São Pedro da Torre

Woke up: Pilgrim Rest, Vila do Cerveira
Destination: Almoreda Medeavel, Pedro Sao Torres

Early breakfast with our lil crew. Just coffee for me but it was nice and cosy.

I recommended casa do sardao to Dan. It was then he asked if I knew a Bulgarian girl, called Lora. Apparently he’d seen her yesterday, and of course she was raving about it. Love the Camino and its synchronicity.

Speaking of Julie is back on the Camino. She left me a voice note to say she’s started again, and how she was telling someone on the coastal path about her feet and hospital, and they responded whether it was Lisa that took you? It just happened to be the couple I helped with the train the day before.

I left the Albergue last. Quite common for me. I’m waking up the earliest I have in years and I’m still the latest out the door. I prefer it though. Less danger of packing and forgetting something.

I wandered into town. Found a cheap cafe for breakfast, my usual pasta de natal and espresso. And wrote my postcards. I then took them to the post office on my way out of town.

I spotted a cemetery on the way out which I wandered a while. Still amazed by the intricacy and individuality of all, and how well maintained they all are.

I then saw the road bridge, which links to Spain, just 300m away. So decided to have a quick cheeky step over into Spain. I set up my phone to take a lil video and when no one was watching I did a lil celebrating dance, but a car was coming behind me a honked and cheered me on, waving. I thanked them, and then perhaps, because of the kindness in strangers ‘seeing’ and understanding my achievement and choosing to celebrate it when I’m here alone, just made me cry.

It was quite the rollercoaster of emotions.

From this I collected myself and chose to do what Lora recommended and not take the road route, but river route. And I’m so glad she did. It was such a lovely stretch. I stopped for a juice by the river and saw so many fish and a huuggge dragonfly.

I passed what seems liked hundreds of beautiful wild meadows. Old men chatting and fishing stopped to wish me Bom Camino. As well as a cyclist to tell me to ‘stay strong’. I then came made my way back to the official Camino, to walk into Pedro Sao de Torres.

Over a medieval bridge, and Roman aqueduct.

So taking the road less travelled really is more beautiful sometime.

Until I arrived at the albergue. I knew I wanted to stay here after reading the reviews of how well the hosts know the Camino and look after pilgrims. As the Camino is as much about the people and places as the walking for me, this was on my must stay Camino bucket list. And I’m so glad I did.

I shared with Anna, the host, why I was here. And she said despite doing the Camino so many times she’s never thought to do it ‘with’ her mum as she never saw the albergue they’ve created.

Anna told me about how the place sits on the old Roman road the pilgrims would have taken as one of the most direct route. And how the Portuguese coastal has been authenticated as an original pilgrim route.

And how the litoral on from Caminha is a tourist route created in and after Covid. The same for the spiritual variant. It’s nothing to do with the Camino, historically it is more to do with the Napoleonic Wars.

This changed things for me. As much as it’s my Camino, and it can be what I need it to be. I love the idea of literally walking history and for the spiritual significance I want to stay as close to the traditional Camino going forward. So, as of now, I am going to stay as close to the central route back as possible.

Anna also went on to tell me where to find the Knights Templar marks at Santiago and along the way to mark the rebirth and transformation. And for them their symbol for the Albergue is a rooster, signifying a new Dawn for all pilgrims arriving and then leaving their place.

This made me cry, also. Because I’m an emotional mess apparently.

The evening finished with a pilgrim meal for all. Unfortunately I couldn’t participate as much as I’d of liked because most of the residents were German. But I still chatted, made them laugh with some of my stories so far as well as getting excited when I understood Vai Vassa as Holy Water of all things.

And then an evening of catching up on my journal.

Body Check: just super knotty hair!!!

Highlights/Little things:
O Breakfast by Candlelight
O A cold pool to soak my muscles inLeia mais