DAY 21 (DAY 5 OF WALK) – THURSDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER 2019 - ARZUA TO O PEDROUZO – 12.7 MILES.

I set off around 8.45am this morning. I’m one of the late starters. A lot of them set off in the dark, which I find hard to understand unless you’re incredibly slow or have one hell of a distance to cover. I can understand it at the height of summer an early start is recommended and makes sense as it can get viciously hot even in the north of Spain at that time of the year. Nothing much to report on the route today, apart from some interesting characters and venues on the trail (see pics below!) 

 Upon arrival in Pedrouzo at around 2pm I decided to reward myself with a coffee at one of the 25 or so bar/café/restaurants that grace the town. As I approached the bar who was there but Carlo and Michelle, I’d stumbled on the café/bar attached to their digs for the night. I hope you’re keeping up because that’s the second time our paths have crossed since our initial meeting on the trail on the first day. After chatting about families and all things Camino I left them basking in what had become a very pleasant day weather-wise. From there I made the short walk to my hostel, around a 5 minute walk away. The Mirador De Pedrouzo was a super swish modern hostel. We even had hotel style plastic access cards to get into our dormitory. However this resulted in an embarrassing moment later on at bedtime when I left the dorm to brush my teeth in the adjoining washroom and had forgotten my card. I had to repeatedly knock on the dormitory door until eventually an irate looking French woman opened the door for me. I could see why she was miffed, as her bunk was closest to the door, she’d obviously had to get up several times before to allow other people in who had made the same mistake as me!

In the evening I’d arranged to meet green-eyed John at a restaurant.  I had come across him again, enjoying a gin and something in one of the many bar/cafes along the main street, as I took a wander around the town in the late afternoon. To be honest he looked three sheets to the wind then and when he didn’t show in the evening I wasn’t really surprised. My suspicions were confirmed the following morning when I received a text from him apologizing for not showing as he’d, ‘Gone upstairs for a little nap’ and failed to wake up despite me ringing him and leaving a couple of text messages at the time. An Irishman who enjoys a good drink, or am I stereotyping again?!