At this point there is nothing more we can do to prepare ourselves physically, except to take a whole bunch of Advil. It is the mental preparation that is the most important.
We decided to get up and on the road earlier than usual, which meant no one was open for breakfast. By 7:30 am we had already hiked 5 km. We had decided to take lots of breaks, stop for lunch, and drink all of our water.
Starting in Melide, under 500 meters of elevation, we didn't get any of our usual morning fog.
We did stop in the first little town and not only got to visit their church, but get our pilgrim passport stamped.
We continued walking through the country towns of Galicia.
At one of our breaks we turned to see the farmer walking his cows down the road.
Slowly we made our way to Arzua, a bustling town with lots of action and open stores. Thankfully the pharmacy was open because by now my shin felt like knives tearing through my bone, and MJ's other ankle started bothering her. I love pharmacies outside the U. S.
I got a pack of 40, 600 mg ibuprofen for 3 Euros! Now I'll be feeling good.
We spent most of the day walking on shaded paths. It was very nice.
The forests of Eucalyptus trees are not only beautiful to look at, but their sweet smell, and leaves rustling in the wind reminds you that you are a part of nature.
The shell countdown signs are becoming more frequent, and at kilometer 32, a tiny little Venezuelian lady was standing in front of a few baskets of fruit and offering to stamp pilgrim passports. When I saw that she had bananas my heart filled with joy and we decided to stop for a little picnic.
Of course when you stop in the middle of nowhere, look who comes to say hi.
After a little break its really hard to put back on your boots and backpacks. These two packs are the enemy!
On the Camino the restaurants have special menus for pilgrims. Here's two typical meals.
You can see why my body was so excited to see a banana.
In Melide the Camino - French Way meets with our Primitivo Path, and in Arzua the Northern Camino comes in. Now we all merge to head for Santiago. So many more people, and so many bikers. The change from our quiet path to the highway of people was jolting. We also noticed so much graffiti everywhere.
I mean, what kind of narcissistic jerk would write all over a Camino marker?
We also noticed that people were staring to get rid of their possessions.
The one think I know I don't want is a pair of hiking boots.
Every day we pass through some familiar images. One are the flowers. This place is filled with beautiful flowers.
We also passed a bar with cerveza peregrina, but we knew if we'd have thrown back a beer we'd be asleep at the side of the path.
About 8 km outside of O Pedrouzo we met a young man from, of all places, Colorado. He started walking from Saint Jean, France and has been walking for 32 days. He's 20, and started the journey to find out if he should got to seminary and become a priest. It was interesting to meet someone on that kind of journey.
38 km later we have arrived in O Pedrouzo. Brians are in tact. Don't ask about our legs and feet.
Day 12 is complete 🤓
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