Those of you who follow me on Instagram will know that this summer (2022) I finally finished walking the last 115km along the Camino de Santiago, from Sarría to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. This is the fifth leg of the Camino which I started in 2016 (if you’re interested, I wrote a Q&A post in response to some of the questions people had asked me along the way that year). In theory, was supposed to complete a leg each summer until 2020. This is Day 40 (other posts from other stages are linked at the end of this post).
After a shorter day the day before (*just* 15km), we awoke raring to go (ok, well, with a bit more energy!). We breakfasted by the pool of our pensión…
And headed out, full of purpose with the prospect of an even shorter day today!
Meeting giant trees…
And bovine traffic jams…
Nothing like a bunch of cows to slow down your pace LOL!
Just outside the town there was an option for a “woodland path” which some of us took…
This short detour was lovely and quiet – and maybe a bit longer, because when we came out to join the main path, we were greeted by others in our party offering this:
Yes, out of nowhere appeared this excellent farm stand…
It’s not called “El Pequeño Oasis” for nothing!
Onwards, into Boente, we walked, checking off another “it’s in the guidebook” experience with the “convivial Parish priest who offers a blessing to passing pilgrims”.
This is him on the left and he did, indeed offer me a blessing but I was not expecting it so I was confused as to what was going on. Others in our party walking behind us saw this happening and knew (they had guidebooks in hand as they entered the tiny village and were reading about it). Anyway, I guess I got a blessing so there’s that!
Though this was a short leg today, the terrain was varied – woodland paths, small villages and towns, forests… It was an interesting route…
Finally – I say this with some amusement because I remember we all started the day thinking “this will be so easy and short” but I guess on tired legs, even 13km feels like a lot – we started to see signs we were entering Arzúa…
Plus bonus “Spain cares about animals” signage…
Even a “short day” can feel tough…
… because…
That’s a lot of up and down in one day!
After finding our hotel (the least charming of all the places we stayed – perfectly fine but kind of like rooms in a big apartment building with less ambiance than all the other places), we quickly changed shoes…
BEST PART OF THE DAY: taking off the hiking boots!
And we headed out for lunch (we didn’t stop for second breakfast on this day and we were hungry!). But first…
Priorities…
Then SALADS! And CLUB SANDWICHES (with salad). Sometimes on the Camino you just need a giant salad!
While some of us sought out laundries, others were waylaid by their sore muscles…
And because we’d arrived in plenty of time, we variously did laundry, had a massage, went for a walk, scouted out restaurants for dinner and napped. A luxurious afternoon for a pilgrim!
Despite our less than atmospheric pensión, a few hundred metres up the road we found the more “historic” central part of Arzúa which is where we ended up for dinner. Seeking outdoor tables as we always tried to do on this trip, we were fortunate to come across Cafeteréa Os Casqueiros with a delightful outdoor patio taking up a large chunk of the central square.
This was the view looking up (at about 8pm – SO light out!)
Under the cool shade of the trees, we enjoyed a little apéro and a few snacks while we waited until was an appropriate time for dinner…
Godello, chorizo and patatas bravas – nothing better!
On the topic of timing, typically dinner in Spain is LATE and when you are walking the Camino, you want to eat “early” 9you know, like 7-8pm which is often when people are still having their “afternoon coffee” or pre-dinner apéro). If you’re walking the Camino, especially in the smaller towns, it’s mostly possible to get dinner earlier if you need it…
For dinner, we each chose a different paella!
And for dessert we had spied an ice cream shop, XEOU (how to pronounce?) across the road which we hit up because we hadn’t had our daily helado that day yet!
And we took a stroll through the small historic centre back to the hotel. So pretty!
Where those of us who had NOT had a massage earlier on availed ourselves of the massage machine in the common area…
I mean, how could you resist, right?
(especially when this was the image on the machine)
(spoiler, it actually did feel ok on sore calves!)
Verdict: Once again, did NOT regret breaking the two longer days into three – sometimes you need to walk less and explore a little more! And sometimes you need to do your laundry!
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Disclosure: I researched Camino trips independently and chose the Camino Travel Center based on a number of features such as flexibility to accommodate a couple of “splits” in some of the longer days, price, and customer service. They were, in fact, the first company I came across in my very first Google search and the one I ended up booking with. From the initial inquiry to the actual trips, they have been a pleasure to deal with and we have been very impressed with the service provided (bag transportation) and the accommodation choices. I was not compensated to write about this trip in any way but I love sharing companies and products I believe in with my readers. I couldn’t recommend the Camino Travel Center more and, in fact, we are all thinking about walking a DIFFERENT Camino in 2023!
Read more about the Camino de Santiago
Click here to read all my posts about the Camino de Santiago!
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Very nice, informative and interesting post, Mardi. Great job.
Congratulations on finishing the walk, a long term goal indeed. I have always enjoyed yours posts of the Camino over the years. I am an arm chair traveler with you.