Hike Day 6 - Valenca to Porrino

Besides the beautiful scenery on today's walk, the predominant characteristic of Day 6 was the weather. We three gals bought new raingear last night, knowing we were facing a second day of rain, and hoping to end today a bit drier. However, it turned out to be an on-again, off-again day of rain, forcing us to constantly don and shed our raingear, as you will notice in the photos. The temperature and breezes were perfect for walking, though, and we were so thankful for that, as well as the fact that we can still manage a 13.5 mile day.

This morning, at 7:23, the four of us, along with Christine—Dale's wife, who met up with us yesterday—left the beautiful town of Valença, which has become my favorite city so far. We started the day in the rain. At 8:04, we crossed the bridge into Spain, where the time is one hour ahead of Portugal. In one of the photos, you’ll see us adjusting our watches as we crossed. Another photo shows Christine standing with one foot in Portugal and the other in Spain. We said our goodbyes to Christine at that point and journeyed onward toward Galicia.

Once again today, we encountered other pilgrims. We met a man and his wife from Brazil who asked us to take their photo, and in return, he took one of us. Marian C carries small, round pins with the words "Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the City of Brotherly Love." She read that many people walking the Camino bring small remembrances to leave at roadside shrines, mile markers, or to give to people they meet. She felt drawn to give one of her pins to the man from Brazil. Later in the day, he was so thrilled to meet us again that he wanted to video Marian C presenting the pin so he could send the clip to his daughter. These are the rewarding moments on the trail.

During the longer trek today, we had some deep and meaningful discussions. Dale initiated a conversation about God's role in the universe and ultimately in our lives. We pondered, "How much difference does prayer make, anyway?" As we walked, Marian Y read Psalm 91 aloud and shared a true story about a woman who used that scripture to ward off an attacker in a dark parking lot. Our topics shifted to pivotal points in our lives, decisions that shaped us, and even stories about our weddings. We covered a lot of ground today—both in walking and in conversation. We are trying to connect with the theme of the Camino walk as a pilgrimage.

At 4 p.m., we arrived in the city of Porrino, Spain. After showering and dressing for dinner as usual, we decided to make use of the laundromat we had passed on our way into town. We gathered all our dirty clothes, combined them into one load, and headed to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

It was comical how it took a young pilgrim from Brazil, whom we had seen on the trail, and a local Spaniard to help us figure out how to use the washing machine. In the photo, you can see just the backs of our heads, all crowded around the washer, trying to make sense of it. "It takes a village," we said, laughing. Oh, the joys of the trail, where we share in life’s little moments together.

Todays blog post by Marian Yoder.Weiterlesen