Day 14: Arzua to Rua (O Pedrouzo)

 

We took our time leaving  Arzua, as it was “only” a 20 km day.

A mid-morning stop at A Calzada brought us some familiar faces but also an update on yesterday’s accidents. The ladies are recovering and the Australian family that we have seen almost daily did what we thought about doing when we witnessed the falls. They made a warning sign and put it on a tree. They grabbed a menu board from an albergue and turned it into a sign using four languages. A kind act appropriate for the Camino.

 

An impromptu warning sign at the site of the accidents yesterday. A fine example of random act of kindness. This photo was e-mailed to me by an Australian teenager.

 

Then it was a leisurely walk the rest of the morning.

One of many tree tunnels



Fuchsia-strewn Camino




Chestnut-strewn Camino

After a lunch stop at Salceda, it was less than two hours to our destination. A short distance before Rua is Santa Irene Church which opens only once a year.

Santa Irene Church: we met the Argentinians again. We were surprised to find out they are already mothers of 3, 4 and 5 children.

Hydrangea is commonly seen in the front of homes in Galicia, unlike in Castilla y Leon where geranium and petunia adorn every house. There were fruits for the peregrinos here without a donativo box.



Eucalyptus grove just before arriving at Rua

Here’s my little reflection on this eve of the last day of walk. Mr. Brierley lists a clock, a camera and a mobile phone as items to leave behind. I of course brought all three. I am fine with letting nature’s cues dictate my day, but in the middle of nowhere, you may need your own. As for a camera, I told someone that I would rather lose my passport than my camera. Enough said. And my smart phone and my tablet are what allow me to post my blog daily. Even without your personal communication devices, it may be difficult to escape sensational news on the Camino. Last week, during my rest stop at a café, there was continuous TV coverage of a murder in Santiago.

All the gadgets I brought being plugged into a single outlet. Mr. Brierley would be horrified.