Step by Step

Day 11: Nigrán 》 Alcabre: 14 km

Day 12: 》Chapela: 14 km

Day 13: 》Cesantes/Redondela: 11 km

Day 14: 》Arcade: 6.5 km

Day 15: 》Pontevedra: 11 km

The pieces of the puzzle slowly but surely make the big picture.

Today we reached the 68 km marker.

For a couple of days, the Spanish summer temperatures were really demanding. Up to 37 degrees during the day, dropping below 30 after 10 pm only. It was best to limit the kilometers per day.

Passing the city if Vigo with its big industrial area, walking on paved roads only, no shade, loud traffic, ... was the lowest point so far. For a moment we considered taking the bus, but 1 hour in a cafe with lots of "coke on the rocks" made us change our mind😁. We finished the walk and were rewarded with a friendly host at the hotel. The kitchen was closed until 8 pm (yes, they eat really late in Spain) but the host felt sorry and prepared the perfect dinner for us.

We were lucky to be admitted to the hotel, by the way. Due to corona, they took our temperature. Considering the extremely hot day/walk, we expected to have a fever, but had a temperature of 36.1 degrees only 😂.

Another great corona measure: at one place our backpacks were sprayed with disinfection and packed into garbage bags until they safely reached our room 🤔.

Day by day, we walk new paths and different images fill our mind. Looking back, it seems blurry and difficult to remeber the names of the places and get the order of events straight. We lose track of time and space.

It is surprising, that on this trip, my mind often says I could go further. My body, however, begs to differ. When working, it always used to be the other way round. Sitting at the desk all day was not supposed to be tiring, yet my mind was often drained.

The closer we get to Santiago, the more pilgrims are on the way. We had another encounter worth mentioning. The conversation revealed that this 40-year-old German was fired after 10 years. Unsure whether this destiny was meant to be for him to break out from a routine he had been questioning, he decided to walk the Camino from Lisbon ... his pregnant wife waiting at home. 》 I wish that more people realized that unconventional is far from being odd. 

The path from Arcade to Pontevedra today was quite pleasant after all. Finally a bit cooler, walking along a little stream in the woods.

And look at this rare sight:

Counting the kilometers until Santiago...