Step by step along The Way of Saint James
From Negreira to Olveiroa
13 June 2018
Stage 34 – Km. 33
Today, there are only two stages left before reaching Finisterre and thus completing the entire Way of Saint James.
However, this does not mean we can relax, thinking we have reached the end of our efforts. In fact, both today and tomorrow, the routes ahead are considerably longer than the daily average, and the total remaining distance is approximately sixty-five kilometres.
Despite this, the desire to reach the final destination is strong. Paraphrasing the famous saying, I can say that since we’ve already done “thirty” kilometres, we can manage “thirty-one” and even a few more.
Given the length of today’s stage, we set off half an hour earlier, starting our walk at exactly 6:00.
The Spanish-Colombian friends, Roberto, Alexandra, and Mauricio, also stayed in the same hostel last night. Due to their return flight schedule, they decided to travel to Finisterre by taxi today and finish their Way tomorrow by walking the coastal stretch from Finisterre to Muxía, which is about thirty kilometres long.
I also have a flight ticket to return to Italy and must stick to the scheduled date to organise the remaining four days I have left.
As for me, I prefer to continue walking until I reach the sea.
By doing so, I will complete the itinerary in a linear fashion without any interruptions, from the Pyrenees to the Atlantic Ocean, and once I reach Finisterre, I will end my Way there.
Afterwards, I will travel to Muxía by public transport for a tourist visit to this interesting town, also located on the coast.
Although the weather forecast predicts sunshine today, the sky is still partly cloudy for now.
The temperature, while mild, is not warm enough for us to walk in just a t-shirt.
As we get closer to the sea, the landscape, which was dominated by lush forests, gradually gives way to vast meadows where herds of cattle and sheep graze freely.
The dirt path we follow is far from the paved roads used by noisy motor vehicles, so our walk is pleasantly accompanied only by the sounds and scents typical of the natural environment.
Along the route, we still come across several rural villages, always characterised by simple stone houses and numerous “hórreos,” the typical stilted granaries in the shape of parallelepipeds, where cereals and other crops are stored.
The first village we pass through, at nearly eight o’clock, is A Pena.
Here too, the main point of interest is the small 19th-century church dedicated to San Mamede, surrounded by a similarly small cemetery.
After crossing Vilaserío and Santa Mariña, we arrive at the mirador de Monte Aro.
From this panoramic point, it is possible to admire not only the surrounding landscape but also the encoro da Fervenza: a large body of water formed by a dam that interrupts the flow of the río Xallas.
Two kilometres before today’s destination lies the small village of Ponte Olveira.
As we pass through it, it is around one o’clock, and good old Francisco informs us that he has decided to stop here. Since he has time and can afford to slow down his Way, he wants to add another intermediate stage before reaching Finisterre.
We are not entirely sure what led him to this conclusion; perhaps his legendary determination has been worn down by the weight of the enormous backpack he carries on his shoulders.
The backpack, incidentally, has always been unevenly balanced, despite our repeated attempts to adjust it for him.
Regardless, Francisco has made up his mind.
Before parting ways, though, he insists on treating us to something at a bar.
We finally bid him a fond farewell, knowing we won’t see him again.
We feel sorry to leave him behind, so much so that Giovanna barely manages to hold back tears of emotion.
Nonetheless, we are sure he will have no trouble managing on his own, even if at his own pace.
At 14:30, we arrive in Olveiroa, at the Albergue de la Xunta de Peregrinos.
At the entrance of the municipal hostel, there is no one to welcome the arriving pilgrims. A sign displayed at reception simply invites us to choose any available bed, and registration will take place this evening, at nineteen o’clock, when the designated staff member arrives.
Acknowledging the written instructions, we settle in and go about our activities freely.
The hostel does not have facilities for washing clothes, so after taking a shower, we go in search of a laundry service. We find a solution in a restaurant, where the owner agrees to wash our clothes for us.
With the laundry sorted, we take advantage of the beautiful sunny day to sit outdoors and enjoy a snack accompanied by a beer.
Olveiroa is a very small but charming rural village.
There’s not much to do, so we spend the afternoon near the hostel, relaxing, chatting, and snacking on bits of food.
We make friends with Karen, a pilgrim from Taiwan whom we have already seen a few times.
She tells us that, after completing The Way of Saint James, she will continue her European tour for at least another month, visiting several countries across the continent.
To carry out her long journey and have enough time to do it, Karen simply resigned from her job; she tells us that once she returns home, she will easily find another one.
At nineteen o’clock, the staff member arrives at the hostel for check-in.
Once we have registered, we head to dinner at the same restaurant where we left our clothes to be washed.
Our day ends early. Around twenty-one o’clock, we go to sleep, once again saying goodnight before sunset.
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