Camino a Santiago Day 30: Sambreixo to Arzua

Distance: 23k (14.17mi)

Elevation Gain: 460m (1,510ft)

Duration: 5h 39m

Steps: 31,612

Calories: 1,544

Country cottages are the best. But so are perfectly curated boutique hotels with monkeys on the wallpaper.

Such is the nature of accomodations on the Camino. Over the last five weeks I’ve had a little bit of everything. Five star Paradores, converted monasteries, simple B&B’s with no more than a handful of rooms. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. As much as I love the luxury and creature comforts of the five stars, it is those small, family-run inns that have stolen my heart.

The place I left today is one of those. In the owner’s family since the 1800’s, Casa Blanco is now a Country Cottage on the outskirts of Palas de Rei, a town along the Camino which quite frankly doesn’t have much of anything to write home about. It’s why I went there. Like my stay in Villavante, you just felt at home. Add to it wonderful food and a fun group dinner with the others staying there and it was a perfect stay.

Getting back on the Camino today involved a shuttle ride back to our ubiquitous yellow arrows…which, because of Casa Blanco’s location, cut a couple of miles from what I expected to walk. Bonus!!

I was dropped off right in the middle of yet another one of Galicia’s magical forests. And there was hardly anyone there. What more could I ask for?

So it went until my arrival in Melide, where I knew I should seek out the octopus. This is what the town is known for. But it was 11:30am. No octopus. Yesterday I was set on finding churros and hot chocolate to warm up after yet another rainy stage. Sadly I never got them. Well, it seems Melide is also known for its churros, because they are everywhere. Even after a massive, wonderful homemade everything breakfast at my cottage, I couldn’t resist. Churros and chocolate for second breakfast it was!

Melide however is also where the Camino Frances and the Camino Primitivo meet, meaning yet another influx of folks along the Way. As it started to get more crowded, a couple crossing the road looked at me and said “Aren’t you Michelle, the reporter from Chicago?” You can imagine my reaction. It was a mix between “No way” and “Oh well, at least I got five weeks of work freedom.” Until their next sentence. And that’s what blew me away. “We’re from Springfield. We’ve been following your vlog.”

Yes people. Forget Channel 7. I’m now a YouTube star! 😂 Me and my 200 viewers are going to take over the world!

Accommodation. Hotel Boutique 1930. I’m not sure how this hotel is only rated as a three star. It’s beyond beautiful and so out of place on the Camino. Owned and run by a husband and wife, there is not a single detail decor or service wise that has been overlooked. Being that I arrived on a Sunday and pretty much everything in town was closed, this was a perfect place to spend the rest of my afternoon, writing and enjoying a lovely bottle of red and a cheese board in the hotel’s outdoor Moroccan-style tented bar. In any other city, this hotel would be valued way higher. Deluxe room, single use. €95

Dinner. Hotel Boutique 1930. Having filled myself up on cheese earlier in the day dinner was limited to a grilled scallop appetizer and a lovely dark chocolate dessert. There was however, an obnoxious, clearly drunk British guest, who was sitting on his own but kept trying to butt into other people’s business, thinking he would win friends by loudly proclaiming how rich he is. Needless to say, that made me rush through the meal.

Truth be told, he cut a sad, pathetic figure and I felt bad for him. That was especially true when I ran into him again a couple of days later at the Parador in Santiago, where it became clear he was very lonely, and walking the Camino solo had simply highlighted his sadness all the more. An important lesson that the Camino has different meanings for different people and it’s not always a joyful experience. Also, money, and the ability to pay for fancy hotels and meals is nice, but it will never buy happiness. Happiness is a choice. It’s one we make for ourselves each and every day.