Vigo to Arcade (2/10/25) – 25kms

Word press is becoming quite a joke. Anyway I can’t upload only two photos. The size of photos apparently become a problem and maybe you won’t read the rest of the blog as I bitch about the platform so much we won’t be continuing with Word Press in the future. And they can stop stealing our money and not providing proper service.

So we had a well needed rest day in Vigo. We should have taken a rest day sooner. Went out on a sailing yacht with our skipper Lucas. Was a fantastic day out on the water and exploring Cies Islands, swimming in the freezing North Atlantic Ocean. They don’t get much winds for sailing here so we basically motored most of the time unlike Western Australia waters that are absolutely crazy, gusty, big swells and all that jazz! Lucas had recommended an excellent restaurant in Vigo. We dined in style and quite late! Mr D was on the piss started with a full glass of straight whisky, he was drunk happy by the time we got to shot glasses of a Baileys similar, similar drink. And there was aged beef, so we had a very happy Mr D. I had to help my two drunk children, Mr D and Karen back to the apartment. It was almost 11pm and we had a 7.30am early start and big walk day!

So Thursday we are out the apartment after 7.30am into the dark morning and it’s busy full of people going to work and school kids. It’s smelly, it’s noisy and it’s humid as. We are sweating bollacks as we walk out to the outskirts of the city. Then it is much cooler and less crowded, noisy. But today’s walk is up a lot, the streets go up quite a steep incline and vice versa it is very sharp and steep coming down. So very hilly, the most demanding walk we have had. And there are many more pilgrims now. Some starting like a young women pair from China starting their first day of the Camino from Vigo.

There is lovely woodlands walks, finding a spot that people go off to pee is easy, it is littered with used toilet paper all over the ground. Even though there is a rubbish bag for it hanging on a tree branch. So many people just don’t care. It is very disappointing and sad. The morning is so lovely, we walk in shade and the weather is cool. We even go up a steep incline to a pilgrims rest stop for morning tea and cake.

All along the track today is Little deposits of dog poo not picked up. The worse was a dogs diarrhoea splatter all over the pavement. And there were many people, one older lady called Victoria we chatted to. She is from Sydney and doing her first Camiño solo, though her daughter came for a week. She transfers her main luggage ahead and carries a tiny day pack and only does like 15 to 18kms a day. Rest days every 4 days. Very smart woman unlike us! There are pilgrims playing their music out loud and singing along. There’s pilgrims that want to run down hill with a big pack on their back. There are groups that pray and hold rosary beads while they walk. So now we see many different types of pilgrims. Mr D was walking up one major steep hill and two women raced pass him like he was standing still. Lots of locals. Lots of cyclists also sharing our Camino path. One local in Redondela didn’t like walkers and honked his car horn loudly as he flew pass us giving us all a fright.

In Redondela we stopped for lunch. Picked us a vegan restaurant. Mr D wasn’t thrilled with his pick. I had a vegan Caesar salad. And we had smoothies. So actually, was the first time we ordered healthy food and no alcohol for lunch! All in all, don’t think we will go back to a vegan eatery. But the service was great and nice spot in the cool shade. We had a hot slog walk to Arcade afterwards. Unfortunately in the afternoon it really gets unpleasantly hot. We walked 2 hours through more steep hills. It was after 4.30pm once we reached our apartment.

And the apartment we have is the best apartment to date! The kitchen is stocked up with food, milk, biscuits, snacks, water. Loads of coffee and tea. So comfortable could stay here for days! My stupid bed bug bites all 50 odd are getting better, generally have a few bites that still itch. Mr D only had 5 & no complaints from him. But today his Achilles tendon was hurting so he better take care of that! We went to a restaurant close by for dinner and Mr D must have offended the waiter after asking how the oysters are cooked. The waiter clearly did not like our Mr D after that, service was slow and food ok, not like last night’s food but better than the vegan lunch. Interesting as many people like Mr D. Even other pilgrims see him and say he looks interesting to talk too. Well, those that know Mr D can definitely say he is a very interesting man! But Mr D isn’t interested in striking up conversations with others.

Don’t think I allowed Mr D to drink too much tonight but he wanted to go and play in the children’s playground returning back from dinner. So there he is swinging away on a kids swing. Let him be. He had a difficult walk after lunch as he had a headache and the Achilles problem so was very quiet and unhappy in the afternoon. So it is good to see him with a smile tonight! Hard long day walk, tomorrow a short and sweet one. The Galicia markers are counting down the remaining kilometres to Santiago, we are down to 82 or something kilometres left. Hard to know as someone has removed the kilometre markers. Arcade is a nice small town, but not about to go exploring it. Have no energy after a long days walk. 😊

The running comedy is when Mr D finds a public toilet which there wasn’t any today, he lets Karen know as she has to use a toilet a lot. And when an ambulance goes pass, Karen says There goes Mr D’s Taxi! 🚕