Leaving Las Vegas ... I mean Santiago !

I walked out of Santiago de Compostela this morning, with the Sheryl Crow song " Leaving Las Vegas" running through my head, grinning like an idiot. Santiago is a great town, but very busy and very touristy, so it was lovely to get the backpack back on and head off. 

The first arrow, immediately off the main Plaza, and a very quick walk out of the city into villages and country roads. 

I have drastically lightened my backpack, so it's now down to about 5kg I reckon. It does mean I have to wash clothes every two days, and there's no luxuries like conditioner, but for 4 days, it feels wonderful to throw the light pack on. No jacket, no sleeping bag, all very simple. 

Fields coming into view

Ponte Maceira, a lovely mill village

Well it's actually only 88km I have to walk to get to Finisterre, so it's a pleasant 4 days. Given my rather lumpy and bruised knee, there is no temptation to squeeze the walk into three days. Sitting on the sofa in the basic but clean albergue seems like a good idea, with my leg propped up on a stool. I'm in a small, fairly ordinary but OK town called Negreiro tonight. 

Nice moments at the albergue ... listening to Galician bagpipe music an Italian guy found on the internet, and I commented that they are similar to Scottish bagpipes. He immediately went and found a bagpipe version of Amazing Grace for me on YouTube, and we listened to that before moving onto some other music. Then after dinner, a South Korean peregrino brought out his Korean flutes, and played them for us, he's carried them all the Camino. Meeting a German guy who's walked from Germany and can't quite imagine finishing in two days, he's walked about 3000km.