Scenic Route
Last night's hotel was in a great location for rejoining the Camino. I didn't have to go more than 100 steps to find my first yellow arrow of the day. The path took me down from the top of the old city to river level. Looking north, up the river, I expected to get damp shortly.
About 15 minutes later the rain began. It was just enough to require me to put on my rain jacket. As I walked, I thought about all the songs that included the word rain in the title. I started with the Eurythmics, then Peter Gabriel, then Elvis, and I had to include Prince. Fortunately, by the time I got to Eddie Rabbitt and Willie Nelson, the rain stopped. It didn't start raining again until long after I was at my hotel.
The sun actually peeked out for most of the day. The temperature was in the mid-60s (20c). It was the perfect weather for walking.
It wouldn't be a day on the Camino without some stone bridges. One was just off to the side and not part of the Camino any longer. The history I found said there was very little of the original bridge remaining. It had been rebuilt many times due to floods over many centuries. There was a piece of art in the shape of a pilgrim on the site that did make it good content for a picture.
Since it was a pretty short day for me, I stopped at the first cafe that I came to. It turns out it was the only cafe between me and my destination. While I was finishing up my coffee, Dave, the terror of all chickens in Tui (see yesterday's dinner photo) arrived with Philip, from Germany. When I finished up, we set out together.
Slightly reminiscent of the Camino de Frances, after Sarria, Spain, the trail became more congested. Tui is just beyond the 100-km mark required to earn a certificate of completion or Compostela. So, people simply bus into town and walk that final 62 miles.
There were about a dozen people on the trail that none of us had seen prior to this morning. This isn't a criticism. It's simply the way they do their Camino. I think they missed out on some great scenery by not starting in Porto. I would not send anybody to begin in Lisbon.
The three of us were having a pretty good time. The weather was perfect and we had just taken an alternate route to avoid an industrial area so the scenery was really fabulous.
There were mud puddles we had to navigate around, and some dips and potholes. It was one of those potholes that caught Dave by surprise. He was walking slightly behind Philip and me when we heard the sound of him hitting the ground. Dave is a solid young man. He had just hit the wrong spot in the wrong way and it rolled his ankle and scraped his knee up a little. His initial reaction was just to get up, brush himself off, and continue. Philip and I convinced him to take a break and dress his wound.
We all went to our backpacks for medical supplies. Philip and Dave were better equipped than I was. It took Dave about 10 minutes to make sure that the area was sanitized, and he wrapped his knee. It was when we started walking again that the bigger concern became his ankle. We pressed on at a slower rate for about 30 minutes. When we got to a rest area, Dave encouraged us to continue on and he took a break. I am very hopeful that I see him on the trail again fully recovered. He is a good man.
Philip and I walked on together for another 45 minutes. I went to my phone to check where my hotel was and see how much longer I would be enroute. It was no surprise to see that I had to backtrack to reach my lodgings. Today it was actually my choice. I could have pressed on into the center of the city, knowing that they provide shuttle service out to my hotel. The weather was nice, I felt good, and I didn't want to wait for a van. So I walked back, passing other confused hikers wondering why I was going in the wrong direction.
The hotel was a little remote. Accommodations are a little tight because of the influx of all those new walkers. In fact, before Dave took his spill, he had spoken to other pilgrims and told them some of the albergues ahead were either full or closed.
I got cleaned up, and the proprietor opened the kitchen to serve me some lunch. One of the signature foods of the area is Galacian soup. I hadn't had any since my last Camino in April. It was a familiar and delicious taste, with white beans and a flavorful broth.
I'll wind up having dinner in the same dining area at my hotel, and then breakfast again in the morning. The hotel is no frills but very comfortable. I triple-checked my destination for tomorrow – I know I won't walk past it.