Walking the Camino de Santiago

Sept 9

“This is your life, you can go anywhere
You gotta grab the wheel and own it
And drive it like you stole it
Roll it, this is your life, you can be anything
You gotta learn to rock and roll it
You gotta put the pedal down
And drive it like you stole it” - Sing Street

We left before daylight, but only after a coffee and pastry at a cafe that opens early for pilgrims. Luca’s ankle was feeling better, so he joined Christopher and me as we set off to Pontevedra.

Todays journey takes us through a couple of small towns, across lakes, and forested areas of the Galicia region. It was great to have all three of us together again. Luca will play it by ear and if his ankle begins to hurt, he will stop and take the train to meet us at the destination. I am feeling good physically and mentally. I love these early morning hikes. Everything is still and quiet, and you get to see the sun rise.

Exiting the city, we began our first of two steep climbs to reach the top of a very large hill. This led into forested areas along with some rough terrain scattered throughout. After about 5 miles of climbing, Luca was already beginning to be in pain, so at the first town we arrived in, he took a break and went to find the train station.

Arcade (pronounced Ar-ca-day) was the first town we came to after exiting the forest and where we left Luca. With a population of under 5000 inhabitants, Arcade is a relatively small place giving those who walk the Camino a chance to experience the genuine culture of a small Spanish village that has not yet been influenced by tourism. Once you walk into this town, you are transported into another world of a bygone era. Stone houses hundred of years old clinging to green hills that plunge into tranquil bays, ancient Roman bridges, cobblestone streets and narrow lanes that pass up and down through old time neighborhoods.

We got Luca settled and Christian and I continued on the trail. We no sooner left Arcade than we began to climb a steep hillside with some pretty rocky terrain. This climb was steep, it was a bit wet from some light sprinkling of rain, and lasted until we reached its peak.

We finally had some rainfall today so we all put on our ponchos to cover ourselves and our backpacks. What a sea of various colors and sizes walking into the city. Eventually our descent led us into the city center of Pontevedra and ultimately to our pilgrim albergue for the day.

Todays journey was not too long, about 15 miles. A little about our destination for the day. Pontevedra is surrounded by hills, the city is located on the edge of an estuary at the mouth of the Lérez river by the sea, at the end of the Ria de Pontevedra. It is well known for the charm of its old town, and is the second most important and largest historic center in Galicia, after Santiago de Compostela.

My thoughts: I once again enjoyed this hike today. Having Luca with us for part of it was so nice and he was so happy during the time he was able to walk. Our plan as of now is to continue this journey to the end and walk into Santiago de Compostela together. These two guys are genuinely nice humans. I’m glad to have met them. Tonight we spent time talking over dinner about the journey thus far, the importance of taking the wheel of your life and being in the drivers seat of where you want it to go. Drive it like you stole it I say. You only get one life.