Camino Day 9: “The Camino provides”

Porriño to Redondela on the Camino Portugués Central Route

Distance walked: 10.7 mi (17.2 km)

Total walked so far: 115.3 mi (185.6 km)

Route taken: Porriño to Redondela

Slept well last night. Still feeling off but better than yesterday. I’ve decided to walk but to take it slow and ensure I’m feeling well enough to push on. I’ve got a private spot again tonight which will also help in recovery + relaxation. Today’s goal is around 10 miles but does have a little more challenging terrain. Slow and steady wins the race!

Made a pot of coffee, ate a few light sandwiches for breakfast, and watched half a documentary. Slowly packed up my stuff and headed out! I’m feeling positive and the weather looks really great. I know I’ll likely see rain again before I return home, but this is such a wonderful change.

Stopped after 4 miles where I visited a nice little church and got a delicious fresh-squeezed orange juice at a nearby cafe. A nice older gentleman gave me this postcard as a gift and wished me “Buen Camino!” Super cool. Saw the two Spaniards from Casa Fernanda on my way out, which was nice. I would cross paths with them several more times today.  Honestly, I’m feeling really good! Making excellent time and enjoying the peace and quiet, having only a few other pilgrims so far. I’m optimistic about the day given how it’s going so far!

Stopped for a few minutes a bit before 6 miles as all this climbing is tough on my sciatica. Anyhow, I’m a little hungry and I have this cheese sandwich to eat. Resting my leg feels good before I resume climbing. I’m sweating more given this sun, even in shorts. Def need to drink more water today! Seeing more pilgrims now and the cleanliness of their gear makes me think they joined in Tui or Porriño as is common. No judgement here! We all must walk our own Camino (kinda like “hike your own hike”).

The rest of the walk was great and mostly uneventful…unless you count this amazingly friend doggo I met and two screwups (one big, one small) that I made today - and that were quickly righted! The title of this post refers to a common Camino saying. I think it gets a bit maudlin at times the way some use it if I’m being honest, but today the Camino sure came through for me!

#1: I had a really great snack stop after 8 miles. A cafe almost magically appeared in view and I stopped in. Today’s weirdo snack was a with-sugar Coke (I know, right?), a piece of flan, and an espresso. It was perfect! I filled my water and moved on. 2 min later I noticed the wallet zip pocket on my pants was open and empty. I started back up the hill looking everywhere. Suddenly the woman from the cafe appeared, wallet in hand. She ran down the (rather steep) hill to find me. I had left it on the bar when paying. The Camino provides.

#2: At the end of my walk, I checked into my (rather nice!) hostel here in Redondela, unpacked, and realized a second error: when I’d left Porriño this morning, I’d somehow disconnected the (locking) plug adapter portion of my USB charger. That thing is one of my essential items and the only way I can connect to EU power! I learned that the only nearby store that carries them was closed. The hostel host left and searched the other hostel he works at and found some adaptors that had been left behind by guests and gave me one to keep. The Camino provides!

Sure, these are just simple things but I remain grateful that these two situations - one scary and the other just annoying - were quickly rectified. I’ve had other times on this trip where the Camino lent a hand but I’ll leave this idea for now. Certainly, anything that reminds one of the importance of gratitude is only going to be positive.

Speaking of gratitude, I’m also happy that there’s a self-serve laundromat across the street, since the dryer at the hostel is busted. This is seemingly a common occurrence as I have found. After yet another “laundry al sinko” yesterday, I’m ready to do a better job with everything I have barring my evening shorts + shirt ensemble. Conveniently, there is also a cafe on either side of the laundromat, so I’m typing this with a beer in view - not such a bad afternoon!

Most importantly, I’m grateful that today was a good one, where I walked strong (I made great time despite taking it easy!), enjoyed solo time with my thoughts - and while I still feel less than 100%, I’m feeling somewhat better today. I’ll certainly take it easy and enjoy relaxing in my room before and after I stroll the area and later find dinner. Tomorrow is my last day on the Central Route before picking it up again after three days on a variant route to which I’m looking forward. But more on that tomorrow! Adiós, mis amigos. Be well 🙏

PS - I’m shocked how well (not great, mind you 😂) I’m doing here with my 1.5 courses (underway in the second though I’m playing hooky right now) of community college Spanish! People are very gracious and indeed I do look things up sometimes before speaking.