Day 15 Ferriere – Boente

Last night for the first time we had no phone signal and the WiFi wasn’t so good… Sadly that meant we spent a little more time dozing in the afternoon and then later more time drinking. Oh well 😁.

It was Gerrys birthday and though we’d already celebrated in Lugo the guy from Moscow who sat beside us at dinner kept refilling Gerry’s glass with white wine whenever it got too low.  The albergue was great (Ferriera Nave alburgue), lovely hot shower, very comfortable beds and great communal evening meal.  They also had a great gluten free breakfast so we left this morning refreshed and full.

As we walk into autumn the sunrise is later and later as the days get shorter.  We left at just before 8:00 but it was a little too early and the sky was still the wrong  shade of grey.  The inevitable happened… Not a trip but we missed a marker.  500m later I felt we should have seen something so we checked the map and sure enough we were walking the wrong way. We turned tail and got back on the right path but that was an extra kilometer we didn’t need. 

It was cold and misty again but as the kilometers ticked away so the sun burnt it off and the sky turned from grey to white to blue. The air was cold but the sun kept us warm… The perfect combination of neither too hot nor too cold.

On we walked, thankful away from yesterday’s tarmac and on to softer trails.  We walked through forest and farms and the views opened up.  Just when I was thinking I missed the mountains and valleys of the Primitivo they appeared.  We walked out of the fallen mist and up above the cloud.  It was a wonderful walk.

As we reached the top and turned the corner a new valley rolled away gently  before us and in the distance we could see Melide.  I had such mixed emotions.  Today is an end of sorts.  Walking into Melide is the end of the Primitivo camino as from here we merge with pilgrims walking the Camino Frances.

We stopped at a bar for a coffee.  It was a late stop today but the first chance we’d had.  It was only a few kilometres to lunch but the rest did us  good.  Some Spanish pilgrims at the table next to us insisted Gerry share some wine… Of course he didn’t need a second invitation but it meant he had to drink from a traditional leather bottle… Holding it above his head and pouring direct into his mouth.  In typical Gerry fashion he took his t-shirt off to avoid making a mess… And the rest of the world had a semi naked Ger to cheer them up… Kind of like an over 60s diet coke man 🤣

On we walked into Melide and stopped at the first restaurant for lunch.  It was enormous so I shared with Gula… Gosh it was very nice though.

Finally there was nothing for it than to continue on.  I was here last year.  I walked these steps with Jaqui.  We sat there on that bench and had lunch.  We joked with other pilgrims by those trees. We took photos crossing that stone bridge. We had coffee in that bar.  She is here.  Her memory travels along with me.  A butterfly landed beside me.  I’ve always believed that butterflies are friends and loved ones that come back for a visit.  I sat and watched it flit and float and rest and said hello. Buen camino my beautiful friend.

And so we arrived.  Showered and rested.  Nearly there.  48.9km to go and my fitbit says we did almost 27km today. I have to say they were perfect kilometers too… A baby bear kind of day… Not too much, not too little… It was just right.