Monday May 6, 2024
- Starting Point: Pontevedra (km 207.8)
- Ending Point: Padrón (km 247.3)
- Distance Walked: 39.5 km (24.5 miles)
- Route: Central Route
I was pretty excited to get up early this morning. It was supposed to be 100% dry today – for the first time in seven days!
I’d enjoyed a wonderful dry evening in Pontevedra last night, walking through the streets with all the other people who’d come outside to enjoy a bit of sunshine after the storm. I felt my spirits buoyed by the change in the weather. As a result, I was up at 6:20 am this morning, far before the majority of the pilgrims in the albergue.
Two young women in the albergue also rose early and were quietly packing up as I got ready. The duo had plans to walk the Spiritual Variant (which I discussed in yesterday’s post), and they had tickets for the first ferry up the Ulla River tomorrow. This meant they needed to walk the entire 44 kilometers to the boat dock in Vilanova de Arousa in a single day! So they had to depart by sunrise if they hoped to make that distance by dinner.
My own walking goal wasn’t going to be much easier. I was planning to remain on the Central Route for the remainder of the way to Santiago. But I hoped to walk to Padrón today, which was 40 kilometers to our north. If all went well, today would be my last “long mileage” day on the Camino, and I’d reach the cathedral in Santiago sometime tomorrow after lunch.
The three of us were definitely outliers with our ambitious mileage goals for today. Based on several conversations in the albergue last night, it seemed the vast majority of the other pilgrims were planning to walk a more modest 21 kilometers to Caldas de Rei. So wouldn’t arrive in Santiago until a full day later than me.
When I departed the albergue at 7 am, the sun was still below the horizon. The temperature was a brisk 45 degrees, but at least it was dry and would remain that way for the remainder of my trip.
The central route led me across the Lérez River on a bridge that seemed to sparkle. Tiny lights were embedded into the bridge’s concrete decking – making it feel like a disco ball in the early morning. What a delightful start to the day!
A quiet morning
The first few kilometers were almost eerily quiet. Barely anyone was out walking, and a gray fog seemed to settle over the countryside making it feel a bit like Halloween.
Just 2.2 kilometers north of Pontevedra, the path split. A sign for the Spiritual Variant pointed to the left, sending pilgrims west toward their destination on the river. Meanwhile, I followed the central route, turning right down a path that went under the railroad tracks before heading northeast to a church in Alba.
Because I left the albergue so early this morning, I hadn’t gotten any breakfast or coffee to warm me up, and I was desperately ready for something after about an hour of walking.
The first small bar I encountered was in San Amaro, and it sat only 300 meters off the Camino. Nevertheless, it was a chore to get there. First, I had to detour down a single paved lane (without any sidewalk or road shoulder) amid a surprising amount of morning vehicle traffic. And then, I had to play a game of Frogger crossing a busy highway with trucks barreling toward me at breakneck speeds.
The number of cars and trucks out this morning seemed well above the norm. I guess I must have just hit all these roads during the morning commute hours. But the coffee and toast were worth the stop, and I had far more energy when I eventually returned to the Camino!
The Camino kept to small rural roads most of the morning. Sometimes, they were paved, other times, they were dirt. Nonetheless, my feet were surprisingly tired and seemed to need lots of breaks. It was as if I was feeling many more aches and pains today, and frequent stops were becoming more of a necessity than a luxury.
Leapfrog
Eventually, the sun came out and warmed the countryside as I passed lots of small vineyards. The sunshine felt so delightful and uplifting after 6 days of rain. I stopped for another coffee and to rest my feet in a small village between vineyards. And it was during this stop that I noticed a middle-aged Japanese man who seemed to walking the Camino solo.
I departed the cafe just minutes behind the Japanese pilgrim, and it didn’t take long before I’d caught up to him and passed him. But, just as soon as I got a few meters ahead of him, he seemed to pick up his own pace so he could leapfrog ahead of me and walk in the lead again.
While this behavior was odd, I didn’t pay this pilgrim much mind until he suddenly stopped for no reason. This put me back ahead of him. And I’d barely just passed him again when resumed walking and sped up to leapfrog past me a second time. It was like he didn’t want me to pass him, but once he was in the lead again he’d slow his pace so he was barely 10 meters in front of me.
This weird pacing seemed to continue for several kilometers. If I stopped, he found a reason to stop too. If I sped up in an effort to pass him, he sped up his pace even faster.
This fellow was just acting as if he was my “reverse shadow” and he seemed oddly insistent about wanting to walk directly in front of me. I don’t think he meant to creep me out with this odd behavior, but that’s exactly what it was doing.
This is my third Camino, and I know it’s natural for two pilgrims to keep pace with each other when walking long distances. Yet this pilgrim’s efforts seemed more deliberate than what typically happens. And he didn’t seem to be sticking close to me to say hello or to strike up a conversation. He just seemed to want to walk in my orbit.
