Easy like Sunday Morning

Day 28, 

The walk today into Padron was supposed to be a short one.  Bruno and I decided to meet outside my place after breakfast and walk together. 

It's very, very busy on the trail and difficult to find quiet time so we figured we'd take it slow and just stroll and chat and try to make our Camino last a little longer.

It was a beautiful sunny day and the trail meandered like a stream. We walked up and down hills, around corners, through little towns, across farm fields and it was a very peaceful day despite the heavy foot traffic.

We stopped for wine around lunchtime at a very busy outdoor garden patio. It had a lovely view of the countryside and the placement was perfect. While we sat enjoying our drinks, a crafty little elderly man came around selling necklaces that he made. We bought one and I took a pic with the charming old fella. 

We packed some food earlier in the day and had an afternoon picnic on a shady bench further down the trail. 

The day was easy as was the conversation and it really felt like the perfect way to spend the last full day before Santiago.

Tomorrow is closer to 26kms and more effort will be needed to get there at a reasonable time. Bruno is staying a little closer to town and has less distance to cover so we will likely meet along the trail and arrive at the Cathedral together. 

We walked 22kms in the sun and the fresh air has me feeling knackered. Oh wait, maybe that's the wine heehee 

We went straight to the Cathedral here in town upon arrival for a stamp so we can get our certificate in Santiago.

I was asked my nationality by the clerk that is tracking it...turns out I am the only Canadian.

I better get out there, to the town square and represent.

As soon as I hit the square I heard my name. It was Liz and Eugene from London. I joined them for a glass of wine and more Camino talk. They have made alot of friends and have quite a large group gathering for dinner. I have been invited but my soul needs a little quiet time. That's what I tell myself when the idea of new people scares me. Time to reflect and time to look back on the day.

I'm on my 3rd glass of wine and should consider a meal at some point. 

That time is now.

Just as I was paying my bill, Liz and Eugene appeared and brought me to dinner with all their Camino friends.

I sat next to a Portuguese fella named Hugo and we laughed alot over my knowledge of every bad word in Portuguese. 

These are great people that I am so happy to know and I hope that I keep in contact with them. Eugene and I discovered we share the same level of awkwardness with large groups and laughed endlessly of a tattoo prank and Eugene, if you read this, I thank you for that, pure genius!

Hugo told us of his dream of running naked with cows to Santiago and truly, I could not have enjoyed my evening more. It was a smashing good time and Sean, if you see this, thank you for the Camino hugs. More important than you understand at this time. Liz, thank you for welcoming me into your Camino family, you have such positive energy around you. Camino life brings nations together one pilgrim at a time. You have embraced the Camino spirit and I wish for you peace and love on your next Camino.

You will find the one that is right for you. 

What a great way to conclude a fabulous day, with a fabulous night. I am so excited to reach Santiago and then return to Portugal. 

Most excited really, just to go home, to sloppy dog kisses and hugs from the people I love most.

Buenos Noches x

Day 27 Rivers and Roads

Today really surprised me. I slept in. Sort of. Well I actually woke up at 6 AM but didn't leave until 1030. I  was lounging.

After digging deep for motivation, I gathered up my belongings and bid farewell to my castle. 

I found coffee on my way out and once again became a pilgrim. Today has been one of the nicer days actually despite the threats of rain. I didn't see very many pilgrims and I had this beautiful, natural trail following the creek all to myself.

 No clicking of poles, no pilgrim chatter, no cars, no dogs just the birds and the sound of the babbling brook.  I also took an advil so my feet are feeling OK.

I'm in an exceptionally good mood today. Perhaps it's because I allowed myself a little luxury last night. Perhaps it's reuniting with one of my first pilgrim friends. Perhaps it's allowing myself the freedom to do what I want, when I want, leave as late as I want, walk as slow as I want, it's liberating. Perhaps it's because I've only started my walk and I haven't climbed the mountain yet ha!

I did however forget to find a store and stock up on supplies and I have limited stock.

I have one apple, a package of dry toast, a couple granola bars and a bag of nuts . More than enough just not an exciting menu today. What I would really like now though is jet fuel. 

I used the hotel products this morning and now I'm not sure if I smell good or if I just smell like a clean old European lady. I'm not big on perfume so feeling too fragrant is awkward for me. Especially as a pilgrim. It's evidence that I stayed in a castle last night haha. On the flipside, nobody wants me to smell like I've been walking for 27 days. 

