Day 27: Mon 29 Sep, Arzúa – O Pedrouzo 19.4 km

Note: updated post with more personal thoughts.

I awake in the dorm, my mind skips around in the dark, the muffled light snoring entering my ears through my plugs is a comforting sound, but not enough to send me back to sleep. The last few days have seen our little group become very close. Tomorrow is the beginning of the end of that particular form, and the end of 28 days of walking for me. The thought of this starts some waves of overwhelming emotions. I lie in bed in a dorm room and sob silently for an hour or so. Is this just the end of the journey for me, and for our little group (we later call ourselves I Primitivi - The Primitives), or is it something else? I don’t really know. It just keeps coming out of me, and doesn’t appear to stop. I get a hold of myself enough to go to the toilet, freshen up, walk back and it erupts again. Over breakfast, the tears flow freely over my jammy toast, into my coffee. The sad, thin tissues in the dispensers on the table aren’t absorbent enough to cope. Something has come unstuck inside me.

Arzua doesn’t have much to recommend it as a stop for pilgrims aside from it just having a few supermarkets, most of which were closed on Sunday anyway - even the 24 hour place is closed as I walk past in the morning. I gather myself enough to walk along its single main street in the dim morning light to meet the other two Primitives. I walk inside, greet a few familiar faces, and walk back outside for some fresh air. Our little group starts walking, together at first, then separately, respecting each other’s need for space. Walking in our thoughts, driftwood on this stream of humanity. I’m lost in conversation with a pilgrim when I finally arrive at my destination, and overshoot by several kilometres. My friends have already arrived so I trot back to the town to join them. I don’t want to miss a second of this last day.

The afternoon and dinner in O Pedrouzo is a such a sweet final day on the trail. We sit in the afternoon sun soaking up some cool beers. It’s our last rest before the final push, and it couldn’t be more perfect. It’s a perfect last evening for us to share together.