20.9km

Mundoalbergue offers free coffee and magdalenas in the morning. José, who runs the place, is from Holland, and has walked a lot of the world. He gives us advice on the next phase, saying it is perhaps better to go Fisterra first, then Muxía, because the reveal of the ocean as you walk toward Fisterra is quite special. Ingrid, whose poncho from León started tearing apart on first use, needs to get rainwear. He kindly also gives her some, so we don’t need to go to a shop before we leave.

On the way to the pilgrim’s office to get information, we meet Boom at the plaza. He’s happy to have reached. I help take some photos of him.

As we are leaving the pilgrim’s office, we bump into Gerlinde. She is really emotional upon reaching, probably because she went through some setbacks during her Camino. Some of her feelings rub off on us, and we feel vicariously touched by her completion too, above our own muted sentiments when we arrived yesterday.

It’s not immediately obvious where the arrows are. But after initially referencing the map in the Xunta app, we soon reach the first few signs, and it starts to be clear on its own. It gets quiet quite quickly after leaving the historical centre of the city. A strangely familiar sensation returns—it feels like we are resuming the Way. Right outside the city, we’re soon back to the familiar terrain of Galician forest and countryside. It’s a sunny 8°C.

After walking along the road, we head into a forest path. There are no towns for the first seven kilometres. I’m not sure where we are exactly, but it’s easy to just follow the trail markers.

After Quintáns, we go back through forest. Right after a short bridge, there’s an idyllic area with rough-cut stone benches, sun shining through the trees. We take a seat, and Ingrid gives me a green apple. There’s the sound of flowing water from the small river the bridge was going over, and birds tweet and chirp around us.

Reaching Alto do Vento, a restaurant called Meson Alto do Vento appears. We see Jae finishing his lunch, and join him at his table. The restaurant seems really popular, it’s full and we have to wait for some time to make our orders.

I get beans stew, merluza (hake) with potatoes, and a baked cheesecake. They’re all superb. Jae leaves first as we’re eating. For my drink, I get Aquarius instead of wine or coffee for my still unsettled tummy.

We pass through Ventosa, walking on pavements past private homes. Dogs from each house bark at us progressively as we make our way through the estate, echoing through the neighbourhood and the surrounding valley. It is a sunny 14°C now. We spot a pharmacy, which is timely as some skin on my hands from existing insect bites had cracked and developed larger open wounds. The pharmacist was friendly and helpful, recommending me a small tub of vaseline to protect from the dry and windy weather.

The route leads to a sustained upslope through eucalyptus forest. Birds chitter, encouraging me on. Sunlight hits parts of the forest, creating nice textures. Gentle winds produce susurrations with the leaves above me.

There’s a bench midway up and I sit to rest my back and enjoy the quiet for a while, taking deep breaths of the eucalyptus scent. Sunlight flickers off some shallow flowing water in the middle of the path.

I catch up with Ingrid at the top of the incline, who has found a nice bench for a siesta. It feels like an amazing time for one. I walk ahead and find another bench for my own siesta too.

I check in on my senses. My stomach is not hundred percent, but the moment is perfect. The rare car passes on a road nearby.

It’s 5.15am when I wake, about half an hour later. I get up, refreshed, and start walking again. Eucalyptus seeds are scattered on the ground. I continue up a slope through the forest, and the trail joins a car road.

At 6pm, the sun hangs low on my left, casting a long shadow on my right. Walking on road, not needing to watch my step, I fall into a steady rhythm. I leave the houses, going back into forest for a gentle steady decline. It’s easy walking.

I see Ponte Maceira in sunlight as I walk down, and hear the sounds of a distant river. The moon is clear in the sky. Opposite the river, there’s a small castle building covered in vines. Google Maps says it’s Pazo de Baladrón, and it’s fascinating to me, but seems mostly closed. I take a seat at a bench after the bridge. The blonde-tipped trees are beautiful in sunset.

Leaving the town, distant bird sounds echo in the shallow valley. I join a river for a short portion, going under the arch of an old bridge.

At 7pm, the skies are ombré behind me, and the moon is higher in the sky. Street lamps uphill ahead of me have turned on. It’s night when I go past some houses at the edge of town, and I help an old lady close the shutters of her house from the outside.

Negreira is a modern town with rows of short buildings and old-school street lamps lining a busy main street. I pass a roundabout with a bull sculpture sitting atop a fountain in the middle. Making my way through the town, I walk towards a castle arch at the end. It’s quieter and darker after passing through the arch. The Xunta albergue is a fair bit out of town, and I take some time to reach.

Antonio and Jae are there, and I meet Olaf from Holland. We head out, hoping to catch the comet in the night sky. It’s a comet that will be visible from Earth for first time in 50,000 years, and Spain is in a good position to catch it. Based on Antonio’s astronomy app, we know where it is, but it’s not visible to us, perhaps because of light pollution or the bright moon. We do see the lights of the International Space Station going past, which is rather cool.

I text Ingrid to check if she’s ok. She took a longer siesta just now, and is just behind. She says she’s bought dinner for me from the supermarket that we can prepare with the albergue’s microwave, so we don’t have to walk back the long distance to town for dinner.

She bought baby food vegetable purée, canned sardines, quinoa, and bread, to help me with my stomach. I’m apprehensive of the baby food at first, but it turns out to be a clever idea. Mixed with the quinoa, it’s tasty and assuredly healthy. I’m touched by her care.