28 km to Santiago
To be honest, yesterday’s short 15 km walk was a blessing for our legs. The lazy afternoon was perfect too. Today would be easier, we thought. We drank our last bit of Slovenian coffee (sniff, sniff), had breakfast, and hit the road. Our goal: Salceda, 26 km away. We even managed to reserve a bed – learning as we go, even as Gen Xers adapting to modern communication.
The sky didn’t look promising, but we stayed hopeful. Leaving Melide, I snapped a photo of one of the oldest stone crosses on the Camino. The route took us over rolling hills, through charming villages and moss-covered stone paths. The air was filled with the sweet scent of eucalyptus. Along the way, we saw the trees shedding their bark like snakes.
We stopped for our first coffee. Then it started drizzling – or was it mist? Hard to tell. We put on our ponchos… and a minute later, the rain stopped. This repeated again later.
Fatigue started to show. The kilometers were weighing on us. But we kept going. In Arzúa, we found a tiny café that seemed made for retirees – and they had fantastic cured ham. The owner sliced some for us to take away. We enjoyed coffee, snapped a photo of ham legs hanging from the ceiling, and restocked at a nearby market.
Only eight kilometers left. Ive’s blister was hurting, my legs ached – but we pushed on. Finally, we arrived in Salceda, found our albergue, and checked in. We made sandwiches with that fresh ham – a perfect reward.
Now we’re showered and resting, ready to enjoy a quiet evening at the village tavern.
Tomorrow… Santiago. The final steps.
Good night from the Camino,
Martina & Ive
