Saturday 4 October

From Dee
We decide on an early start and make it away by 10 – oh well. Once again a cool and overcast day which makes the walking very pleasant. I chip away at Pete with suggestions of arriving in Santiago on Sunday. I look longingly as we pass a taxi rank, but ... I keep on walking. Fresh raspberries are for sale on a little lane for 1.5E in the honesty box. Delicious. We have a coffee stop at the top of a hill after a couple of hours of walking and peel off some clothing before heading off on the next 8km or so to Arzua – the next official stop. We lunch and as we stroll through town I spy the taxi rank – hurray! So it's off to Rua the last stop before Santiago. Our accommodation Bar-Casa Rural has a lovely rustic charm. The room is large and the bed soft. The restaurant opens at 8 so Pete heads out for supplies 1km down the road whilst I blog and lounge on the banana chair in the garden.

From Pete
We are on the threshold of finishing the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, or at least our experience of it. Some have cycled, some have chosen to cover parts of the walk they had not completed previously, others walk each step of the “way” as described in their guide books, while Dee and I have walked, bussed, hitched and taxied approximately 850 km. We are sore and fatigued. We have washed our bodies and clothes in bathrooms across Spain. We have experienced wonderful rural and religious architecture, art and culture. The food has been overall average with a few memorable exceptions. Red wine and beer have been plentiful, cheap and great. We have never stopped laughing, mostly at ourselves. Less than 30 kms to go and we can relax, go south and enjoy Gaudi, food and wine.