Ponte Campaña → Ribadiso
Distance: 13.8 miles / 22.2km
Elevation: +1641ft, -1824ft
Distance to Santiago: 41km
I woke up today at around 6:30am - I had woken up a number of times throughout the night, but luckily I always managed to fall back asleep quickly. I got up and went to get ready for the day, and was out the door by around 7:15am.
It was still very dark out when I left, so I walked with my headlamp on for less than a mile before I came across a café. I didn’t plan on stopping so early, but I really haven't liked walking in the dark recently, so I figured I would just stop and get breakfast here while waiting out the dark. I sat with two Asian girls, one from Korea and one from Australia, and we chatted for a bit. I got a slice of tortilla and a café con leche, but one of them got a tostada, which was HUGE. It was essentially toast with jamón, cheese, tomato, and olive oil. She gave me a small piece to try and it was very good.
I got going after I finished my coffee and my tortilla, and walked for about 3 miles on my own. Kat eventually caught up to me and we walked together for a bit. It was a nice walk in the morning because it was fairly flat, and we had beat most of the crowd, so the morning wasn’t too busy of a walking day.
I had heard so many things about how busy the path was going to be after Sarria and I was a little bit nervous, because I really enjoy finding pockets in the crowd where I can walk by myself and not have too many people around. Thankfully, it hasn’t been too big of an issue so far. Kat and I walked together for a while, and then she ended up stopping at a café just outside of Melide.
I had heard of a good pulpo (octopus) restaurant in Melide, and I knew Santiago was a big fan of pulpo, so I texted him and asked if he wanted to join me. Kat told me that she ran into Liz and Santiago walking not far behind her, so I sat on a bench and waited for a while.
While I was sitting on the bench, the Spanish woman whose house I was sitting in front of was walking in and out of her house, going to various buildings and grabbing stuff. At one point, she came out of a building holding a kitten, said something to me in Spanish, and then deposited the cat in my lap. I wasn’t really sure what to do with it, but the cat was so adorable and sat in my lap for maybe 10 minutes. Eventually, when it finally got distracted by something and ran off, Liz and Santiago happened to catch up to me right at that moment.
They said they would go try out the pulpo place with me, so we walked together for about 20 minutes into town. I ended up being the only one to get pulpo, as Liz is vegetarian and Santiago really only likes grilled pulpo, and not the boiled version which is what this restaurant was serving. But it had very good reviews, 4.5+ stars on Google and nearly 10,000 reviews, so I had a high hopes. I got one portion of pulpo for myself, while Liz and Santiago each got a café con leche.
It was nice to sit and chat with them for a while, and while we were all sitting together, I realized this was going to be one of the last times we’d all be together, and it made me quite sad. Santiago and I ended up convincing Liz to try a piece of pulpo because she was curious about it. Liz had been vegetarian for many years, but she said she will sometimes break it accidentally if she doesn’t know she’s being served something with meat in it. She said she was really tempted to try it though, and we ended up convincing her. She tried seafood for the first time in many years, and said she really liked it, even though it wasn’t quite what she was expected. She also said when she got to Finisterre, she was probably going to have some fish.
Liz was finishing in Melide for the day, and Santiago only had about 5km more to go as well, so they both weren’t in a rush. They ended up going to another café to get lunch, and I said goodbye to them when the Camino path diverged from their route to the café. I am excited to see them again in Santiago, but also sad because I knew that will probably be the last time I ever see them.
After I left, I kept walking by myself for the rest of the day, and just trying to enjoy it as much as possible. I kept thinking about how after a month of walking, I was nearly there, and it feels difficult to believe. In the pulpo shop, there was a map of the route of the Camino, and we were three stops from the end, out of the 30+! It’s finally setting in as to how big of an achievement this is, and how much of a feat I’ve accomplished.
The rest of the day was quite hilly and had a lot of up and down. We stayed within the same 100 meter or so elevation range, but it was up and down and up and down. I got quite tired of it by the end, especially since it had gotten quite sunny and hot. There were a few alternate route options though, and it was nice to take those whenever possible to get away from the crowds. Melide is where a number of different Caminos all join together on their way to Santiago, including the Primitivo and the Norte. I did notice it had gotten significantly busier after leaving Melide.
I really powered through the last few uphills and made it to the albergue by 2pm. Considering I stopped for about an hour to get pulpo, I feel like I made pretty good time. I got checked in and got a bottom bunk, a good end to the last albergue of the Camino Francés! Tovin has booked me a private room for tomorrow night, which will be really nice to unwind and relax in before I arrive in Santiago.
I immediately unpacked the essentials and went to take a shower since I felt so gross. Right before I went to the shower, Kat walked into the room, and was staying in the bunk right above me! I was glad to have a familiar face tonight. I did my laundry in the shower, hung it up, and then had a glass of sangria while soaking my feet in the footbath in front of the albergue.
I called Tovin on the phone while booking some transportation for when we were traveling together to make sure it worked with our plans. We chatted for about 30 minutes, and it was so nice to hear his voice. After he had to go, I went inside and laid in bed for a while and just relaxed from the day.
After awhile, I went back to the terrace of the albergue and sat in the sun while doing some more planning for mine and Tovin’s travels together. I also sat and chatted with Kat for a bit while I had a glass of wine. Eventually, Kat went to have dinner, and I joined her not too much later. This albergue didn’t have a communal dinner, but rather they had a restaurant, so we both ordered off the pilgrim menu and sat together. One thing I’m really going to miss about the Camino is pilgrim menus - it’s so much food for such a good price, typically is pretty healthy, and usually involves unlimited wine too!
I got red wine for my drink, a Galician soup for the starter, pork loin and fries and an egg for the main dish, and a slice of santiago cake for dessert. Kat and I ate together and chatted about a number of things, including people we’ve met during the Camino (we have a number of mutual connections), global politics, and what our plans are for after the Camino.
After finishing dinner, she spent some time calling her boyfriend while I gathered my laundry and laid in bed and prepared for tomorrow. Tomorrow is my last real walking day of the Camino. I’m walking 25km tomorrow, and then 15km into Santiago on Wednesday. After I laid for a bit, I got ready for bed and then went to sleep early. I can’t believe tomorrow’s the last day from the end! I’m nervous, excited, but also kind of dreading getting to Santiago.
I’ve really loved the routine of getting up early in the morning, walking until the early afternoon, and then spending the afternoon lounging before having dinner and chatting with a bunch of strangers and friends. I’m sad it’s ending soon, although I’m excited to have some more freedom in my everyday life, and to see Tovin again. Although I’m sad about the journey ending, I have really come so far, and it will be so exciting to know we’ve all accomplished this feat!
