O Pedrouzo

Light mist foretold a warm day ahead as I left Arzua at 6:30.

Canopies of trees covered the path.

Memorials are sometimes seen along the Road, particularly on Camino Frances. When I see them, it brings back memories of our Camino in 2011. The stone shown above was installed in 2012 and likely put there in remembrance of a pilgrim who died while walking or was associated with the Camino organization listed.

Sisters Edith and Sophia are from S. Korea and started their Camino in St. Jean. It was Sophia's first Camino; Edith has previously walked Camino Portuguese and the Frances. Their journey together will be a wonderful memory for them. At a breakfast stop in A Calzada they graciously shared pieces of Galician cheese. I also ordered an empanada atun (tuna) and orange juice.

One walker in a group that passed me had a cap on with a basketball.

"39 bottles of (Peregrina) bottles of beer on the wall"... at Casa Tia Dolores in A Calle 

Imagine

Free footbath 

Park standoff

A cool treat -- Kas Limon. It's a carbonated drink made from real lemon juice and doesn't have as much sugar as regular sodas. This bar served it in a Coca-Cola glass. 

A giant Pelerin mascot 

Sweet slumber

Heraldic crests are often displayed on homes and public buildings. They're an architectural tradition that goes back centuries.

Arrows point to lodging possibilities available in O Pedrouzo, a town that's often the last stop for walkers before Santiago. My albergue was down the street from here.

The Albergue Cruceiro de Pedrouzo -- modern, clean, and completo with groups of high school age students. It was a noisy place at night, and unfortunately, I didn't get much sleep even with earplugs.

View from my lower bunk

Irish peregrinas Marie and Shiela -- both were excited about reaching Santiago the next day. They shared my plan to leave very early in the morning to reach the Cathedral by noon for the Pilgrim's Mass.

Dinner was at Che -- ensalada mixta, pescado, y potatas. The bar area included a zumo de naranja (OJ) maker, which is a staple at many Spanish bars. Freshly squeezed orange juice was another refreshing treat.

In the evening I attended Mass at Santa Eulalia de Arca church, & the same priest from the previous night in Arzua performed the service. Similar to the other Mass, he blessed walkers with holy water at the end.

The church's shell altar is unique and speaks to the town's ties with the Camino. I remembered seeing the altar in 2011 when the shell's color was white with a dark green/gray trim around the scallop's edges. The present opalescent cream emphasized the shell shape much better.