Day 25 - Follow Me into the Darkness

Despite the beauty of the morning sunrise,  the walk out of Nigran probably won't be remembered.  I chose the inland route today because I was already a good distance away from the sea. I have a reservation over 30kms away and I anticipate angels having to carry me part of the way there.  In fact, I have a few reservations coming up that I'm not willing to change. There are pros and cons to booking ahead and at the time nothing else private was available so there have been a few long days.

I forgot how inspiring the country lanes were at sunrise, listening to the rooster's scream and the birds sing and watching the mist slowly disappear from the mountain tops. It's beautiful. The ocean is very calming and soothing but after a while the white noise drowns out the other sounds of nature that make me happy.  

I am currently sitting in an Irish pub, yes having a glass of wine. I'm inside but the giant wooden panel doors are all open so I can hear the noise of a small city. Maybe, if I am lucky, the city sounds will drown out the horrible music they are playing. It's the music you would hear blasting by the pool at a cheap all inclusive resort in the Dominican surrounded by drunk vacationers. It's great if you are the drunk vacationer but I'm not...well not yet anyway haha. For the record, Spanish club beats in an Irish pub in Spain doesn't work. I wasn't expecting kilts and a jig but something other than this would probably work better. 

I left my place early and it felt like the first time I've seen the sun rise in a while. I'm up early every morning but every day has started with clouds. I enjoyed 2 cafe con leches at the restaurant below my hotel. One old guy serving me with no English. I asked him to speak slowly so I could understand him. He was telling me to leave the key at the bar. Sometimes all I need is one or two words and a whole lot of logic to figure things out. No breakfast today so coffee alone would have to sustain me for a while.

The walk started without much magic but as soon as I turned off the main street, things improved. 

I watched the sun come up over the hills and dew drops covered the grass and flowers. 

The lanes twisted and turned and had it not been for the sun I would have lost all sense of direction. As I approached the summit, I was faced with a dark tunnel created by a canopy of dense trees and old stone walls on both sides. 

My only thought was 'follow me into the darkness and I will guide you to the light'. The slightest feeling of adventure and my smile got a whole lot bigger. 

Nothing like a false summit at 8am haha. As I walked out of the dark tunnel I continued further uphill and I was welcomed to a pretty forest lane with a smell of pine and my favorite, eucalyptus.

 I tore off 3 leaves. Two to carry and one to keep in my hand. The beautiful smell reminds me of my previous trips to Spain and brings me pure joy. 

Sunny skies and an early start make all the difference in the world on the Camino. Also true if applied to every day of our lives. The early bird gets the worm. Life is a Camino. 

I liked the feeling of solitude today. In fact I didn't see a single pilgrim until I got to Vigo and even then I'm not sure I saw many. 2 reasons. #1 is I'm in between stages so everyone is way ahead of me or a little bit behind me. #2 is today I made my own trail, many times. 

I managed to find a river trail to disguise the fact that I was passing through a big city.

Surrounded by nature and also graffiti. I did however end up having to climb what felt like a monstrous city hill and then a toe buster all the way back down to the shoreline.  I am not a big fan of Vigo. I really did see it from every angle today. It's a city. I do like cities... but not this one. It gave me so much anxiety and that doesn't happen easily. I saw an old woman fall and the kind citizens were making her comfortable until help arrived. There was so much construction and so many people and noise. It was a huge city but it didn't even have much in the way of pretty distractions. It lacked charm. My legs were moving fast despite my feet aching and I was screaming on the inside for someone to please get me out of there.  My prayers were answered. I found the train station, right on the coastal way and bought a ticket to the next town. It was 12 minutes on a train versus 2.5 more hours of anxiety.

I took maybe one picture... that speaks volumes. Yes, this one below:

I had my head down and was focused on escaping. 

I read beforehand that there are no resources or support on the section that I skipped so I don't feel so bad. I don't think my mind was strong enough today to talk my body into going the distance. 

There are no words to describe the feeling of immense relief as the train pulled away from the city core.

This city of Redondela that I am in now is much smaller but still not small enough for me.

I think I need some quiet time. It's a holiday today and the stores are all closed. A religious day... I'm not sure.

I am almost out of supplies though. 

On a truly positive and successful note... I did my laundry!! I beat the Camino laundry rush.

Two more things worth noting: Today when I was walking by the river, I started to get a headache. Not unusual for me unfortunately. So I dug through my front pouch without stopping and pulled out my Saje roll on of  essential oils. Its a minty,  magic oil.  My daughter gave it to me for the trip because she knows me and loves me. Well clearly I suck at multitasking because I tried to apply it to my temples while walking and instead dripped it into my right eye. It was the immediate burning of hell's fire in my eye that stopped me in my tracks. I shut both my eyes standing there on the trail and held back my screams of desperation. After a day of losing my way, now I've lost my sight. Knowing my gear and knowing it well, my left hand reached for my water bottle in my left pocket and my right hand reached for my utility towel. I must have been a real sight with my scrunched up face. I took the cap off the water bottle and flushed out my eye, inadvertently pouring water all down my front. I used the towel to dry my now impaired eye and then grabbed tissue from my pocket to remove any remaining oils from my temples of doom. I grabbed another clean tissue from my emergency stash to dab my flaming eye as I tried to find a bench with my good eye. Close and convenient, a bench appeared so I removed my gear,  sat down and nursed my scorching eyeball. Multiple people passed me and I probably looked like I was crying. No one showed concern. In fact the city folk aren't nearly as interested in the pilgrims as the country folk. It kind of feels like they see right through you. 

