Camino de Santiago Recap Part 2

I’m back from my journey of a lifetime, walking the Camino de Santiago along the Portuguese Way. I can’t wait to share it with you.

To keep the length of my posts manageable, I’ve decided to split my recap into two parts. If you missed Part 1, you can read it here. For today, let’s continue where we left off with Day 3.

Day 3: Arcade to Pontevedra

Day 3 was our shortest day, 7-1/2 miles. We headed out right after breakfast under cloudy skies and 60 degrees F.

A large portion of the day was spent walking through peaceful vineyards.

Add in a few horses, and the scene was quite idyllic.

The rain gave us a chance to try out our raincoats. Luckily, it lasted just long enough to add to the adventure, but not long enough to dampen our spirits.

It wasn’t long into the day before we came across our first cathedral and our first stamp of the day.

There were more lush forests. Who could complain about the rain when it creates such lovely little waterfalls?

And while I failed to get a photo, during this portion of the walk we reconnected with our fellow pilgrims from Ireland whom we had met in Baiona.

It was surreal to personally walk through this tunnel that I have seen in so many pilgrims’ videos.

Before we knew it, we were in the City of Pontevedra.

We easily found our accommodations for the night, Hotel GBC Avenida. The room was clean and comfortable, and the hostess was particularly kind and offered helpful advice on where to eat as well as what to expect from the next day’s walk.

Because we had a shorter walking day, we had the time and energy to get cleaned up and go out to dinner. We chose the Rincón Peregrino Bar Taperia, where we tried the local specialties of octopus and goat cheese salad. Two thumbs up!

It was another early-to-bed night for us. Our bodies were feeling a little stronger each day, but after periods of inactivity (like sitting to eat), we were a little stiff and sore. Also, I had my first blisters. They were not painful, and covering them with moleskin was sufficient to keep me going.

Related video

Day 4: Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis

On day 4, we followed our established routine of leaving right after breakfast, about 9 a.m. It was another cloudy, cool day, 50 degrees F. to start, and about 60 degrees when we finished for the day. There was a a light rain or misting periodically throughout the day, but nothing that called for raincoats.

One of our first stops was the Pilgrims Cathedral. I did not take many photos here, since there was a sacred feeling that I did not want to disrupt. Inside we were able to leave a written prayer/wish and take a blessing scroll. Some of the other pilgrims stood in line to receive an in-person blessing from the priest.

This chicken was keeping watch over the cathedral grounds…

And Cindy made a friend.

Much of today’s walk was through beautiful chestnut groves and eucalyptus woods.

Next we came to this charming pilgrims’ park.

About halfway through the day, we came across this important reminder…for the Camino and for life.

In addition to the many forests and vineyards we saw, we also walked past a number of beautiful gardens or small family farms with some creative scarecrows.

Speaking of vineyards, this was a nice one.

We added sheep and goats to the animals we passed along the way.

Today’s walk was a moderate distance of 14.34 miles and took us about 7-1/2 hours, including our breaks. Our hotel VIA XIX was great, a little more modern or updated than some of the others, and the hostess was friendly and helpful.

We went out to dinner and went with the local seafood again. In case you are wondering, there were other options, but since we live in a landlocked desert state, we wanted to take advantage of the ocean’s treats.

It was a good day, and I was feeling deeply grateful for this experience. My sister and I realized at this point that our muscles were no longer feeling so sore. Even my feet…which had accumulated several blisters by this point…weren’t giving me too much trouble.

Related video

Day 5: Caldas de Reis to Padrón

Once again, we started out around 9 a.m. under cloudy skies. This time it was about 58 degrees F starting out, and we finished up at 67 degrees…another perfect weather day for walking.

And evidently perfect weather for hydrangeas, because they certainly were beautiful…

As were these pink weed knots. By the way, if these are weeds, they are delightful ones.

It did rain briefly today, enough to break out the raincoats, but not enough to stop us from walking or to prevent these friendly law enforcement officers from hanging out and providing stamps for pilgrims.

