A Fast Walk On A Hot Day

Today I walked from Padron to Santiago to complete my Camino Portugués. It was about 25 km (15.5 mi.) If you add the distance covered walking around in the Albergue getting ready to walk, getting to the flat, and going to the market for food I walked 30.1 km (18.7 mi.) All of that in over 90 degree weather. Well that's not exactly true, it wasn't over 90 degrees when I started walking at 7 am, but most of the day it was. 

The first time I stopped for cafe, the television in the bar was reporting the Nice attack. I felt sad. As I walked today I felt sad for the people who died, and for their loved ones. I also felt sad for those who were injured. And as I was walking and pondering all of this, I realized I felt compassion for the people who perpetrated this violence. Compassion for people so consumed with hate that they would kill innocent people. It must be painful to carry that much hate. I can't imagine how dark that is. Anyway, I surprised myself. 

The walk today was ok, nothing spectacular. I met some nice people. A Spanish couple made room for me on their bench when we stopped at a roadside stand. They are walking with a group of young people and their parents. Half the group is from the Spanish city Cueta in North Africa and the other half is from Malaga. They wanted to know where I was from, how did I hear about the Camino, why did I decide to walk it, and things like that. They spoke some English, I spoke some Spanish, and we managed to communicate. Their daughter didn't say anything though her mother tried to get her to talk. I think her mother wanted her to practice her English. I passed her later when she was alone and I asked, "You speak English don't you?" She said, "A little." And smiled a secretive smile. Every time I saw her after that she gave that smile. 

I had met an American family last night from the Bay Area. They were checking into the Albergue right before me and then we sat at the same table in the Albergue to eat dinner They had a pasta dish, salad, watermelon, peanuts and drank some wine. I had my usual assortment of tuna, bread, cheese, yogurt, a peach and drank water. We had a spirited conversation. They wanted to know all about volunteering and being a hospitalero. 

Here are some of the animals I met today

And then there were these fellows:

I thought maybe the heat had melted my brain and affected my eyesight when I saw this as I approached Santiago:

But then I somehow figured out how to go, and finally in Santiago I saw this:

So I am in Santiago again. I have a few days before I go to house sit and make new friends with the cats, dogs, chickens and a priest. So, I will help out at the Pilgrim's Office for a few days. When I went in to set up my volunteer shifts, the line was so long! I wanted to start helping right then, but I was sweaty, a little disheveled from the walking, and probably a little stinky. Though everyone was too polite to mention any of this, they suggested I go to the flat and start work tomorrow. LOL!

Across An Estuary and Up A River

Well I didn't really walk from Villanova to Padron, but I racked up 10 km (6.2 mi) walking around Villanova this morning taking pictures, walking from where the boat docked to the Albergue, and wandering around Padron looking for the supermercado. 

Pictures from my morning walk in Villanova 

 Symbol of the village of Villanova and his fiesta on the Sunday of Pinatas. Or so the plague said. 

Fishing boats

There were a bunch of statues of writers and musicians from this area:

Last night in the Albergue there was only me and four Italian women from Milan and the daughter of one of the women. They were all very nice, but we could only have limited conversation. Wevsaid a lot with our hands, heads moving, and sounds. One woman spoke some English and that helped. What struck me the most was how these women looked so stylish on the Camino. I mean they looked like they belonged at a classy resort. And it was all so casual. Maybe Italian women from Milan are just born stylish. 

We didn't have to leave the Albergue until 10, and there was no reason to leave early since the boat didn't leave until 11 am. So we all slept a little later and mussed around getting packed up and ready to go.

After I ate and got dressed I walked down to the dock to wait for the boat. I saw the film crew arrive. There were more Pilgrim's than the five Italians and I. We all ended up gathered around the film crew. People were asking what the film was for and when it would be shown. I was just standing there and she asked me in English where I was from. I told her, we chatted a bit and she said she wanted to ask me some questions later, if that was ok. I said sure. 

The boat came, the Italians and I hopped up front. The film crew was in the back, so I had my back to them the whole time. Going out of the Arousa estuary it was really windy so there was a lot of chop on the water and we got sprayed a bit. Very exciting stuff. Then we stopped and the Captain talked for awhile about the estuary and history. It was all in Spanish, but I probably wouldn't have paid too much attention even if it was in English. I think I prefer the sensory experience, rather than the factual explanation. This surprises me considering how much of my life I spent learning and memorizing facts. I never get the little audio players when I go to a museum, whether art, science, or history museum. I just don't like them. I feel like they interfere with, rather than enhance my experience. 

