or the other way around...? The day was easy: overcast, breezy, a little cooler than the unexpected heat spike of yesterday. There were no agonizingly long hills and the distance seemed short. We arrived at our destination just before noon (our earliest yet!) and were practically the first ones in the aubergue.

This aubergue is quite new, with lovely pine bunkbeds, brand-new laundry facilities, a spotless kitchen and FANTASTIC showers. All the aubergues we have visited have been clean and adequate but this one seems luxurious. We dumped our stuff, rinsed our socks, and headed out for refreshment. We have discovered that tuna empanadas can be very tasty and go well with beer.

I wish I could write about the scenery along the route in such a way that it would sound as fresh and as beautiful as it feels. Forest paths, farmyards, tiny villages... we walked through some middle-earth green forest tunnels, past hectares of cultivated forests (in which fairly large pine trees grow in grid-like regularity like apple orchards), and amazing stands of eucalyptus. The eucalyptus trees look dead from a distance because their leaves are so grey and dry but that's just the way they live I guess. The trunks are mottled and the bark hangs down in strips and the mature trees exude an aroma that is hard to describe. The music of the birds as you walk along is storybook. Sometimes you can hear cuckoo birds, the song as close as the tree next to you but the birds remain invisible. We walked past many ponds, too; pools full of frog-song.

There are so many treats for the senses! You could walk the Camino blind or deaf and still be overwhelmed with beauty. A man leading cows, cow bells and hooves on stone pathways, dogs scurrying behind, herding. Another man scolding his goats, shooing them away from where he is trying to mend a rend in the fence. An old woman in a long black skirt, red-check apron, little jacket and wide-brimmed hat, guiding a mother sheep with 2 tiny lambs. The smell of manure and cow pee, everywhere. But also the scent of roses pouring over the sides of ancient stone walls. Broom flowers like waterfalls on cliff-sides. The ubiquitous red plastic chairs labelled 'Estrella Galicia' advertising the house beer for the region. The wonderful, welcome yellow arrows pointing out The Way on walls, sides of buildings, pathways, concrete, spray-painted over other signs, EVERYWHERE.

Now we are showered, with our hand-washing on the clothesline. I am sitting outside in the breeze, keeping one eye on the clouds. If it starts to rain, I must hustle our still-damp clothes inside to keep them from getting wetter. Later we will explore the town, go to the pilgrims' Mass at 7:30, and head for bed.

Tomorrow... Santiago!