Day 29 Melide

Me at a 14th Century Cross in Melide
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Greetings from Melide (may-lee´-day), Galicia.

We left downtown Palas de Rei (where we had stayed in a small hotel) at around 9 this morning.  We "only" walked 17 kilometers, about 10 and a half miles, so we got here in about 5 hours, including our stop for an early lunch/ late breakfast in a little cafe along the way.  This town is a regional center, and home to 8000 according to my guidebook.  The municipal albergue we are staying in has 130 beds and could be a bit nicer, but we decided to stick with it although there are hotels here.  We´ll just spend more money on wine and dinner.

Three More Days to Santiago!

Octopus ready for preparation at Melides Restaurante Ezequiel
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The arrival at an albergue is always a bit hectic, and then there is always a scramble for the special clothes-washing sinks -- the earlier you wash your clothes, the more likely they are to eventually dry on the clotheslines outside.  These special sinks are usually outside, and have a special sloped washboard-y surface at the front, which is part of the sink, so you can give your clothes a good scrub.  I´ve never seen them in the States, but they do look useful (not that we EVER hand-wash regular clothes in the States!) maybe I´ll get one for my next house.

This is how I find where to update my blog
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Galicia is beautiful, with rolling hills and farms dotting the landscape.  We walked mainly on woodland paths and open sunny lanes, with about a kilometer on two not-very-big roads.  Today we passed and photographed ourselves at the "60 kilometers to Santiago" sign, and this town is probably a little over 50 kilometers from Santiago (30 miles.)

We have arranged the next few days so that we walk about 14 km tomorrow (Friday the 29th) to Arzua, then 19 km to Arco do Pino (where we have a hotel booked) on Saturday, and then a big 21 km to Santiago on Sunday the 1st of July.  Amazing to think I have only three days left in this long walk.

You thought it was easy finding Internet places?
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We had some more "familiar pilgrim" sightings in Palas de Rei: Ann and Zach from Wisconsin, and Aries from Hong Kong were there; and on the way here today, I ran into the Italians who had cooked spaghetti in Belorado which we ate with a lot of people and a lot of wine.  (Day 11)

The crowds get larger as we near Santiago, both because a number of separate paths converge along the way, and because some people just walk the last part.  But we still remember those pilgrims we have seen from the very beginning.

Pretty old town just before entering Melide; we had hoped it WAS Melide, but had to walk farther...
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I had a big plate of octopus at the Restaurante Ezequiel, reputed to be the town´s best.  Later we had spaghetti carbonara at the Continente, reputed to specialize in pasta.  I am taking to heart this "extra 3000 to maintain energy" dictum.  Hope it´s true!

Tonight the news was full of Tony Blair´s last day at #10 Downing Street.  I am not a UK voter, so I´m not much up on UK politics, but Tony was sure around for quite a lot of recent history.  He was Labour's longest continuously-serving prime minister, according to my sources at BBC.  I remember when he cried when Princess Diana was killed.  Goodbye, Tony.