There are some days in life that seem so happy. Days where I feel content and that everything is aligned so perfectly. Then, out of nowhere, the most horrific of incidents can bring you tumbling right back down to a reality you aren’t prepared for. Such was the case on our Camino today.
The day started off great, even in the rain, as we departed Palas de Rei for Melide. The Camino took us through forested trails, that in the heavy rains were the muddiest we’d seen so far. It became a fun challenge to navigate our way through the muddy roads, some of which had become rivers. We, along with other pilgrims, found our way through the muddy trails. We walked through several small village. In one village, a lady invited us into her small local church to take a break from the rain. Inside I lit a candle, with her assistance, and sat awhile enjoying her and the hospitality shown.
Later on the trail we ran into Katie from Australia. It was great to see her. We walked together awhile and had good conversations about her home life and her dogs. We stopped in a cafe snacks. While there we met a German lady who is walking the Camino with two beautiful dogs similar to Katie’s. They are German shorthaired pointers. The German lady said the female had gone into heat in the past few days and the male dog was not spayed, so they’d been a little agitated. Katie gave the dogs a pet and hug and we were on our way.
As we walked into Melide, the city we were staying in this night, the sun was shining, which brought locals out and about after being couped up because of the rain. Continuing into town we noticed a quaint church that was open, being Sunday. There was a lady outside doing chores on her home, directly on the Camino, next to the church. Her cat was outside with her preening himself in the morning sun. As we entered the church we had a wonderful experience meeting a local lady who stamped our pilgrims credential. At that moment we could hear what sounded like vicious dogs attacking each other outside the church. My initial thoughts were of the German dog in heat, that a local dog had approached it and caused a fight, so Jeff and I stepped out of the church to see what was causing the commotion. As we turned, we saw the two German shorthaired pointers we’d met earlier, in unison, hunt down and grab the cat we had just seen outside the church. The owner of the cat was screaming. The dogs became incredibly vicious, the male first grabbing one end of the cat in his mouth, then the female grabbing the other end of the cat in her mouth. They then shook the cat, snapping its spine and biting into its gut. The owner of the dogs was shouting at them, beating them hard with her walking sticks, trying to stop them, but it was too late. The dogs dropped the dead cat in the street as the owner was crying out in disbelief. We all looked upon them, stunned. We couldn’t believe what we had just seen. We all started to cry along with the other pilgrims, the locals and cat owner who had just witnessed the horrifying incident. In that one instant, the most peaceful, perfect and beautiful days came to a painful and frightening end.
The rest of the day had a dark cloud over more than the sky. Later in the day we decided to try the local favorite food, Octopus. We ordered the Octopus along with a salad and steak in case we didn’t like it. The octopus was delicious and so well prepared. We loved the dinner and the experience. We went to bed feeling so many emotions. Honored for the opportunity to experience the Camino. Incredibly grateful to be safe and warm, but heart broken about the incident as we walked into Melide.
Rick's Camino de Santiago 