Friday 2nd June 2023
Distance 22.6 km / 14 miles
Salceda – Monte del Gozo
I was up early as today was a longer day – about twice as long as the previous ones. I said Morning Prayer in my room then set off. The sky was brightening as I walked beside the road past fields.
I was going to miss the beautiful sunrises.
I passed through the busy town of O Pedrouzo without stopping and continued on. There were more bars and cafes the closer you got to Santiago and certainly more pilgrims. As the morning wore on it got busier and busier and noisier too. There was a couple in front of me walking with their music playing for all to hear. Though it was very different to the peace and quiet of the earlier days I treated it as a gradual acclimatisation to normal life.
There were a succesion of villages and lots of ups and downs. I stopped at a bar called Kilometre 15 which made it quite obvious how far there was left. I met some british women here who I had last seen when we stayed at the same Albergue on Day two.
I passed the Airport and headed down into the village of Lavacolla. There were loads of people crowded in the bars and cafes here. I headed for the tiny Chapel of St Roque where it was much quieter and took time to pray. It was then more climbing first up one hill in the shade and then a further climb which never seemed to end to the summit of Monte Gozo.
I had my first view of Santiago with it’s Cathedral. The end was now literally in sight.
I didn’t want to arrive in Santiago until tomorrow so I had booked a bed in a huge pilgrim complex just on the hillsid overlooking the city. There was block upon block of dormitories with a central plaza with restaurants and other amenities. I kind of thought it was a bit like Butlins of the Camino – minus the entertainment and and funfair. While I was waiting for check in I put everything I could in the dyer at the launderette which gave me peace of mind as far as bed bugs were concerned. I also had a drink and a sandwich. After a rest in the afternoon I returned for a proper meal that evening.
I had time to think about what my pilgrimage was all about but didn’t come to any conclusions.