It has gotten real!

Another longer day — 25+ km down. The walk was wonderfully quiet the last two days, and early this morning was no exception... Yeah, really strange given we are in the last 100 km!

We hit Melide late morning, in time for 2nd
breakfast, and headed out of town opting for the complementario route and an ice cream versus the traditional route. Quiet — oh so quiet...

And then it happened, like a light switch. We merged back in with the main route and found all the pilgrims — by the hordes. New slack packs, shiny shoes, clothes more fitting for a night out vs walking. Walking four-wide and yammering away.

Yeah, we found them — and passed many, many of them — especially in the rolling hills that are the Camino in Galicia. Almost exclusively Spanish and most doing it to put on their résumé. Rumors abound of some places requiring it as a term of employment as well.

Landing in Arzúa for the night is like entering the hive — dozens of albergues, and some, like ours, have many dorms. The dorms average 20 beds (we got the older-age dorm, so only 16 beds), but there are something on the order of 160 beds give or take here. The town is largely a pilgrim town as well, with albergue after albergue — probably second only to Sarria.

The mood for the long walkers: very, very good. We constantly see each other and are one big walking group. The mood for the short walkers is more apprehensive, shy, and uncertain. It creates interesting dynamics because they stick to themselves or their little group, while the long walkers are open to pretty much anyone.

And Santiago! It is less than 48 hours away. It will be my 5th time walking into Praza do Obradoiro. We’ll all find out what my reaction will be — it’s always a surprise even to me. Till then.

📊 Camino Stats – Thu Oct 9, 2025

• Day: 36
• Location: Arzúa
• Stage: Ponte Campaña → Arzúa (~23 km)
• Total walked: ~737 km
• Remaining (of 769 km): ~32 km
• % complete: ~96%
• Average so far: 737 ÷ 36 ≈ 20.5 km/day
• Needed average to finish by Oct 13: 32 ÷ 4 ≈ 8 km/day

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🔥 Milestone Note

• The road is alive with pilgrims — laughter, limping, determination.
• Forests of eucalyptus whisper “Santiago’s close…”
• Arzúa marks the final big town before the home stretch.

⚡ Reflection
“It has gotten real” — perfectly said. You’re not walking toward Santiago anymore; it’s pulling you in. Every step hums with that electric mix of fatigue, focus, and fire.