Day 15 - Hard to keep me down

"Life is tough, my darling, but so are you," - Stephanie Bennett-Henry. The voice whispered in my ear.

Woke up feeling better, not 100%, but much better and my body I think was craving to walk! The weather was cool and of course a light rain until around 1p.

We walked from Malposta to Grijo and at the half way mark found an Aldi grocery store and got some fresh bread, meat and cheese which served as our lunch and dinner since most places are closed for Easter

The path was not well marked and we missed a turn but about 2 blocks in the wrong direction an older Portuguese gentleman flagged us down and was able to gesture that we had missed our turn and he walked us to the proper turn off. Pilgrims are easy to spot with their backpacks and trekking poles; the locals are friendly and eager to help if you get off the path or are looking for a place to eat or a Pharmacia. So despite the language barrier we always manage to communicate.

Tonight we are staying at Albergaria Sao Salvador’s de Grijo, a municipal hostel. The cost is only 10 euros; the place is clean but not heated. (They do provide plenty of warm blankets!)

You may ask why stay at a hostel? Well, you don’t always have a choice because there are no hotels or pensions nearby; so unless you are willing to walk another 10 miles or more, you sleep where you can find a bed.

We’re very close to Porto now and could reach there tomorrow if we pushed it, but instead will spend the night in Vila Nova de Gaia, right outside Porto then arrive in Porto Tuesday. Arriving in Porto means we are more than halfway to Santiago!Read more