Saturday October 1, 2022
Arzúa to O Pedrouzo

Day	Date	From-To	Sunrise	Weather	Start	# Hrs	Miles	Km	Elev.
27	1-Oct	Arzúa – O Pedrouzo	8:29	53 Cloudy	6:40	6:22	15.2	24	1261

Our headlamps are getting a lot of use! Starting out almost 2 hours before dawn has been somewhat challenging, as we need to be extremely vigilant to see the arrows to guide us along the Way. After we arrive at our destination each day, Mike apparently hasn’t had enough of the “official” walking. He goes out to find the next day’s path out of the village. I’m happy about that, since I am directionally challenged, and would undoubtedly get lost on my own.

Our hotel was a few kilometers from the Camino path, so the expected 12 or so miles became 15. It was a relatively easy walk, a few ups & downs. We stopped for a café con leche once we found a bar that was open. And then we spotted the very memorable “Beer Garden”, with “trees” made of empty beer bottles. I’m certain that anyone who’s walked the French Way, the Primitivo, or the del Norte has taken pictures of this bar. Last time we must have arrived there later in the day, as there were a LOT of people, many drinking beer in the late morning. This time, it was too early to be open. It appears that peregrinos leave their old shoes by this bar. Some are filled with dirt, and a few have plants growing in them.

We started seeing significantly more people, since the 3 routes merged as we all walked toward O Pedrouzo. We met our Camino friends Sean and Erin from Ireland at one of our stops, got to chatting, and overshot our turn to the town by a few kilometers. Back on track, we got to the Hostel Residencia Platas, where the woman at the front desk was dealing with an awful woman who had a permanent scowl and a very bad attitude. After we checked in, we asked the lovely front desk woman for a restaurant recommendation. The Café-Bar O Pedrouzo was the BEST! We ordered an ensalada mixta and the steak, which we “cooked” ourselves. It was one of the most delicious steaks we’ve ever had. 

The hotel was similar to most of the ones we’ve stayed in during both of our Caminos. Shower was a bit small…. But for fans of cruises, it probably looks familiar. 

Later in the afternoon, the streets below were filled with peregrinos, drinking, laughing, just enjoying the whole Camino experience. Mike found a cute place, Taste the Way, that he wanted to try. Who did we run into but Sean and Erin again! We sat at a communal table along with 3 Aussies, drank some wine (Albariño), had some food (not much for us because we were still full from lunch), and had a few rounds of the Licor de Café that my cousins Ismael and Inma recommended. It was a wonderful, fun evening, and we said that we hoped to see them all again.