When we got into the crowded streets of Caldas de Rei, I was confident I would eventually be rid of him. Perhaps he would stop and get a coffee. Or maybe I’d take a detour to check out a mural or storefront. But either way, I was pretty confident I could shake him.
As we got into town, I slowed my pace drastically to allow him to get as far ahead of me as possible, and then I made a sudden turn down a side street toward a fruit market that ran parallel to the Camino. I took my time buying some plums to eat during the miles ahead, but also to give this oddly-behaved pilgrim ample time to find someone else’s orbit to invade.
As I departed town, I was feeling a sense of relief. There were still plenty of pilgrims around, but none of them were like the weird guy who wanted to play leapfrog for the past hour.
I was just congratulating myself on shaking him, and then what do you know? He was stopping to take photo of a fountain near the edge of town. And just as I passed him, he fell right in behind me and was right back in my orbit again. Dammit. I needed a new plan.
That’s when I decided the only remaining option was to be direct. Perhaps this pilgrim wanted to start a conversation, but he was just too shy. Or maybe he didn’t know which language I spoke (people frequently mistake me for a German when I’m abroad). So I grabbed the little bag with the two plums I’d just bought in town. Then I stopped in the middle of the roadway, turned around, and asked him if he wanted one.
Talking directly to him had the oddest result. He quickly waved me off as if to decline my offer, then immediately picked up his pace to a literal jog and sped down the Camino’s path in a clear effort to avoid me.
Ok. That was really, really odd.
Stupified by his response, I just stood there to let him make a clean getaway. And once he was out of sight, I fell in with a group of female pilgrims who happened to walk by. Better to walk with them just to make sure the weird encounter was finally over.
Tired afternoon
I didn’t see the Japanese pilgrim after that final encounter, and I kept my pace nice and gentle for the remainder of the afternoon. Avoiding another weird encounter wasn’t the only reason behind my slow pace though. My right knee seemed to be throbbing with each mile, and it precluded me from walking any faster.
I normally don’t experience knee pain on my long-distance treks. I’d been taking more breaks today than any other day on the Camino, but perhaps the physical nature of this adventure was finally catching up with me. I don’t normally walk back-to-back 20-25 mile days when I’m hanging out at home. It might have been a mistake to condense Camino Portugués timeline from nine days down to eight.
By the time 1 pm rolled around, my knees desperately needed another extended break. I stopped for lunch at another small, off-the-beaten-path bar, where I ordered my favorite meal for energy – an ensalda mixta and super salty patatas fritas. Plus, I ordered a Mahou radler – a Spanish beer mixed with lemonade – to keep with my pledge to try something new each day of this Camino.
Despite a lengthy rest during lunch, the remaining kilometers definitely felt longer and slower than the ones I walked this morning. Yet each Camino marker I passed served as proof of my progress. The number of kilometers remaining on this route was growing smaller and smaller with each step. And it was hard to believe I would be in Santiago by this time tomorrow.
This Camino seems to have flown by much too quickly. The Camino Portugués is a much shorter distance than my other prior Caminos. It’s less than one-third the length of the Camino Frances or Camino del Norte. But, I also feel like I just walked it too quickly.
Knowing everything I know about this route now, I’m 100% certain I’d love to come back and walk the Camino Portugués again. But definitely at a much slower pace.
As I continued walking north toward Padrón this afternoon, the route took me past tons of small farms where I passed by goats, and sheep, and other livestock. It definitely felt like spring, with plenty of little babies grazing in their rustic pens near their moms.
Before long, I was walking into Pontecesures, the town on the Ulla River where pilgrims taking the Spiritual Variant rejoin the route after their 28-kilometer boat ride. As I approached the iconic sign above the river, I passed a couple who seemed to be actively filming part of their Camino but not carefully watching where they were walking. Consequently, I had to make multiple efforts to dodge them and stay out of their video. I had no interest in photobombing them or becoming an “extra” on their YouTube channel.
And then, after an unexpected detour around some large farm fields, I was finally walking into Padrón, where I was greeted by a wide promenade along the Sar River with trees lining the park. Over-pruning the trees seems to be all the rage in this part of Spain. So, despite it being spring, only a few leaves stuck out from the bare branches overhead. I’m sure walking through this park has a completely different feel in summer when there’s a canopy of shade to enjoy instead f these naked trees.
Famous Peppers
After 40 kilometers (25 miles), I was elated to finally make it to Padrón and the home of the famous Galician dish – pimientos de Padrón.
Though named for Padrón, these small green peppers are originally from the New World. Franciscan monks brought the pepper seeds back from Mexico, and began growing them in this region in the early 17th century.
Pimientos de Padrón is sometimes known as Spanish roulette. The plate of small roasted peppers generally tends to be quite mild and delicious. But 1 in 10 of the peppers can be a bit spicy. Thus, chances are high that you will just enjoy delicious, charred peppers when you order this dish. Yet, there’s always the risk that you might also bite into “the spicy one!”
And tonight, I had every intention of finding out for myself…
