Praia da Duna do Caldeirão

When I woke up this morning, I was tired. Even though I had been in bed since 9pm the night before, sleeping in a hostel keeps me awake half the night. Even with my eye mask and ear plugs, I definitely don't get a full night's sleep. C'est la vie.

The first 5k was, well, shit. Walking up and down tiny cobble stone streets over and over again, I was really getting to the point of, "I'm too tired for this today." But then a tiny little café appeared in the wall, and after practically running inside (running, ha!), I got a pilgrims coffee and cookie for 1 Eur and got to pet a cat. It changed my mindset for the day.

I left the shop feeling much more myself and then low and behold, I turned a corner, and I'm heading into the forest. The real forest! I actually said out loud, "This is what I came for!". I spent probably two hours alone, walking/hiking a path that reminded me very much of the Na'apali coast in Hawaii. I was honestly thrilled and excited to be in the trees and working my body harder than I had the first 3 days. This was the best part of my walk so far.

I met a man in the middle of the woods. He didn't speak any English, but he offered me a coffee and told me to follow him down the path. Just around the corner, a tiny shop appeared with fresh fruits, coffee, trinkets, and other things. He gave me a coffee and a nectarine but wouldn't take my money. I asked if I could make a donation, and he pointed to a box and said, "Okay." I gave that man 5 EUR.

Little did I know, I would spend almost 3 hours going up through the woods, and then another hour going up the (damn) cobble stone streets again. This was the hardest part of my walk so far. Clearly this part of the journey is more difficult on people than other parts, because you not only encounter the coffee man like I did, but you will also find random bottles of water in the ditches and farmers offering you fresh fruit. It's pretty incredible how the locals look after you on your journey.

Life lessons on the Camino so far:
1. Never pass up the opportunity to use a washroom.
2. Always stop to pet the cats.
3. If you ever come upon a mountain in your life (figuratively or literally), just start climbing. Don't think about how hard it will be, don't think about what is at the top and don't think about what's on the other side, because on the other side could be an even bigger mountain, or it could be a valley that goes on for miles and miles.
Take your time, allow yourself to rest, but keep climbing because you can't live there.

22.3 kms + 83 flights of stairsRead more