Vila Velha

The sunset last night was spectacular, the color shifting from the blues of day to the oranges and reds of rest. A lone swimmer made her way out to water and had a choreographed dance to the fading light.

My moment of bliss was short-lived. When I arrived back at my albergue the American couple in the room next to mine still had their TV on. It had been playing for over eight hours. I don't think they were actually watching it because I could also hear their conversation (which is how I knew they were American). They appeared to have it on just for background noise. The problem was that the walls were so thin that I could hear it planely. Somehow they had found an American channel that played back to back reality TV shows - fix a restaurant, flip a house, find a lover. I was annoyed as I couldn't nap, read or write with the distraction. Instead I took a trip to a cafe, then to the beach, later to dinner, and finally the sunset, coming home each time to find the boob tube still making me annoyed.

Last year I was in Spain for the Champions League final (soccer). I sat in a bar with local sports fanatics and it was a spectacle! Last night was this year's final. I hadn't found a bar this time but knew I could find it on the TV in my room. My team had been knocked out earlier in the competition so I wasn't nearly as interested as last year. I intended to put the second half of the game on and mute the commentary, but after arriving back to my room I opted instead to turn the commentary up. It was in German. I didn't turn it up loud. I didn't need to. The walls were that thin. Within 10 minutes the Spanish team scored a couple of goals with not much time remaining. I turned off the TV and there was blissful silence from the other room. I left the alburgue this morning before they woke up. I imagine they assume I must be a German pilgrim.

***

The morning light was spectacular. The beaches were pristine and empty except for the waves and the sea birds.

***

I've learned that there are four different kinds of boardwalks in portugal.
Newer ones - with prefab boards that are manufactured and built uniformly, making them very nice to walk on.
Older ones - made of wood, some worn, some holes, some with big spaces between boards.
Broken ones - with tape across them and signs signaling for you to walk around (meaning in the sand)
Sand covered ones - Which is exactly what it sounds like.

Pretty early this morning I was walking on an old boardwalk when I noticed one of my polls sounded different. Sure enough, the rubber tip had been pulled off in one of the gaps between the boards. It was too late to try and recover the one I'd lost as it would have been impossible to find or reach. But like a good Boy Scout I came prepared. I have a set of extra rubber tips in my bag. The problem is I didn't want to stop and take my pack off and get to my "Be Prepared" bag that was at the bottom. Had I actually been a Boy Scout I would have easily acquired my Procrastination badge.

I argued with myself that I could wait until I was ready for a break, but now my pole, without the wide rubber tip, was finding the gaps between the boards every other step. I decided I just wouldn't use the poles until my next break, but then I'd either have to carry them or stop to break them down and strap them to my pack. Finally I decided procrastination was a bummer for breakfast so I stopped to put on a new rubber tip.

There is a life lesson here for me. I think I make a lot of things more work than what they need to be.

***

I made it to my first cafe and ordered a coffee and a glazed croissant. It was only two Euros. At Starbucks it would have been 12 bucks.

I sat outside the cafe where a local gent was having the same breakfast as me. He didn't speak English but pointed at my backpack and said, "Santiago?".

I nodded my head in affirmative.

After a pause he asked, "How many K's (kilometers)?

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I don't know." and then made a motion with my fingers, "I just walk that way."

He smiled. So did I.

I guess I should know the distance to Santiago but the only thing I really needed at that time was to know where the first open cafe would be. The next thing I'd want to know is where the next open cafe would be. Santiago is many, many cafes away and I'm not concerned about it.

I thought about this more. If you had asked me before this trip if I wanted to know what tomorrow brings, I would have answered, "Of course." But as I continued walking I could see the city where I'd be staying tonight. I found myself dreading the distance as it looked like it was forever away. But when the trail took me around a curve where I could only see that current bay, beach, field, etc. I found myself more present in those steps and not worried about what was around the bend.

This was another intriguing life lesson on the Camino today.

***

Where the boardwalk ends with warning tape you have no choice but to head into the sand. It is slow, it takes effort, and it gets in your shoes. It also takes you places where the boardwalk doesn't lead, including an art gallery of things washed up by the ocean and repurposed by artists.

***

Finally there is the section of boardwalk that was taken back over by the sand. I found no life value in that damn section at all.

***

I met pilgrims from Austria, Belgium, France, Australia, Germany, Italy, and Portugal today.

***

Tonight I ate dinner at Theatro - a building that was once a theater and has now been reimagined into a restaurant, wine bar, bookstore and art gallery.
I arrived a few minutes before they opened hoping they might let me take some photos before they had their patrons. They gave me run of the place. It is beautiful and it was a unique and memorable experience. I won't describe the dinner as it would create some envy but I would go out of my way to travel to this city just to eat here again.

I told Rueben, my waiter, about Alex and how I was honoring his life by eating places that he would have enjoyed, and dining on food that he would have loved to have learned to create. At the end of the meal I told him it had been a perfect evening.

When I went to the counter to get a stamp for my Camino credential, the owner brought it out himself. He said that Rueben had shared my story about Alex with the staff and said that they all got chills. They felt honored that they were a part of this walking, savoring life memorial.

***

Now I'm back on the beach with other light lovers who come to say "boa noite" (good night) to the sun.Read more