It just occurred to me that there is a performance art piece I there somewhere. Maybe audio players in an art museum that plays weird music or recites the Gettysburg Address, or just an audio book. Anyway, back to the boat 

After the estuary, we entered the Ulla river. The further up the river we went, the calmer the water became. In the estuary we saw some kite surfers and a duck fly overhead. Up the river we saw kayakers, fishermen in skiffs, ducks swimming and a crane along the shore. 

After he got done talking that time, the boat started going faster. We were flying. I love boats at any speed. Wind in my hair, the smell of sea air, the bounce over the waves. I realized today that riding a low bottom boat over waves is a lot like riding a horse, another thing I used to do. For both, in order to keep your teeth from getting rattled and your bum bruised, you have to ride with the motion of the boat or horse. 

I was just experiencing the whole thing. It occurred to me that this was like a mini Camino of spiritual experience. The first day was hardship and pain, the second was suspended wonder and the third was pure joy. 

The captain stopped a couple more times. I think a lot of the talking was for the documentary, because what was supposed to be a one hour boat ride actually took almost two hours. More fun for me. 

Here is the picture of one of the Italian women and her daughter. I gave the daughter one of my braided things to hang on her back pack. 

Before we docked the film crew woman came up and said she would like to talk to me after we docked. So Ehen I got of the boat she was standing there with a guy with a camera and another guy with one of those big fuzzy microphones. Anyway, she interviewed me, then caked for my email address so she could send me the a copy. After that, I rejoined the Portugués Camino and walked into Padron. It was about 1 km. I got to the Albergue and got one of the last beds. Not getting a bed is not the end of the world there are other places to stay. But I was glad I got a bed. I went to the church, lit a couple of candles, went to store, made myself some lunch and now I just chillaxing.  Tomorrow we walk to Santiago. 

Will Wonders Never Cease?

Today was my second day on the Variante Espiritual aka the road less traveled. I did not see one other pilgrim from the time I left the Albergue in Armenteira until I got to the Albergue in Villanova 26 km (16 mi) later. 

Today was spectacular. About half the walk was along a river surrounded by plants and trees. Another one forth was along a beach on an inlet. There were all kinds of caravana (RV) camping along the shore. It reminded me of the places John and I stayed in Spain when we lived in the RV. 

The day began hiking along the river. To say it was beautiful is just so insufficient. The first part was called the Piedra de Agua because there were lots of rocks and water and in ancient times there were water mills in this spot.

I got confused a couple of times here, fell on my bottom once and almost fell into a big deep hole because I was mesmerized and hypnotized by the beauty of the river as the water crashed over the rocks with foamy force and melted into watery reflections.

It was hard to pay attention. lto the rocks and exposed roots and walking over bridges made of old stones that weren't cemented together. 

After the first part the river widened and just drifted along and I drifted with it. 

About half way thru, we left the river and walked through pueblos and forests. I had one short uphill and then walked down hill to the outskirts of Villanova. I walked through Villanova to the water. It was glorious. I don't know what the official name of this body of water is, but I would call it an inlet. 

It is summer and there were people, groups families doing all the stuff that people do on the beach. At this point I was expecting to see the Albergue and I didn't. I guess I was looking lost or confused because a young woman slowed down. I asked if she knew where the Albergue is located. She got a very concerned look on her face and said lejos, which means far. Then she said muy lejos, which means very far. I'm thinking, "Compared to what? To the 200 km I've walked from Porto or the 20 some km I've walked today?" Then I realize she's talking to me. She pointed to a big bridge in the distance and said you go past that bridge to another bridge, a much smaller bridge and after you cross that you go right and you will find the Albergue. She didn't speak English. So I was trying real hard to pay attention. She was very nice. She asked me where I was from and seemed a little surprised when I said Estados Unidos. She said that is very far. She asked why I was doing this, was I Catholic. I told I wasn't Catholic, but was doing it for spiritual reasons. She asked me if I would pray when I got to Santiago. I told her I would, that I pray every day. She asked if I would pray in the Cathedral. I said yes I would be doing that, probably more than once. She seemed pleased and said that she was going to pray for me. I said thank you that would be nice. I figure, with my record, I can use all the help I can get. She went her way and I went mine, looking for the little bridge past the big bridge. It turns out there were two little bridges past the big bridge. I crossed them both, followed some arrows past a children's play ground and came to a stand still. There were no more arrows and I didn't see anything that looked like an Albergue. There were some worker guys there and I asked them if they knew where the Albergue was. They chuckled and pointed to the building right in front of me across the street. lol Though, in my defense, it didn't look like an Albergue. It was a three story huge scare building. It has a gymnasium on the first on and one half floors, so I guess it is a deportivo

I got signed in, got my ticket for the boat that goes up the inlet to the next city, got my clothes washed, and ate a little snack before taking s short nap. When I got up I did my stretching and went out to find a store to buy some stuff for dinner. You know in these small stores you can buy three slices of cheese? It is so much fun. 

