Day 23 ~ The Horse with No Name

My feet are such a mess today that even my blisters have blisters. I've seen many pilgrims today but I haven't really spoken with anyone. 

My day started with breakfast at 0730  and was told at check-in to be ready by 8 for a taxicar to take me to the boat taxi. Apparently the ferry no longer works and it sits unused in the harbour. 

I was outside at 8 and waited for 10 minutes but no taxi and no pilgrims so I did what any pilgrim would do and started walking.

 I started walking along the river towards the fishing boats and although it was a gorgeous morning, I saw no one. I started worrying that I was going the wrong way so I called the hotel, no one was at the desk earlier in the morning. I told her where I was and that I walked and she told me to go back to where the broken ferry was.... so I backtracked. There was a man... and a taxi and 2 more pilgrims so we shared a ride. I laughed as we passed where I was walking earlier now knowing I was in fact going the right way and would have walked right to the boat taxi. 

I felt a little misled and it didn't end there. My friend and every guide says the boat taxi is 2€. Every pilgrim was being charged 5 or 6€ each. I suppose they can charge whatever they want because the pilgrims need to get to the other side.  The small boat was full so I waited 5 minutes for them to be transported across and the boat returned to pick me up and 2 more pilgrims that had since also arrived.

The boat captain was bitter because I gave him 10€ and he tried to pocket my change... nice try pal.. I'm all for tipping but I'm a pilgrim not a moron. He was bossy and unfriendly but the ladies and I laughed as he ordered us to "take off all our stuff". He was referring to our backpacks.

The boat ride, although fun and adventurous, left an unfortunate bad energy with me. The ladies beside me were holding on for dear life and laughing hysterically when we went into high speed and started smashing 

through the waves. I'm surprised my back survived it.

The boat pulled up on the beach and we slid off the front of the boat, surprisingly keeping our feet dry. 

It took a few minutes for the frown to come off my face. The glorious views worked their magic and being the last pilgrim from the morning rush hour, I had the trail mostly to myself. 

The morning light was so pretty shimmering off the boardwalk and the constant roar of the ocean was very calming. Walking through some tall trees and shady forest also seemed to clear away the bad energy.

From then on it was a beautiful day. 

I walked through A Guarda, stopped for jet fuel but stayed near the water to avoid climbing up and over the hilly town as I saw most other pilgrims doing.

My oceanside trail proved to be the right choice for me and I enjoyed stunning views all day.

I even had a little picnic perched high on a cliff over looking the beautiful coastline.

From there the trail alternated between coastal views and some road walking. The road had a wide yellow bike path for pilgrims to walk on so it felt safe even though most cars were speeding passed. I laughed at one point when I saw footprints and wondered if the painter perhaps had some vino tinto with his lunch. 

There was very little, if any cobblestone today which gave my feet a rest but the last 3kms as usual were tough.

We lost an hour with the time change into Spain so although I made good time today, on my short day, it was later than I hoped. 

I'm sitting on a cement bench overlooking the beautiful ocean waves rolling in to a small beach in a small town called Oia. A monastery to my right and a beautiful little cobblestone village on my left. My home for the night is beautiful Casa Puertas and it's a historic house in the old town, oddly enough, next to a historic women's prison.

As soon as I arrived there, I opened my window to see the view of the ocean. 

I saw a beautiful dark brown horse out my window having a shower. His owner was hosing him, scrubbing him and eventually dried him and  saddled him. 

I hurriedly removed my boots, slipped on my slides and I went flying out the door to see if I could capture a picture of them up close . When I found him he was tied to a lamp post and proceeded then to take a big s*** right there on the street and then became restless but amazingly never stepped in it. The owner was nowhere to be seen so I took a couple quick shots but the horse was getting agitated so I left him alone. Then I wandered the village and took pictures of sleepy cats and more ocean views. I found a little cigar shop that also sells alcohol so I bought a glass of wine.  

The owner said we only have Rioja and I said well I love Rioja so she poured me a full glass and it cost me 1€. I sat outside on a stone bench leaning against the stone house with a view. I had maybe 3 or 4 sips in me and I heard click, clock, click, clock. I looked to my left and saw a beautiful man riding a beautiful horse with the ocean in the background and it was absolutely one of the prettiest things I've seen since I got here.

As I sipped my wine, gradually the sea wall before me collected people. Families, friends, cyclists, friendly dogs and a couple pilgrims. It was late in the afternoon, restaurants were all closed until 8pm and these feet were done walking. The sun was strong and  there was no wind in my protected spot so I put my head back and let it gently warm me. It was the most peace I have felt in a long time.

I enjoyed it so much that I had a 2nd glass of wine and sat there until the golden hour.

I met Julia from Madrid, a cute young girl and she spoke excellent English. She was searching for her trail mates. Soon after, her trail mate found her. It was Christine from Holland who I have seen many times since Porto. I asked them if they wanted to get Chuleton (thanks Harold) but their place was serving them dinner soon. We agreed to meet up for a drink after.

I went home to my amazing view and unfortunately the sky started to cloud over and I didn't get to see the sun set over the water. I took my last photo of the days sun and hopped in the shower.

I was walking to the restaurant steps from my place and bumped into 2 German pilgrims looking also for a place to eat and drink. Just as we walked in Christine saw us, waved us over and invited us to join. At the table was also the 2 ladies from my boat ride!

We all spoke English... lucky for me and enjoyed lots of conversations over wine and a great meal.

It was a late night but a good one.

Time to rest for another long walk.

Buenos Noches x