Startpoint: Casonoba; Endpoint: Salceda; Steps taken: 43,045; Distance walked: 34km.

Today I took my millionth step. My pedometer says 1,008,569 so far. Tomorrow I should arrive in Santiago de Campostela, after 788 kilometres.

I assumed I would reach the cathedral on my own, but as I write this there are three of us planning if and how we enter the cathedral together. We haven’t decided yet. More wine might help, at least, that’s what we’re trying.

I met these two other pilgrims on the walk. We walk at different paces, so we’ve said our good-byes about ten times. But we keep meeting every evening. We haven’t managed to split up yet. Some have tried harder than others.

We reluctantly left Jellyfish-Blister girl after breakfast this morning. She doubted her own ability to walk thirty-four kilometres. So did we.

After twenty kilometres we felt a bit peckish and stopped into a pizzeria in Arzua. They were playing diddly-ey Irish music and lots of gruff looking gents with long white beards were drinking beer. I had an odd sensation I was at a Ronny Drew lookalike competition. We shazamed* the music. It was a local folk group. Galicia really is very like Ireland, except very so slightly warmer and very so slightly less punctual. The music was: O Mouro, Luar Na Lubre, Oson Do Ar – one of those is the song, one the band and one the album; we’re not sure which is which.

As we were resting, listening to Irish-ish music and eating cheese pizza and fruit salad, the less extravagant pilgrims passed us out. There was one Swiss teacher whose pupils had taken a bus to Santiago, leaving him 70km behind. He was well into his 50s and was planning on walking 50km today. I’m 34 and I walked 34km today, so I think that’s fair enough.

We couldn’t find the municipal Albergue in Salceda where we had planned to stay. The private place we found could only offer us shared hotel-rooms. We reluctantly decided to stay to ensure other pilgrims could take any remaining bed in the municipal place. The impending rain, adjoining bar, and cute Alsatian puppy had only a marginal influence on our decision. Later on, when the rain got heavy, we saw the landlord turning away the slower pilgrims. We watched on sadly from the heated bar as the heads on our beers settled and our food arrived. The food was a little cold, which eased our guilt.

After dinner we ordered extra wine and played one of those folded paper question games. The questions were as follows (answers below):

1) How many fans do Dec’s bike shorts have?

2) How many bilsters does Jill have?

3) How many steps will Dermot have taken by tomorrow?

4) How many phonecalls does Dermot make a day?

5) How many times a day does Declan complain about sweat?

6) Match these dishes with Dec’s description:
a) Flan, b) Wine, c) Bread;
x) Like an Old Church, y) Eggy, z) like an old shoe

7) How many eggs does Dermot eat a day?

8) Who drank the most wine of the Camino?

The owner here used to work on the boats in Castletownbeare. He was able to talk to us in fluent English and to one of our fellow pilgrims in fellow Polish. Considering many of the Albergue are unable to grunt coherently, this a pleasant way to wind down before the end.

Buen Camino

Answers
1) 3
2) 7
3) Any answer over 1 million would do
4) 3
5) 53
6)
a) Flan = y) Eggy
b) Wine = x) like an old church
c) Bread = z) like an old shoe
7) 4
8) The drunk Korean (previously unmentioned)