Then while I'm eating my dinner the hospitalera comes out and says I get a new boat ticket for tomorrow because we are taking a bigger boat, one that holds 25 people. All this because they are going to shoot a documentary. At last, my chance to be a star. And all because I chose the spiritual variant. 

Here are some more pictures for your viewing enjoyment. 

Variante Espiritual Pontevedra to Padron

Well my flatmate Janette told me about this different path to take between Pontevedra and Padron which includes two days of walking and then a boat ride up the inlet that Saint James remains traveled to get to Padron and then Santiago. Well, she had me at the boat ride. 

After Tui and the influx of Pilgrims, I also realized this would be the path less traveled. In fact it was. Of the 100 plus Pilgrim's who were in Pontevedra, only 5 of us came this way. It was almost totally off road through nature, and some of the small part that was along the road was down to a port, Comborro. It was an amazing spot. 

There was also this amazing rock sculpture garden on the path along the port. 

I also learned why there were all of these 

Crucieros along this route. They have sacred symbolic meaning and are for protection. They are often found at crossroads. One side has the crucifictiion and that side faces inland. The other side is the Zvirgin's image. There initial function was to Christionize pagans out of places. Because of this they are often identified with magic places where miegas and witches are found. Don't credit or blame me for any of this. I'm just passing in info I read on an information sign in Combarro. 

Climbing out of Comborro was not so amazing. There was one street where I thought I was going to need rock climbing equipment. Well I thought it, but it wasn't really necessary. After that steep climb, the day was one unrelenting climb until the very end when there was a lovely "walk in the park" stroll down, and then a treacherous, steep, narrow path, some of which I did on my bottom. The pamphlet said it was 19 km and medium difficulty. Medium difficulty for a mountain goat maybe. The sign where you turn off for this path said it was 22 km, and according to my Fitbit and other Pilgrim's it was more like 26 km. Having said all that, I'm glad I did and I would make the same choice again, even knowing what I know. 

This is a fellow I met on the path. Now in the picture it looks like there is a lot of room, but after I clicked the button the horse looked up and shifted left. 

The first question that popped into my head was, "What is a horse doing on the trail?" I've seen them near the trail or by the trail. But this one was on the trail. My next question was, "what do you do when one side of the narrow trail is occupied by a horse and the other side of the narrow trail is line with a prickly plant?" Hmm.  I didn't want to startle the horse, nor did I want to irritate it. I grew up around horses and I know the consequences of startling them ir irritating them can be painful. The pain usually is administered by the front end ( mouth) or the back end ( hoofs) I did get by with some soothing sounds and quick movement after I got by the hoofs. The horse was totally unfazed. 

This is my flower picture for today:

I got to the Albergue showered, washed clothes, took a nap, then had dinner. 

My dinner on the Camino tonight was a mall can of tuna with a little packet of mayo I got from the bar the other night, bread, chips, cheese left by another pilgrim, cherries put out by the hospitalera, orange Aquarius, and double stuffed Oreos. It was wonderful!

Good night all. 

The Wonders Of Café

Today I walked from Redondela to Ponrevedra, about 20 km (12.4 mi) Adding the walking around town to try to find a super mercado, only to find out it is a holiday and everything is closed, it came to 28 km (17.3 mi)

First pictures from sunrise. 

It was a tough day. Yesterday we walked up a hill and then down long steep incline to get to Redondela, which is a beach city. Then today, instead of going along the coast to the next town (also on the coast,) we walk up a long steep incline out of Redondela, then down another long steep incline to Arcade. 

This is a view leaving Redondela:

After that, you guessed it, up a long steep incline out of Arcade. On the way up I saw these cute little doggies:

Then I looked up an saw a mountain with trees. I thought, "Oh, phooey, ;) I bet we are going the climb that mountain. Sure enough, we did, up a mountain stream bed of boulders. 

I saw these pretty flowers on the way up;

I had been dragging so I had a second cup of café con leche in Arcade. About half way up the mountain I was on fire, just tearing up the mountain and all the way to Pontevedra.

This was just a funny sight of a group of about 20 students, high school age, walking three across:

In my café fueled state, I passed all of them. lol

i ran out of gas about a half mile before I reached my destination. I kind of dragged into the Albergue around noon and had sit and wait until it opened at 1 pm. I could hardly keep my eyes open. 

