Melide on the Camino Primitivo

Melide is where the Primitivo joins the Camino Frances for the final 55 kilometers to Santiago. After days of mountain solitude, the sudden crowd of pilgrims can be disorienting -- or energizing, depending on your temperament.

The town itself has been welcoming pilgrims for centuries. The Iglesia de San Pedro dates to the 14th century and contains notable medieval frescoes, while the Iglesia de Sancti Spiritus holds a 14th-century stone crucifix considered one of the oldest in Galicia. The small Museo da Terra de Melide occupies the former Hospital del Sancti Spiritus and is worth a visit if it's open.

But Melide's real claim to fame is its pulpo. The town has been the unofficial capital of pulpo a feira since long before the camino became fashionable, and the pulperias here are the real thing -- octopus cooked in copper pots, served on wooden plates with paprika, olive oil, coarse salt, and heavy bread. A Garnacha and Ezequiel are two of the most established. Arrive at lunch and eat as the Galicians do -- standing at the bar, with a glass of Ribeiro wine and your sleeves rolled up.

From Melide the route to Santiago is shared with the Frances. The terrain is gentler, the services more frequent, and the company considerably more abundant. You've earned the easy finish.