Journey to Agueda
Things just don't dry out when the humidity is 95 percent. I left the hotel (again) with my wet clothes strapped to my back today. Spoiler alert: After nearly six hours of walking, the clothes were still damp to the touch. I had my fingers crossed that tonight’s hotel would have a hair dryer.
The journey back on to the trail was fairly simple this morning. It turns out that where I joined the Camino was actually a little-used feeder and not the main path. It was overgrown in many places and just turned earth in others. It was about one and a half miles before I got back to the main trail as I approached the city of Mealhada.
I walked through a very pleasant downtown area reminiscent of any major city that I've traveled to in Europe. Of course, early on a Sunday morning everything was shuttered and there were no people around. It was in that area I saw the first sign depicting mileage to Santiago. I did the math and determined that by the end of the day I would be past the halfway point. That in itself was cause for celebration.
This was another day spent mostly alongside roads, traveling through residential and industrial areas with lots of vacant buildings along the way. There was one interesting cemetery I passed with above-ground crypts.
The rain held off and it never got much above 70 degrees. It would have been a very pleasant day to walk, except for the number of flies that descended on me anytime I paused. During a quick pit stop in a wooded area, I counted 12 flies between my knee and my ankle. I guess in the fly world, I am considered delicious.
That also made it difficult to find a place to take a break. It wasn't until after I'd covered more than 10 miles that I found a spot. It was the perfect combination of a bench, in the shade, and exposed to a heavy wind that kept the flies away.
The time passed fairly quickly today as there was no outstanding scenery to offer distraction. I filled my time with a couple of podcasts to drown out the road noise, then I decided on a small mind game. I would list every musical group I could for each letter of the alphabet. From Abba to Zappa. Some letters were easier than others. Honestly, the only musician I could think of for X, was Xavier Cugat.
The arrival into town took me out of an industrial area, down a hill, and past several blocks of non-descript housing. The final portion was over two bridges. My hotel was very close to the crossing of the second bridge.
The city featured colorful umbrella art, all part of the Umbrella Sky Project. Agueda, Portugal, is actually a sister city with Hiroshima in Japan, and borrowed the idea of exhibiting umbrella art from them. The exhibit itself is temporarily closed. That meant the only art available to see was on the streets in the restaurant district. Even the cookie I bought was umbrella themed.
With my hotel arrival routine complete, I went out in search of a late lunch and a grocery store. It was approaching 4:00 p.m. and there were very few eateries open, and no grocery stores. This town rolls up the sidewalks early on a Sunday. I did find lunch about a quarter-mile away and actually found a place to grab a sandwich to eat later for dinner. While I was waiting for my sandwich to be prepared, the proprietor shared with me that the news had reported this was a big year for flies.
Shortly after I got back to my hotel room it began to rain. I guess there will be more new flies in the next couple of days. Tomorrow I will try to gauge my 10-mile walk to stay out of the rain. It's a short day so I have some flexibility.
Finishing the evening on a bright note, I am using the hair dryer to make sure I have dry clothes in the morning.
