October 17, 2022. We join the Camino Francés.
Last night the wind and rain whipped through Arzúa and we wondered how much of today would be very unpleasant of a rain day. But things were already clearing this morning, still with clouds and mud, but no rain, and the clouds lifted and we finally saw sun this afternoon after many days.
Arzúa is where the Camino del Norte ( what we were following ) combines with the much more traveled flow of pilgrims from the Camino Francés, the route that most people are referring to when they say Camino de Santiago. And the change was dramatic. Previously we might see 4 to 10 pilgrims in a whole day. We were often alone in the mountains or the paths, but now it was like a herd of stampeding bulls by comparison. We just had to keep vigilant not to run into people and try to keep our own pace.
We wound around little towns, tunneled under highways, passed by numerous businesses that have grown up with the promise of pilgrim business. Along the way we had short conversations with some people, but nowhere to be seen were our friends we’ve seen over weeks of walking on the North route.
We took a stop outside a little cafe, but it was too busy to order anything, so we just ate our own snacks. As the day went on, the numbers dwindled. Perhaps because some pilgrims took a bus, or just by the natural spreading out of people from a near simultaneous start. It was a short 19.7 km route and we were happy to pull into O Pedrouso and get some food and a shower.
Tomorrow is our final day into Santiago and we hope to be able to share some celebratory moments. ß
Eager to see your final post tomorrow. Exciting!