Day 10 – 15.5 km (10 miles)
Julie bid us farewell early this morning, leaving us a bit somber. The previous day Julie asked our hotel how to find a taxi to the airport and how difficult it would be. She had been assured that there would be plenty of taxis to take her to the airport in the morning. But when she and Debbie arrived at the taxi stand it was a full 30 minutes of calling around to various taxi companies before she was on her way.
Our day began with a modest breakfast—some toast with butter and jam, and a cappuccino. We set off for our 10-mile journey at 8:30, still under the cover of darkness, a result of the recent time change when we crossed the river a few days back. It felt peculiar to witness the sunrise around 9 am.
Today’s walk was a much more pleasant experience as we swiftly left Porriño behind, not offering much in terms of sights. The path led us along picturesque country roads, through forests and over hills, granting us a new view of Redondela. This is the juncture where the coastal camino and the classic camino converge, and we encountered more fellow pilgrims, often running into familiar faces. Vikram, a delightful gentleman from India with a gentle smile, became a frequent presence on our path. We learned he’s an Astrologist and he shared insightful thoughts about the stars and their significance for Michelle’s granddaughter’s birth day.
Michelle and I ended up with an unusual room in Redondela—a room with an opaque glass door opening directly onto the street. It is equipped with three beds tucked into various corners, lacking air conditioning much to the chagrin of Michelle. On the other hand, Debbie had a more conventional layout on the third floor, though still devoid of air conditioning, at least she had windows to open.
One noticeable difference between Portugal and Spain was the availability of pilgrim support stores. In Portugal, we struggled to find any sort of general outdoor stores. Yet, upon crossing into Spain, they were plentiful, offering a variety of items essential for the journey. These Pilgrim stores offer things one would need on the road such as bandaids, blister care, aspirin, socks, sandals, hiking boots and shoes, shirts, rain gear, hiking sticks and rubber stoppers to go on the bottom, straps, backpacks, hydration systems and repair pieces, patches, pins, hats, etc. We found it puzzling that Portugal seemed to lack these resources, even when we sought something as basic as athletic shorts due to the sweltering heat. It almost felt like Portugal was stuck in a different era. And the food….what a difference between Portugal and Spain. No avocados to be found in Portugal, yet crossing the border they are in every supermarket.
We are looking forward to our walk tomorrow as it follows the coast for a bit.
