Final Stretch

I have to admit, getting up and going was a bit of a challenge today. I'm not sure if it was mindset or fatigue or the weather. It was another gray day with rain on the way. The hotel, while comfortable, was a little noisy.  One of the main roads through town passed right under my window. As a result, I was up at 5 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep.

Breakfast was good and I was out the door by 8:15. I figured I would get as many miles in as possible before the rain began. The total for today was only about 12.

A light drizzle began as I left the city limits. For some reason there was an old gate off to the side of the trail. I'm not sure what it ever serviced.  It did make for a good picture with the elevated highway in the background.  At this point I didn't know if the bulk of the people were ahead of me or behind me. I did enjoy my solitude on the trail while I had it.

When the first heavy showers hit I was within 50 feet of a bus shelter. When the next deluge began, I found cover in a gazebo near an old church. The third time, I was not so lucky. I was out on the flats with no cover anywhere in sight. I donned my rain jacket as quickly as possible. By the time I had put on my top cover my pants were soaked.

The first cafe came into sight. My plan was to get cleaned up and have a cup of hot coffee there before restarting on the trail. That was not going to happen. This particular cafe was packed. I continued on another 20 minutes or so until I reached the second cafe. It was the same story.

Finally, as it started to storm again, I rounded a corner and entered another cafe further along the Camino. When I arrived, I was the only pilgrim in the place. I got my coffee and ordered a sandwich for takeaway. The man behind the bar asked what I would like. I used Google translate to communicate that I really didn't care. I just knew that I would be hungry later and whatever he would make would be perfect. He nodded and smiled and made my sandwich. I still haven't eaten it. I guess I'll be surprised tomorrow. I will be especially surprised tomorrow if it's not a ham sandwich.

The skies looked incredibly threatening as I was about to leave the cafe so I put on all my rain gear and prepared for the worst. Predictably, 15 minutes later the sun was out. I hung my backpack over a tree and took everything off again. Happily, I wouldn't need it for the remainder of the day. The malaise I had felt early in the day was gone with the cloudy weather. I was enjoying the walk, the brief conversations I had with strangers, and the knowledge that every step I took was getting me closer to my final destination.

The trail was getting a little more crowded, but not congested. There was no solitude to be had and therefore no time for introspection. I couldn't listen to any podcasts either. If I insulated myself from the sounds around me, I stood a very good chance of being run down by any number of bicyclists as they sped down the hills.

As I continued to come out of the hills, the city of Padron came into view.  Tomorrow is the Day of the Dead in Spain. All the cemeteries were crowded with visitors and flowers covered many of the headstones and crypts. 

The most notable building past the cemetery was spewing all kinds of smoke. Later I learned that this was some type of automobile factory. I'm still not sure what brand was being built there.

The smoke was visible as it rolled across the river and into the neighborhood on the far bank. I crossed the bridge into the city and hugged the river to head to one of the cafes in sight. The first one I entered was packed again with the bicyclists who had passed me coming down the hill. Almost all of them had the speed stripe of mud running down their back from the spray of the rear tire.

I walked to the next cafe and found a seat inside. It was a good feeling to grab a seat and order some paella. The hotel I was heading to for the night was away from the city. It made sense to grab a solid lunch not knowing what I might have available to me later. The sandwich was still in my bag as my safety net.

Lunch was very good. My navigation app told me I had 35 minutes more to walk before arriving at my hotel. After the second turn, my course differed from the Camino path. I walked away from the city, through a couple of traffic circles and along a little stretch of highway to finally reach my lodgings.

I arrived before Mark. His bag was still in the lobby as I grabbed mine and walked upstairs. I left a note telling him I'd be available for dinner if he wanted to walk back to the city. It turned out he had arrived almost 2 hours before me and they wouldn't let him check in. He had already been to the city to kill time before check-in.  At about 6 p.m. we walked about 3/4 of a mile back there to get something to eat.

The streets were full of children in Halloween costumes. They moved quickly from store to store, trick or treating. At the restaurant where Mark and I were eating, we saw a non-stop parade of children in costume. The most popular outfit seemed to be devils.

With dinner done and a quick stop at the grocery store for some bottled water and snacks, it was time to head back up the hill to the hotel. Tomorrow is the last day of the walk. It's amazing how fast the time has gone by. I know tomorrow the last four and a half hours will take forever. But, I also know that I'll be standing in the city square in front of the Cathedral by 2:00 or 2:30 in the afternoon. There will be a sense of accomplishment when I finally arrive.  At least I hope so. I do know, without question, where I will be having my lunch once I get there. There is an even better paella waiting for me in Santiago.