I made it to the top of the mountain and I had a cafe con leche, a fresh squeezed orange juice and a piece of tortilla. Unfortunately I left the café at the same time as all the other people that have been sitting there for a while. I walked so fast from there to put space between myself and a group of loud pilgrims. Then I had to stop and take a rock out of my boot and that allowed them all to catch up again. As embarrassing as this is to admit, the loudest, most obnoxious people on this Camino aren't Americans but in fact are the Portuguese!!

Little do they know I understand Portuguese and all the foul language. They likely wouldn't care if they knew. I waited and let them all pass me. I'd rather see the backs of them than be listening to their mouths go off. 

I met 4 lovely British ladies Hazel, Stella, Yolanta and Sharon and spent some time walking with them but otherwise walked quietly alone.

I have also been walking near a family of 4. It started earlier this morning when I saw the dad wearing his backpack completely wrong. He was using a school backpack and the straps were so loose, his bag was pulling on his shoulders and constantly bouncing and hitting his backside. I didn't want to offend him or offer unwanted advice so I asked him if his backpack was comfortable the way that he was wearing it and he said no.  I then asked if I could offer some advice about his backpack? And he said "yes ... buy a better one?" I laughed at his joke and I said "let me help you fix your straps". He probably couldn't understand me but I explained to him that the weight of the backpack should be in the center of his back so I lifted up his backpack and I tightened all his straps and I told him that it would take the pressure off his shoulders.  I was unaware that it was his wife and two kids standing there watching with puzzled faces. I was wondering why these people were just standing there and staring at us. He thanked me and said he was much more comfortable and then when I saw him later in the day and I asked him how he was feeling and he said he was much better and thank you. 

I started slowing down and taking too many pictures so the family passed me repeatedly. The next time I saw them, the young daughter was whining and complaining. She's probably about 10 years old. They don't speak any English but they sound perhaps Eastern European. Apparently the daughter was carrying an apple core and I don't know if she was whining because she wanted someone else to carry it because there were no trash cans or if there was more to the story. The mother was shooting daggers out of her eyeballs at the daughter, the son, who was about 14, was laughing and the dad was trying not to laugh and also console his daughter and he didn't really pay attention to the angry mom. 

I felt compassion for the mom because I've been there when you just want peace and enjoyment and you end up having to discipline or get a handle on a situation publicly. It seemed to resolve itself by the mom storming off ahead and the dad walking with the two kids. I would see them again several times throughout the day. Recently I saw the mom walking with the son and the other two were nowhere in sight . 

I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see the daughter behind me and I could hear her crying. I looked over at her and I asked "are you OK?" I said "where are you from?" she said "Romania"  I asked "do you speak English?" She said no but seemed to partially understand me. I said "where is your father?" And she just looked at me helplessly with crying eyes . I said,  "don't worry, your mother and your brother are just up ahead" and I pointed with my Gandalf staff . I told her if she was scared or couldnt find them, I would walk with her and help her find them. I also told her she was very strong and brave to hike the Camino. She found hope again, smiled, said thank you, wiped her tears and ran ahead . She did find them, they were reunited and I saw the mother hugging her and holding her hand.  I guess they've had a long, challenging day. 

I just ran into the family again and the mother stopped me and in very broken English,  thanked me for helping her daughter. She told me that the daughter said that I was God. 

I looked sort of puzzled and and thought maybe it was just the language barrier but she repeated it. I think she meant like a guardian angel or heavensent and it was lost in her limited vocabulary. Regardless the entire interaction had a very profound affect on me.

I made my way in to town and there is Bruno drinking a beer with a royal chalice full of red wine with my name on it.

Now that is the kind of welcome every town should have!

Later in the afternoon, having another wine and talking away with Bruno, the Romanian mother walked in, saw me, and said "Hello God" and smiled. I laughed and greeted her again and explained to Bruno that I was upgraded from Queen status!

We bought supplies at the grocery store before dinner for our pilgrim picnic on the trail tomorrow and I'm going to try to turn my water into wine hahaha!

Buenos Noches x

Day 26 Queen of the Castle

Once again I woke up to cloud cover but that's OK,  today is still gonna be a great day. I have a routine that works for me, waking up at 6, out the door by 8. Coffee on the way... a few times.

I walked the quiet cobblestone streets on my way out of Redondela but it was short lived.  I found a tiny little fruit market open and I ducked in there and bought some apples and oranges and let the herd of loud pilgrims pass me. I walked another 50' and found a coffee shop full of more pilgrims but that's OK.

