The Home “Scratch”

Posted on by Pete Schloss

At Arzua, June 23, 2026.

Dear Followers, Friends, Family, and Christine.

I am “really itching” to tell you about the highlight of the day, but I will put that off until the end of this post.

It has really struck us that this is the homestretch. Tomorrow is the last day that we will walk to an accommodation other than in Santiago. 20 km tomorrow and the final 20 km Thursday. 

As both celebration and condolence we looked for a restaurant that did not specialize in “the usual €15 pilgrim menu”. Not far from our pension was a small eclectic restaurant that fit the bill. The bill did not fit a pilgrim’s budget!

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Four glasses of excellent Galician wine, a liter bottle of mineral water, a shrimp, appetizer (shrimp wrapped with fine cut pork rind, deep-fried and accompanied by a slightly spicy dipping sauce), wonderfully prepared Hake fish for Charlie and a juicy shoulder steak (served rare) for me… topping it all off was grandmother‘s homemade cheesecake. Worth every euro! (sorry, forgot to take pictures of the meal)

Of course today was hot, but we got an early start and beat most of the heat by the end of our 21 km hike. This was the day for bridges.

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Not a bridge, but the rural countryside version of a “laundromat“. 

There were also periods of hiking through urban areas, which I did not find interesting enough for pictures. Accordingly, this post is thin on photographs.

We again ran into our “Malaysian friends“. This time I had the presence of mind to get a photograph of them. They really got into the swing of things and made it an event for all of us.

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I think more than one of them has taken a shine to Charlie, considering him “cute“.

Now for the “pest” part. I woke up yesterday with the most annoying itching. As the day progressed the itching resolved into red splotches with small distinct centers. Consulting twith Professor Google resulted in a diagnosis of bedbugs! A few days earlier I had commented to Charlie that this is my fifth Camino and I think the whole bedbug controversy is way over blown. How wrong I was.

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A trip to a pharmacy and a small tube of hydrocortisone has brought some relief. Time will do the rest.

Charlie and I machine washed and dried all of our clothes just to be on the safe side.

Christine, please give all the grandkids and my daughter a big hug. I look forward to seeing them in Paris. I hope to share dinner or even just a cup of coffee with “Mr. B”. I am especially thinking of him and his coming “journey”. Love, Me.

Peace, Everyone and Buen Camino. Pete.

16 thoughts on “The Home “Scratch””

  1. PeterT says:

    So sorry about the Bedbugs. Those bites look painful. I managed to miss them on my 2013 Camino, but some of those I walked with had the honor of being bitten. You apparently are not only intelligent and good looking, you are tasty. My badges of honor took the form of blisters and a swollen foot. That meal sounds like a real treat!

  2. Ann says:

    I think I remember this stone bridge. Is the lady with the pink Volkswagen still at her little fruit 🍎 stand in this area ?

  6. Bert says:

    I am assured that the stepping stones are across the río Catasol. The first bridge is over the río Seco (Dry River). It seems an odd name to give a river. The bridge is called the Magdalena Bridge (Puente Magdalena).
    The second bridge is the Ponte (Puente) de San Xoán de Furelos over the río Furelos. You will find it identified as “Roman Bridge” on Google Maps. Any bridge that looks old may be called “Roman” in Spain. The third bridge is the Ponte (Puente) Medieval over the río Iso, which gives its name to the village: Ribadiso
    If it’s not Roman, it must be medieval.

  7. Maxine Harrison says:

    eeeuuu bed bugs….have never had the pleasure but I remember Chip dealing with them in the cabins at one of his parks. I got bit last week by a spider right in the middle of my throat. Itches like crazy! Nothing helps with the itch other than covering with a boo-boo patch to keep me from ripping my throat out at night. What a bummer! And I agree….its because you are one tasty morsel!!

  8. Liz S says:

    In all honesty – we have learned to put a black plastic bag in the trunk of our cars – in which our packs go before we put them in the trunk. Sealed and left in the sun to bake for a few days before the packs come in the house. Why you ask – bedbugs – we have gotten them almost every Camino – even in a hotel. Our theory is not everyone reacts to the bites, as we share a bed – and I have never gotten bitten yet Frank has. Curious eh?? Little buggers!!

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