Camino Primitivo: Melide to Arzúa

22 May 2022 Thom Camino Primitivo, Pilgrim Reports

Thunderstorms and vicious wind last night. The initial gust came during dinner, and I saw outside dining tables skittering across the sidewalk. It calmed down after that for several hours, but in the middle of the night, the skies opened.

Fortunately, the rain had stopped by morning. The way out of Melide is much more pleasant than the way in. It’s primarily dirt path through forest and field. The sheer number of pilgrims on the road this morning was something of a shock, even though I was intellectually prepared for it.

A slow, leisurely walk. We didn’t have a lot of kilometers to cover today, and much of the morning walk was through cool and humid emerald forest, punctuated by a string of little villages and towns.

One of the places you must stop is the little church of Santiago in the town of Boente, with its clocks on the side of the church never showing the correct time, and the quirky and charming – almost folk art – statue of the saint on the high altar.

Unfortunately, they have erected a locked glass partition separating the narthex from the nave, and it is no longer possible to spend some quiet time praying in the cool interior of the church. The plethora of holy cards in a dozen languages showing the image of the statue that were available in former years have likewise vanished. Just outside the door there is, among the graves, a memorial for the victims of COVID-19. Perhaps these things are related.

Onward on broad dirt pathways through woods and past fields, some newly tilled and some with the first green of the crops already poking up.

The storm finally broke about 11 AM, and it was ponchos out! It was fairly pouring down when we ducked into a café in Ribadiso for some Cola Cao, chorizo sandwiches, and cake. We were soon joined by our old friend Alicia from Boston, one of the few folks from the Primitivo we saw today. Virtually all of the pilgrims we’ve seen today walked the Camino Francés.

We took advantage of a break in the storm to head back out onto the Camino. The break proved short-lived, and soon enough we were walking again in the rain. It was intermittent the rest of the way to Arzúa.

After checking into our albergue and following the usual routine of rest, shower, and laundry, we ordered a pizza from Il Fornaccio, the best pizza on the Camino. We ended up ordering a little too much, and we shared it around the table with other pilgrims in the albergue.

This evening, we will attend the 7 PM Sunday mass at the bright and beautiful parish church in Arzúa.