While walking on the city streets, one lady was insisting that I was wrong and she wanted to redirect me but she didn't know I was on a mission to an escape route. I had to tell her in my terrible Spanish that I was meeting friends just so she would stop being mad at me for being a stupid pilgrim.

Smile and nod just wasn't enough for her. 

When I arrived in this town, it was less than a km to my new apartment and I have a great view. As I was walking I heard a massive explosion, in fact I felt it in my chest and it startled me. I thought, sounds like a gun shot but no, it was bigger, like a canon or a small bomb. This bang has happened so many times and I've come to learn it's a Spanish firework. No lights, just boom. It's annoying AF. I have learned that before it goes 'boom', it goes 'hissss'. As soon as I hear the hiss, I stick my fingers in my ears and it protects my innards from any potential damage. It is so incredibly loud. 

This feels like such an aggressive day and I just want peace. 

Even a steak and salad didn't help. Ok well it did a little... and so did the 2nd glass of wine. 

How about a good night's sleep and then I can wake up and start over.

I already know tomorrow is going to be a much better day.

(I've already decided)

Sleep well my friends and may your eyeballs never experience the burning hell's fire of Saje....peppermint halo essential oils. 

Buenos Noches xx

Day 24 Here Comes the Sun

Despite waking up at 5am, I left late this morning. The rain was imminent and I hesitated to leave the warmth of my cozy casa.

 I watched out the window in hopes of catching just a glimmer of sunshine but it just didn't happen. It was overcast and I could see the rain in the distance over the ocean slowly moving towards land. I pretended in my mind that I was still getting ready but the truth is I could have left at 7am. I was stalling.

The plan was and always is, to walk, rain or shine. I have all the rain gear and I'm not going to melt but somehow the rain just steals my motivation... that and my feet still hurt. Eventually I just said f*** it. I'm going.

 It was a nice, quiet walk out of Oia with just the sound of the ocean waves, a constant hum that I'm getting used to.

There was only one other pilgrim on the path and I assumed that I was the last hiker to leave town. But after a while I had a suspicion that everybody else was waiting out the rain. 

It was 0845 and I still had not had coffee. A chilly, rainy morning almost demands coffee. I met a nice  Portuguese couple, Philip and Sara at the café where we all filled up on jet fuel. I hid under the canopy and had not one but 2 large coffees . I watched the rain change from a light mist to a full blown assault on all the pilgrims that were slowly beginning to appear. I took my time getting bundled up for my walk, just long enough that it changed back to light showers and off I went again. There was the main road option which a few people took but the actual Camino marked path went up a hill. I almost didn't do it but decided I should. I'm glad I did.

I saw horses just standing in the rain and a collection of hand painted stones. The stones were beautiful and I stayed a bit looking at them all.

 Eventually the path made its way back to the main road and I stayed on that for quite a while.

 The rain, for the most part, stayed away. I was walking slow but steady and was passed by many familiar faces. 

Eventually I looked behind me to see Chris, Christine and Julia catching up.

 What a nice surprise... and I thought I had fallen way behind. We walked and talked and by lunchtime stopped for a coffee and finally tortilla!!!

After fueling up, we climbed up and over a small mountain, noticeably away from the sea. It was very green and reminded me of the forests in BC.

 The path was made of giant stones and where there were dirt tracks, there were puddles of rain water. 

I stopped for a moment to take off some layers as the sun was trying to come out. By the time I reached the summit, my young friends were out of sight. I had a chance to get to know each of them a little better and the first 10 to 15 kms we hiked together passed the time  quickly. Being alone at the summit provided a good opportunity for me to listen my music... and motivate me down the hill. 

When I got to the bottom, after zig zagging my way down through the residential neighbourhood the international crew was there, having drinks. 

I did as always visit the church on arrival but then I had a glass of wine and hoped it would numb the pain. I still had to walk another 10km. It worked for a little while. I left with a jump in my step.

I walked alone and it was very peaceful. I made my own path. I stayed by the waters edge, passed through a bay that was being swarmed by sea birds during low tide and walked beside a beautiful Roman bridge. 

The last 3 kms were painful for the tender feet but I'm getting used to the pain. Uneventful city walking straight to my low key hotel.

The decor is from 1974 but the hot shower is surely from the Gods. This place has its own restaurant where I sat and ate salad, veggies and grilled chicken. I thought that would be a lighter choice but they still had to call a crane to get me out of my chair.

 I stuck with one glass of wine tonight and eagerly went back to my room to rest.

It was a lovely day today. A  mix of solitude and comraderie,  of sea and the woods and a mix of rain and sunshine.

A very long day ahead....and only 4 to get to Santiago!

Buenos Noches x

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

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. 

Now I can barely keep my eyes open. 

Bruno has gone way ahead of us and the fellas are on a different schedule after today. 

Tomorrow again I walk alone

Boa Noite xx