Redondela to Pontevedra
12 miles

You may wonder how, why, or what actually happens on a long distance walk as far as logistics. Well, for us, we choose our walk, then plot out how far we want to walk each day. Then, we check into lodging. On this particular walk, many people walk it, so there are alburgues (shelters) and hostels with dorms and shared bathrooms along the way. No, we do not use these! One, we do not carry all of our things with us in our backpacks; two, we are wimps and like our own space without someone snoring in a bunkbed two feet away from ours. So, we spend time on trip advisor checking out reviews and finding the least expensive, clean, safe place that has breakfast where we can to spend the night. Here in Spain, most of our places have cost around 50 euros. The next issue, of course, is getting our luggage transferred, for which typically there are several services to choose from. For us, this trip for two bags to be transferred each day we walk costs us about 70 euros (about $80) for the entire trip. There are many companies now that will do all of the planning and transfers for you, plus extras, but we have found it to cost at least half to suck it up and do the planning ourselves. We are amply rewarded as many fellow pilgrims are more than willing to share information along the way.

Today was pretty awesome…and after my touting how relatively “easy” this walk is, today pushed us good! We walked a lot of asphalt but were also rewarded with several beautiful wooded walks and even a hike or two up a couple of steep hills. We’ve met interesting people and wonder why or what would call to them to do this venture. One couple I’m dying to know their story is a gal who looks to be about my age from Oregon and a gentleman from England walking together who met on the Camino de Frances last year. I’m convinced the guy is a renegade priest and the gal, a divorcee looking for an adventure or love or both.

It was an amazingly beautiful day, cool, sunny and a new scene at every turn:

Leaving our little home at 8:30, it’s barely light as we take off…

…and, of course, the camino shell ever present to mark the way…

and yep, we are on the right path…

… historic Espana, mixed in with the new…

It’s a day again with asphalt interspersed with welcome retreats into the quietness of the woods, often following a stream and many times we are on the Roman Road XIX.

…at the top of one hill many pilgrims had left one of their shells as a mark of their passing by:

…oftentimes we pass by these markers where pilgrims have left their own stone precariously balancing on top of others that have been placed there…

What I’ve learned since is that, although there are as many different traditions as perhaps there are decades of the history of the Camino, the Camino itself is simply a metaphor for life itself… however cheesy that might be. But, like life, the Camino is, of course, not about the destination, but about the journey. The stones represent, so the story goes, a personal burden and by placing the stone on top of a Camino marker, the pilgrim is symbolically leaving that burden behind…or, as in the case of the medieval Christian pilgrims, you can insert the word sin and that is how the tradition began…repenting and letting go of a transgression…it may be how some of the modern day Christians I pass by still view this tradition. It’s easy to see when viewing the Camino as life, the act of letting go of something (a resentment, any negative feeling, defects, griefs, fears etc.) can actually be a very powerful action. Whether or not the act of placing a stone actually makes a difference, I imagine depends not only on the sincerity of the action, but also the who or what or you letting it go to and exactly how one would intend and actually live life out in the future.

(For myself, I’ve found that any action initiated by myself thinking I have control or power to do life differently in the future is almost certainly doomed for failure…however, I do agree there is something quite powerful in marking the decision to let go of anything, as the prayer goes, that is standing in the way of my usefulness to God and my fellows.)

Dropping down on our walk into a little hamlet by the sea…

…and knowing that a cup of coffee awaits… 🙂

…and then we head back out of town and then into the forests…

ingenious gates we routinely saw made out of old bedsprings….

…and then the view from the top and finally beginning our descent into the capital of the province, Pontevedra where we spent the night…

and, fortunately, were too late for the advertised bullfights!

But evidently not too late for a good time with Marilyn…who was kind enough to leave her business card at our hostel???!?!??!?!?