Camino Day 11: The road less traveled
Pontevedra to Armenteira on the Camino Portugués Variante Espiritual
Distance walked: 12.1 mi (19.5 km)
Total walked so far: 141.1 mi (227.1 km)
Route taken: Pontevedra to Armenteira
Slept only ok last night as some of the other hostel residents were pretty loud coming home late (why do they always rearrange the furniture?) and woke me up. I was happy I was up early enough to have a protracted “getting ready” time this morning - but still made it out by 9AM and found some coffee and toast nearby before heading out.
Met up with Mattis again (he got a later start than me but can walk very quickly) after a few miles and we grabbed a coffee together before setting out again. We walked together until the 7.5 mile mark. We then stopped for lunch (for me) and just a beer for him. My sciatica has been worse today and the climbs are the hardest. This is the last town before the steep climb so I know I needed a break.
I had some really great pulpo for lunch, a beer, and a coffee before setting out. Mattis left first and we agreed to meet up tomorrow if we didn’t make it out tonight. I haven’t seen many pilgrims on this path as promised, and that’s been really nice. This climb will be a little tough but I’ll take my time and enjoy the woods. At least it’s only overcast today and there’s been no rain! It’s supposed to stay that way 🤞
Today my internal soundtrack has been particularly strong. I’ve stuck to my guns about not having headphones in on this walk but that doesn’t mean I don’t often “hear” songs in my head - or sing them out loud when I’m sure I’m on my own :) it is its own kind of meditation, I think.
Ok the climb: hard and lengthy but honestly I thought it would be worse. Totally manageable especially since my sciatica was better after lunch (at least partially if not largely from the ibuprofen I took). The weather was also ideal today, with a nice breeze the whole way up so even with full sun, it was pleasant. I saw only one other pilgrim after lunch and he was a bit behind me. Perfect!
My housing tonight is a lovely property a few km off the Camino. So my host picked me up where the trail intersects with a road and brought me to the property. After a great shower, I checked in, had a glass of wine, and hung out until tasty dinner. I’m still functioning well in my Spanish and my host is learning English so we can both help each other :)
I’m really glad I elected to do the Variante Espiritual. It’s a lovely walk so far and I look forward to what’s to come tomorrow, and then especially the boat ride the following day. And now I’m ready for bed! Hasta mañana, mi familia y mis amigos. 🙏
PS - I got a nice wax stamp for my credencial at my lodging (it’s their silhouette logo). Hopefully I can take good care of it so it doesn’t come loose!
