Camino Day 8: Sometimes you just have to laugh

Valença to Porriño on the Camino Portugués Central Route

Distance walked: 13.2 mi (21.2 km)

Total walked so far: 104.6 mi (168.3 km)

Route taken: Valença to Porriño

Slept ok in the (really great) hostel. There was some snoring and other noises but on the whole I did well. Woke up before my dorm and quietly got ready, then started the coffee and made a nice breakfast for myself. The camaraderie of others is nice but I l’ve found that I really enjoy these solitary times.

After yesterday’s slow going, I’m hopeful to get a better start today! Theres no rush given it’s a ~13 mile day. All my other hostel mates are taking it slow so I’ll be the first one out today. Spain is an hour ahead of Portugal time so I’m keen to get started!

Crossing the foggy bridge was cool, albeit disappointing not being able to see Tui and the cathedral from a distance. Just after crossing I had my first of many “¡Buen Camino!”s (not from fellow pilgrims) of the day. One man even struck up a short conversation and asked where I was from. I got more of them in Tui than elsewhere today, but got at least a few in each town. It feels good. Switching to Spanish after all that Portuguese is welcome but also confusing…

In Tui, the route takes you past a number of churches, among the first of these is the city’s famous cathedral. It was nice to see it at such a quiet time and here I got my first credencial stamp (in Spain it’s a sella and no longer a carimbo as in Portugal) of the day. I now need to be certain to get at least two stamps a day to earn my compostela certificate in Santiago. This is required to demonstrate that you have walked at least the last 100 km (or cycled at least 200 km).

Very soon I started to see the promised hordes of tourists being bussed into the city, starting on their guided tours. I made good time in Tui barring a 5 min break I took to stretch as my sciatica was acting up. Admittedly more things hurt in general today - even my lower back, which has been nicely quiet all along. So it goes!

After a few more miles I saw a sign indicating the trail was closed (likely due to rain which has been heavy here in Galicia as well). So I took the boring road detours and started to wonder when I might find a cafe to take a break and eat something. After 7 miles I found something just a few minutes off my trail and stopped for a snack. A beer really hit the spot as did a toasted sandwich and some cake. I’m enjoying using my Spanish but people in Galicia would seemingly rather speak Galego, which I don’t know 🤷‍♂️

At 8 miles things went to hell 😂 I had been reasonably skillfully navigating a section with lots of flooding and mud. Towards the end, I was trying to reach less perilous footing when one shoe hit really slick mud and I fell. I came so close to faceplanting and at the last moment, slowed my fall by catching myself with my left forearm and leg and my right hand. My watch wanted to send an emergency message to Lorri thinking the shock was a big accident!

And then I laughed, and was surprised that I’d done so. My shoes were muddy, as were my pants, shirt, hat, and hands. I stood up, laughed, and brushed myself off. So it goes! This reaction was so uncharacteristic for me as to be comical. I wasn’t frustrated or mad, as I’d typically be. I sure hope I can bring this attitude home from the Camino! I’m going to remember this incident and try to use is as a reminder!

The rest of the walk was unremarkable. This is primarily because I unwittingly made a bad choice at this decision point and walked for miles along an industrial park instead of through the woods. It was really lame. Had I read my guidebook I’d have known better! So it goes - I’ll do better tomorrow…

I got settled in at my private lodging (I think I’m fighting off a cold so need a good night’s sleep!), showered, did some laundry, and then bought a few things at the market for meals tomorrow and a snack this evening. I watched most of a documentary on Netflix (first TV of the trip!) and grabbed a quick dinner nearby. There I found Brian the Irishman from the Casa Fernanda contingent. We caught each other up on the rest of the group’s status, watched the barman do a few close magic tricks, and went our separate ways.

Hopefully this cold or whatever it is doesn’t progress! I’m earnestly looking forward to sleep tonight. I’ll just finish my documentary after posting this and get ready for bed. I’m looking forward to walking tomorrow though I may need to allow extra time if I’m not 100%. It’s less mileage but also with some ascent/descent stages. In the worst case, I’ll stay here in boring (granite capital of Europe!) Porriño another day. I have a day of buffer in my existing schedule but using that will have some ripple effects on other plans. Fingers crossed! Mahalo 🙏

PS - I crossed 100 miles today! Seems crazy to me on one hand but on the other, it’s just more walking. It’s what I do now.