“Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the big.” The Bug (song) – I’ll let you choose your favorite artist who performed it. Dire Straits or Mary Chapin Carpenter
O. M. G. Today was a doozie of a day.
It started out with me helping a young couple push their broken-down car at 7 am. If you don’t take photos, it didn’t happen. And yes, we got it rollin’ down a big hill. Pilgrim Power! 💥 Ha!
The walk today was not much fun. It was hot and I walked mostly on pavement. Including walking on a busy highway which I was not thrilled about. I was cooking from the top and the bottom.
I stopped at a random restaurant, MJ’s, along the way in Santa Luzia…it was on my map. I ordered an octopus appetizer and sparkling water. I don’t know, people. Don’t ask me why. I don’t have an answer. I like octopus but I have no clue as to why I ordered it during the hottest part of the day on what was supposed to be a 15-mile walk. I only ate a third of it but it was delicious. 🐙 Maybe I was getting sunstroke and becoming delirious and just didn’t know it.
After I consumed the sea creature, the trail meandered through a lovely eucalyptus forest. I absolutely love the smell of those leaves.
About 3/4 of the way through the forest, the trail turned to sand. This added a little extra weight to my sneakers. Hmmmm.
This was the ONLY part of the trail today that was not on concrete. FOUR kilometers. That’s it. The rest was all roadways. My legs and feet were killing me. I started getting shinsplints so at the first town (Mala) after the forest, I stopped in a cafe and called a cab to take me the last 5 km (3 miles) to my hostel, Hilario, for the night. Best decision I made all day.
It’s just me and Flavio from Romania in the dorm tonight and a lovely Spanish couple (Javier & Vivian) from Madrid in a private room. Javier hiked from Rome, through France and across Spain to Santiago a few years ago. It was a three and a half month hike! Wowza!
I love when people say to me, I want to do a Camino….you make it look so fun! Yeah, so fun. May we please have a moment of silence for my injuries? Blisters, shin splints, two black toenails, and now a bloody knee.
Yes, a bloody knee. I was walking through the parking lot to go tend to my laundry when I wiped out, face-planted, and ate gravel. Blood from my knee was everywhere and I cracked the screen cover on my iPhone in three places. If anyone is winning at the game of injuries on this Camino, it’s me. 🙋🏼♀️ The Camino is rewarding and hard work, and sometimes very painful…and yes, it is fun.
Good gravy, I’m a hot mess.
Clean laundry makes me happy. Check out this video of me using a washboard. I have absolutely zero idea what I’m doing but the clothes smell clean.
And with that, I’m off to sleep. Today definitely wasn’t my best day but I’ll try again tomorrow. Bom Camino!
Goodnight and much love from Portugal! 🇵🇹
Scenes from Day 16
Getting out of Coimbra was a little dodgy. The route goes through a very tight passageway with lots of cars.
The welcome wagon. The guy on the left was a little vocal about strangers walking through his hood.