There was a long line of pilgrims waiting to get in this cathedral. We were curious about what the draw to this specific cathedral was, but not yet ready to stop, so we continued on.

I did pause to take a photo of this sculpture, which appeared to be being used as a memorial.

These cows certainly seemed to be enjoying the day, creating a picturesque scene.

We saw yet another motivational sign…

And several large cathedrals…

And mausoleums.

We passed through several small towns. Seeing these signs of domestic life led us to imagine what it would be like to live here. We learned that residential clothes dryers are not common in this area, and many people hang their clothes to dry outside their windows.

I couldn’t resist another photo of horses…these ones sharing a meal.

Between this being a “shorter day”…just under 12 miles…and our increased physical conditioning, we were feeling pretty strong when we arrived at Hotel Rosalia. This hotel was a little outside of town, but close to the Camino path, and since we were taking advantage of the pilgrim’s dinner served in the hotel restaurant, we were not worried about getting back into town. The hotel was comfortable, and the room appeared clean, but we did discover a used hand towel hanging in the bathroom, which gave us pause.

Related video

Day 6: Padrón to Santiago de Compostela

Day 6 was our final day of walking. We left the hotel with mixed emotions…knowing that our journey was coming to an end and that today we would reach the long-anticipated destination. We left under partly cloudy skies and 50 degrees F. The sun would come out later, but temperatures would stay below 65 degrees…so not too warm.

As it was our final day of walking, we wanted to savor all the “lasts” of this journey, like this beautiful mural.

With just over 13 km to go, someone decided they no longer needed these shoes. According to the Internet, leaving worn-out shoes on the Camino is a symbolic gesture, representing 1) leaving past burdens, pain, and old ways of thinking behind; 2) a physical offering of gratitude for the journey safely completed; and/or 3) the act of discarding the shoes worn during this transformation signals a personal rebirth.

Here’s one final flower picture. I didn’t notice the photo-bombing bee until I got home.

As we neared the end of our journey, we wanted to slow things down, so we paused to put our feet up and savor one final beer of the Camino.

Though we were recently hydrated and nourished, we were delighted by this sign…good advice for life, as well as the Camino.

This cat was all about taking what he needed. Shortly, after I snapped this photo, he leapt to the ground with a prize in his jaws.

Shortly thereafter, we crossed one last bridge.

And then we came to one final decision: take the shorter route to the left or the easier, more scenic route to the right. We chose the right. (To those of you from Utah or familiar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints [Mormons], a certain song might be stuck in your head right now. I apologize for that.)

I believe the right choice was the right choice. It wasn’t long before we entered the city of Santiago. After so many relatively quiet miles, it was a little disconcerting to join the throngs of people in the crowded, cobbled streets of Santiago de Compostela. When we got our first glimpse of the Cathedral of Santiago, we were exhilarated and exhausted…not to mention hungry!

After taking the obligatory celebration photos, we were off to get our certificates. Considering how many pilgrims were there, getting those documents was a quick, efficient process. We had applied online the night before, so we simply scanned our QR codes and got into a short line to have someone verify our stamps and issue the certificate of completion. We paid a small fee to also receive a Certificate of Distance, confirming that we had walked 128 km.

We then checked into our hotel and had a much-needed…and delicious…dinner. It’s funny, once we completed the objective of reaching the cathedral, I must have felt the adventure was done, because I didn’t take any more photos of the hotel or my food.

Related video

The next morning we got up early to catch our flight home. And with that, it was time to say “Adios” to Spain and “Cheers” to a dream fulfilled.

Your turn

1. After you accomplish something you’ve anticipated for so long, do you feel more relieved/content or sad to see it over? Maybe a combination of both?
2. Do you feel compelled to take a photo of every beautiful flower you see?
3. Have you ever flown on a plane with the lie-flat seats? Did you feel it was worth the extra money?
4. What else is on your mind? Anything at all; I just love to hear from you.