Today’s walk was 13 miles, with some rolling hills (1500′ of ascent). The journey, so far has been 135 miles.
The story of today is about path convergence; Pilgrims coming together. Some background is helpful. On leaving Porto, there are two paths available. One, the Central route, goes up the middle of the country, headed north. That one is the historical path and also the more popular.
A second path leaves Porto and heads west to the coast, the northward. While it doesn’t have the same history, it provides more than it’s share of beautiful views! That’s the one we chose to walk.
Finally, while not a separate path, at Vigo (2 days ago) many people with limited time (or energy) start their Camino walk. That way they can complete the journey to Santiago in less than a week.
At Redonela, all these paths meet up!
What that means is that, while the views remain beautiful,
The trail now has far more Pilgrims than before
It also means that there are plenty of services geared to the Pilgrim.
Ultimately, we made it to Pontevedra, our stop for the night.
Pontevedra is often home to the World Triathlon Championship (age group). We have several friends who have qualified and attended these championships, including a podium or two! It’s not on our bucket list, though.
All for now
Well, I’m finally catching up with you! Sorry to have been absent for the last couple of days, though you seem to have been tracking right along without me! Lol it is nice when there’s fewer people, but everybody’s on a pilgrimage for one reason or another so you just have to smile and carry on. Which I’m sure both you and Diane do. The scenery looks lovely and looks like the weather is behaving itself. How many more days to Santiago? Love you both.
Hola, Willow! Glad to have you back aboard! You’re right. We’re not the only ones making a journey, so it’s okay to have company along the way … even a lot of company. We’ll finish on Saturday.