Valenca to O Porriño 20km

Aah Spain! So good to be back in the land of bocadillos, tortillas and zumo de naranja (fresh orange juice).

We started with our morning photo…

We left Valenca before the town awoke to cross the bridge over the Minho River into Spain. Valenca is a beautiful fortress town with huge city walls and garrisons. But it’s really quiet at 7am! Here are some scenes from our walk out of town…

And then we crossed the bridge into Spain, and the town of Tui.

Tui is the place where many pilgrims who just want to do the last 100km will start. Its cathedral is impressive but being restored so we didn’t see it inside which was a shame.

From here we need to get 2 stamps a day on our credencial so that we qualify for the Compostela at the end. Our first stamp in Tui was at the Franciscan convent of Santa Clara. We walked into the chapel where the nuns – dressed like the nuns in the Sound of Music! – were in quiet reflection. I was a little scared to interrupt them to be honest because they looked very austere and in the moment, but they were happy to stamp our credentials for us! I wasn’t going to risk taking a photo though.

We are noticing different signs now that we have entered Galicia…

There are many more pilgrims on the trail now, so my heart is lighter, but my body is still sore. Walking is getting harder every day and I’m a little discouraged and very disappointed with myself as I wrestle with why I’m finding this so difficult. I know there are camino lessons in all of this for me – I just wish they would hurry up and reveal themselves! Aah enough of my whinging…thanks for listening.

Today’s highlight was … drumroll… my first bocadillo with jamón. OMG I love these things! Just a simple roll with serrano ham, but I bite into it and feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven! I don’t think that’s the spiritual enlightenment I’m supposed to be finding on the camino…lol.

The walk today took us once again through forests and along streams. Galicia is very beautiful.

Today I listened to music while I walked because it makes walking easier for me. One of my favourite albums is Simon and Garfunkel Concert in Central Park (1981). When I listen to the live recording I feel like I’m actually there! There are some great songs. Late in the Evening is so fun and a great beat to walk to. 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover is also fun and always food for thought 😉.

But the song that I love most because it makes me think is The Boxer and this verse in particular which often isn’t included:

Now the years are rolling by me
The are rocking easily
I am older than I once was
And younger than I’ll be
But that’s not unusual
No, it isn’t strange
After changes upon changes
We are more or less the same
After changes we are
More or less the same

We arrived in O Porriño and decided to stop here for the night. We have caught up with our German friend Andreas who we first met in Rates. He is a geography teacher from Hamburg who is on sabbatical for a year and is spending it doing different caminos. He did this same one only a month ago and is now thinking about doing it in reverse back to Porto when he finishes. Yes he’s just going to turn around and go back!

Andreas and I started talking about what we would include if we opened our own albergue. This is our list so far…

• Comfortable beds, not bunks, no vinyl mattresses, nice bed linen
• Fluffy towels
• Great wifi
• Strong hot showers, with taps that you turn on (a lot of the showers here are timed so you need to keep pushing the knob to keep water flowing), and room to put all your stuff.
• Someone to do massages for tired and sore pilgrims
• A great home cooked meal, and breakfast
• A soundproof room for snorers. Or maybe individual soundproof pods?…

I’ll keep adding to that as we think of more…

It’s forecast to rain tomorrow, and we need a bit of a rest day, so we will send our bags ahead to the next stop Redondela. It’s only 15km away. This is one of the Camino miracles. Leave your entire worldly possessions at an albergue you’ve just stayed in, with an envelope with 6eur inside, and an address to somewhere you’ve never been, and when you arrive at said place you’ve never been, your bag is there!

Here are some photos from O Porriño…