However, my two little kids from the Spanish family, gave me a paper boat they made with a lovely note to me and a little pin with a yellow arrow. It was so sweet. They are really great kids. Their parents, Christine and Santiago are pretty great too. 

I got into the Albergue and got my bed for the night. Mr Burple's and my home for yhe night, Bed #8. Then I made the trek to the city center to find an Orange (telephone company) store. I lost the apple cable to charge my iPhone. I lost mine. I'm using an off brand one but it doesn't always work. After I found out everything was closed for the day, I went back to the Albergue, ate a bag of Risettas (kind of like Cheetos, but better,) took a shower, washed my clothes, and hung them out to dry. By then it was about 4:30 and I laid down. Next thing I knew it was 6:30. I've probably gotten an average of less than five hours of sleep a night for the last two weeks. 

I almost forgot, Portugal won the Euro Cup. There was some cheering l, but this was Soain not Zportugal. I hear it was crazy in Portugal. 

It's time to sleep. I look forward to your comments, they make my day. Thank you all for taking time out of your busy lives to write me little comments. 

A Fun Day With New Lessons and New Friends

Today I walked from Porriño to Redondela 16 km (10 mi) but with walking around town it comes to 19 km (12mi) 

I just realized, I was so tired last night I told you I walked from Porriño to Redondela. Actually, yesterday I walked from Tui to Porriño. The distances were right, just not the names of the towns. I think sleep deprivation is making me dingiest than usual. If that is even possible. 

The Albergue I stayed in last night was a private one. It had wide beds built into the wall with curtains for privacy. In each compartment was a light and an electrical plug. And you got a locker for your belongings. But it was crowded, meaning there was only a little space to move around. I met a nice group of people from Seville there.  And I ran into the folks from Northern Californa. I don't remember if I told you about them, but the woman graduated from the same college I did, Cal State Hayward. That was when I was 22 and got my first degree. Anyway, it was a nice place, but I still only got 5 hours of sleep. 

I put Mr Burple in the pack in case we ran into any drunken teenagers in the morning in Porriño, which we didn't. However, I forgot and left him in the pack for the whole walk. He didn't seem to mind, maybe he was hibernating. 

It was a beautiful walk again, through country and small pueblos. I was coming up a hillside, listening to Joan Baez and all of a sudden I heard a large boom. In the country in Spain, you often hear gun fire from fellows hunting birds for dinner. That is disturbing enough, but this boom didn't come from any rifle. It was much too loud. Then there was another and another and as I was cresting the hill I saw flashes and smoke with each boom. I'm thinking maybe it is mortar fire, and wondering if I should duck behind something large and solid. 

I got to the top of the hill and saw the guy creating this ruckus at about 9 am. He was by the church. So, when I got to the cafe and saw the Spanish family, I asked the mom if she knew what was going on. She said they are having a fiesta for Saint Christopher's Saint day and I guess this announces that fact. Who knows. Well at least it wasn't mortar fire and an invasion.  lol. 

So, I got to the municipal Albergue and put my pack in the line. That's the method here of determining the order of entry while waiting for the Albergue to open.

I went and sat down and met my new Camino friends, Diego from Burgos and Silke from Germany. They both speak English. Silke lived in Caifornia for a while. We had a nice chat. Silke said she had been noticing me for a couple of days and wondered about me walking alone and being in shape. Again I was asked how old I was, and again I was met with disbelief by both her and Diego.When I look in the mirror, I think I look old.  Silke says she wants to be like me and now she knows she has lots of time to get there. I'd guess she is in her 40s. She has a 17 yr old son and a 14 year old daughter. 

Silke has to leave for home tomorrow because she developed glen iris in her leg. She was feeling like a failure. I got to share my experience from last year and how it took me some time to learn the lesson I was supposed to learn from that Camino. I believe the Camino doesn't begin or end at any one place. It is just part of the continuum of our lif experiences. 

Silke, Diego and I went to a restaurant to eat and watch the Euro Cup Final, but the doors on the Albergue close at 10 pm, so we didn't get to watch the whole match. 

There are a lot more people on the way now. You need to walk a hundred kilometers to get a Compostela. So a lot of people start at that distance. On the Camino Frances that means a start at Sarría and on the Portuguese it means a start at Tui. Today there were several packs of people, like 6 to 12 walking together. I like to walk alone, which means I like to walk alone. So I would stop and wait for a pack to pass and start again. Then another pack would come. I had to put myself in a time out for an attitude adjustment. It's their Camino and if they want to walk it with family or friends, they have every right to do it. Just relax and go with the flow. As soon as I adjusted my attitude, I was walking alone. Go figure!

Here's a picture of the walk into Redondela, which I did alone. lol