I needed coffee and apparently they all did too. I drank it quickly and I put my rain gear on as it started to sprinkle . My Camino has evolved from a glorious peaceful walk in solitude to an overwhelming onslaught of tourists and pilgrims . I've gone from seeing a handful of pilgrims in a day to what must be at least a couple hundred people heading the same way with their backpacks and their poles . I left early thinking I could avoid the rush but here I am in the middle of it.  At my first opportunity I'll find a place to put my feet up for a while and let them all pass me by. I learned that from Sarria to Santiago. Don't try to beat the rush. Because you won't. Let them all go ahead and just hang back and have the trail to yourself. The problem with following the masses is you tend to follow the backpacks ahead of you instead of actually looking for the signs. There's nothing more embarrassing than 75 people going the wrong way and even worse being one of the people that followed them. 

I've managed to stop and take a couple pictures and put enough time between the people in front and the people behind me. Once again I can hear the morning birds singing and the very quiet hush of distant traffic, a few odd dogs barking but I don't hear the marching of hundreds of pilgrims anymore . 

It took about 2 hours to adjust to the increase in population on the trail. There was simply no way to fight it so I accepted it and made the best of it. 

I met 3 pilgrims from London, Sean and his married friends Liz and Eugene (originally from Malaysia) that were lovely to talk with. We passed eachother a few times. I hope to see them again.

It was a rainy walk for the most part which made it hard to take many pictures. Climbed 2 giant hills and walked through mostly forests. There was a small town somewhere in the middle where I took shelter from the hard rain for awhile in a lavanderia until a group of 50 tried to squeeze under there with me. 

I carried on and ended up following a local  couple arguing in spanish. I thought it was a father, mad at his daughter, but when the 4 foot tall woman turned back to look at me, I could see she was elderly. Could have been his Mom. She was really mad with him and her tiny legs were stomping angrily away from him. 

After passing the days entertainment, I came to an old Roman bridge and it was beautiful. 

The old rocks had a sheen from the rain and a perfect spot on the other side provided shelter and a much needed 2nd coffee.

The jet fuel propelled me up a steep climb through the village where I met a lovely local older woman. She was on her way with her pimento plants to tend to her garden.

We walked and talked in Spanish and with a few portuguese words used as substitutes for my limited vocabulary...I thanked her for spending her time with me and we parted ways, both smiling.

The forest, even with all the pilgrims, was calming and my feet were surviving. But when I was approaching the city and the 6kms of pavement, my feet were quickly giving up. 

The inner city trail was typical but didn't cause the anxiety of Vigo. It was well marked with arrows and a fairly direct route to my castle.

I splurged on a Parador and I am Queen for the night. 

I found it easily and was greeted well. The lobby was beautiful and the bar, very chic. 

The carpeted walk through the halls to my quarters felt like heaven for my feet.

My room is antique looking and has a fantastic view.

I also have a tub to soak my royal aching bones.

I had seen a few sights on my way in to town but will likely see more in the morning. 

I'm considering a day off.... skipping a day of walking just to have a day without pain.

Everyday starts pain-free but at the 15k mark I am really struggling... this is not normal for me. 26k is my normal pain marker...and I'm far from that on this trip.

I went for a wander and bumped into my favourite pilgrim, Bruno. 

We shared more laughs over wine and cerveza and made plans to meet up for dinner later when they serve food. It's very difficult to wait until 8pm to eat but it's also very difficult to have a big meal at lunch and then try to hike it off.

While we sat there telling stories and laughing, I saw an older woman walking towards us down a wet, slippery cobblestone lane. She slipped, falling backwards and I saw her right lower leg bend awkwardly at the knee, underneath her. I bolted out of my chair and ran to her. She had no idea how well I could relate to her immediate feeling of shock. I think it took her a moment to wrap her head around what just occurred. I put my hand under the back of her head as a pillow and right with me was Bruno and a half dozen Spanish speaking people. The communication was left to them. I just held her head... nothing else I could do. She then insisted she was fine, as I did when I fell, despite not being fine. Her ankle was already swelling but like a trooper she got to her feet with help, thanked everybody and walked on.

I too left the scene and went back to my castle to transform from a pilgrim to a princess....but just for one night. 

The stylish hotel bar provided a perfect place to meet for a pre dinner drink before walking to a modern, fancy, schmancy restaurant. The fantastic company compensated for the poor service of the super friendly waiter. He meant well and we enjoyed ourselves despite the challenges. It was a lovely evening but "we still don't talk about Bruno" 

Buenos Noches x

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