The Camino and the Coast: Day 22 The Canadian Way

I woke up this morning and I had to convince myself that this was a vacation. I had to tell myself that I was not on a schedule and that it was OK to sleep late. I wasn't on the clock so I could do as I pleased and so I did. I let myself be lazy and I laid in my cozy warm bed with the blinds closed and just rested.

Then I got word that the sun was shining and the coastline was gorgeous. So with that I jumped out of bed, got washed and ready to go. I put in some jet fuel and off I went.

I am currently in a private room in a hostel and just ate the best fish dinner and drank a bottle of excellent red wine which I am still nursing.

Despite having a room to myself, this is a very loud environment so I have some classical music playing, hopefully to drown out the noise and keep me calm.

Hopefully this wine will let me recount the day accurately.

Viana do Castelo was a great town and I would have loved to explore more. I usually leave by 0800 but the stores didnt open until 0900 and I just wanted some milk. I had gluten free cereal I found and wanted to eat and if I ate it, I would be carrying less weight.

I managed to see the main Cathedral and take in a few sights on my way back out to the shoreline. I did not climb the massive mountain to the castle and it was on my list of things to see but it was a rainy day with likely poor visibility... well that's what I told myself to feel better. I'm ok with missing it because my day was so very full. I can say that I will always remember Viana do Castelo. Not just the evening shenanigans with Bruno but also leaving the next day. The dramatic skies and massive waves, thundering onto the shore.

I couldn't walk very fast because I was in awe of the massive waves and I took one picture for every 10 steps I made forward. The rain left a sheen on the boardwalks and darkness was all around except where I walked.

It was as if I was walking in a protected bubble of sunshine that stayed with me all day regardless of how threatening the rest of the sky was.

I had not made it very far when I heard a voice call out and it was my Canadian friends catching up... turns out they did in fact go up and explore the castle. I was happy to see familiar faces again. Bruno was well out of reach having left first thing in the morning. So it was an all Canadian crew today. I truly enjoyed their company. And I will miss them as I likely won't see them again after today. We didn't try to have a spectacular day... it just happened.

We spent the day walking on the boardwalks and enjoying the views. The trail turned in land for a while and we walked through some delightful forests but still we kept hugging the coastline.

The sun was shining strong and the temps were perfect. We all agreed that it was time to stop for a snack and a rest.

We found an extension of boardwalk that went directly to the beach, not part of the Camino. It was then that I let John try my tiger balm... for his hip. He was in awe of it's magical powers. I stepped away onto the top of the sand hill we were perched on and looked both ways...

I came back to the picnic area and had a proposition for the fellas. First I gave them the disclaimer and they seemed happy to sign the waiver. I suggested we make our way down to the sand and walk along the glorious beach and pick up the path at the other end. We were excited and all interested in an adventure.

And it was just that. We all walked happily knowing no matter what, this was the right choice.

Then we came to a curvy river crossing. A place where a stream was flowing freely from inland into the sea. At the mouth of the stream the ocean was rushing in and colliding with the fresh water pushing its way out. We had to find a shallow place to pass which was, oddly enough, close to where the ocean waves were colliding. When the tide rolled out, the water thinned out and almost made a shallow passing. I saw it once and then when the next wave rolled back out to sea I just darted across barely getting wet. Without much thought John and Tim both quickly followed. We could have removed our footwear and waded through but that seemed to be just a whole lot of extra effort. I think we all felt very alive in that moment. We didn't even think to take a picture until we had long passed the stream.

We were very much 'in the moment' and it felt good to be trail blazers. After that, we made our way along a single track that weaved through the trees but still hugged the shore.

As we approached town, we passed a fort and it was a very dramatic welcoming with the dark sky and mountains in the backdrop.

We had a less intense moment of trailblazing but we managed to save ourselves many kms with a shortcut across another beach.

At this point the temperature was dropping quickly and rain was imminent.

There was an 8 min train to Caminha from the guys town of Ancora... so guess who hopped on it? I rode with a German woman named Ruth. As it turns out we are staying in the same place so we kept eachother company. We parted ways after checking in. I needed some alone time to process today's events

And to think I almost missed this day entirely!!

I treated myself to an amazing grilled cod dinner with veggies and garlic ... and of course a bottle wine.