Where did my Camino go? One more sleep to Santiago.

I see that my last post was Day 7. Egad. A week has gone by? I’ve been posting on Facebook…snippets and photos that help me remember what happened when. Today is Day 14, Sunday, June 4.

Here comes the ramble.

Day 7 we walked into Baiona and wondered if we had made a mistake in designating our day off in the next city, Vigo. The blessing of Baiona was that the hotel had a jacuzzi, and gluten-free muffins in the morning.

Ready for the jacuzzi, which we had to reserve in advance.

The fort at Baiona was well guarded. We posed before donning our backpacks for the day.

What is it? We wondered and wondered. Almost every home in so many villages we passed had one. Eventually I asked a local woman, “Que es eso?” She rattled off something in Spanish, and I asked her to slow down. In Spanish, I asked, “Is to honor God?” “Ha! No!” She laughed. Turns out it’s for storing corn. As in a corn crib!

As we were walking to Vigo, we discovered that we had hit a major Camino milestone. In order to receive your Compostella, you must walk at least 100K and prove it by getting two stamps a day on your pilgrim’s passport along the way. At this point, we had already walked more than 100K, but it’s the last 100K that count!

Jules Verne, 20 Leagues Under the Sea, lived and wrote in Vigo.

Vigo is a huge city. Reminded us of Paris, New York, but on the sea. We hiked and climbed (yes, on our day off) to the top of a park that gave us an amazing view of the islands off Vigo (and visible from Baiona) and up the river that empties into the bay.

Leaving Vigo, Day 10, we were also leaving the Coastal Route. We were headed to Redondella, inland, where intersect the main Portuguese Route to Santiago (Central route).

Our selfie on the way to Redondela. Graffiti saved by the Camino arrow.

Snack time in the forest, by a waterfall, in the shade. Perfect.

Wifi is fading, and photo loading is frustrating, so I will have to say adios for now.

Tomorrow morning, Monday, June 5, we will walk a short 12K into Santiago. There is anticipated joy, and a sadness at the same time. Each day has had its physical and mental challenges. Yet the simplicity of waking each morning know that the only thing on your To Do list is to walk–well, there is peace in that alone.

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