Camino Day 12: The end is nigh

Armenteira to Vilanova de Arousa on the Camino Portugués Variante Espiritual

Distance walked: 15.3 mi (24.7 km)

Total walked so far: 156.4 mi (251.7 km)

Route taken: Armenteira to Vilanova de Arousa

Very interrupted sleep last night despite a comfortable bed. I was glad to be in a private room where I didn’t have to worry about making noise. Still have a bit of a cough at night despite feeling so much better. Hopefully that doesn’t continue as my next two nights are in a hostel with the usual bunkbed setup.

Breakfast was great and huge, so much so that I was able to take some bread and cake to go to have as a snack on the trail. The host gave me a ride to the monastery, which is right after the point where I stopped yesterday. It was a nice place to explore and get a few photos, but also so early in the day that there was no activity. Nice and quiet isn’t so bad.

The first section of the walk after that was among my favorites so far. I’ve now stopped after 3 miles for a snack and to recollect. The English name for this part of the path is “the way of stones and water”, and it’s got all of that in spades plus tons of trees and moss. The sound of the water is effectively white noise, and is great for clearing your mind and just enjoying being present. I found it to be an effective place to focus on what’s happening now.

I’m really enjoying walking alone today. I feel pretty quiet, but not in a bad way. I did see Mattis earlier, but he was on a sprint, hoping to find coffee soon after a night of poor sleep. I saw another group of three including one very chatty young man. I’ve run into him twice now, despite my best efforts to lose him. But he has moved on quickly each time. I’m not really complaining, I’m just enjoying the peace and quiet.

It’s beginning to hit me that I only have a few days left before I reach Santiago. It is definitely one of those bittersweet realizations. It’s exciting to get there as it’s the achievement of a challenging goal, but it also means the walking will soon be over. I suppose this is why some walkers immediately go onto some other journey such as to Finisterre. I even met one man walking this path in reverse because he reached Santiago via the Camino Francés and didn’t want it to end. I don’t have any urge to do that, as I really want to get home to see my family. But I do understand and I’m not surprised to feel a sense of loss that is starting to grow. I must channel that energy for good! After all, all that we have is now, not what will soon be in the past.

I resumed my walk. In another mile, I briefly reunited with my Lithuanian friend, and also saw the talkative young man from Hong Kong. Matis headed out, I got my snack, and spoke with Bao. He is very energetic, and basically learned about the Camino after quitting a recent job. It’s exciting to me to learn how many people decide with very short notice to do this walk.

I started walking again, and it started raining lightly for an hour or so. Out came the poncho again. Uneventful walk otherwise, barring my sciatica, which is really acting up. I take breaks periodically, which seems to really help. This portion of the walk is largely along small vineyards, and a larger, slow moving river. Hopefully the rain doesn’t stick around.

I stopped at a café a little before 9 miles into the journey, first, an OK empanada, a nice coffee,and a few tapas sized bites of a delicious piece of cake that came with my coffee. It was a nice little rest, and they had a very nice purple stamp for my credencial. And we go, proceeding on what seems to be along the side of the road. Joy

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The final 6 miles were pretty uneventful barring my leg acting up at times. At least it was largely flat, something for which I was thankful. It’s also nice to be back to the seashore, though that also meant a much breezier, cooler ending to my walk. I just might be the only one at my hostel - both comforting and a little spooky. Now I’m heading out to do laundry and find Mattis and some dinner. Have a great day! 🙏