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- 8 jun 2024, 22:37
- ⛅ 64 °F
- Altitud: 24 m
- EspañaGaliciaVigoPraza do rei42°14’14” N 8°43’18” W
Day 8 - Baiona to Vigo (via the coast)
8 de junio, España ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F
It was raining when I went to bed last night and raining when I woke up. Even though the thought of six plus hours of walking in inclement weather did not excite me, I was determined to make the best of it. I walked out of my albergue with my poncho tucked under my belt for easy access and had my backpack rain cover already in place.
It was sprinkling lightly at first but within 10 minutes my backpack and I were covered with the poncho, making me look like a pilgrim turtle, not just having the speed of one. I regretted, as it was still pretty dark out, that I bought a black poncho instead of a brightly colored one that could be seen easily by drivers.
I assumed that I'd get very few photos today, thinking that my phone would have to stay in my pocket, however I managed to get some good images of what the day looked like, especially when the rain let up for a few hours.
While most of yesterday's stage was full of conversations, today I was alone for the entire day. My emotions were all over the place and I was grateful to put in one ear bud and have the benefit of upbeat music to keep me company.
As the great American poet, Bacharach, wrote:
"But there's one thing I know
The blues they send to meet me
Won't defeat me
It won't be long till happiness
Steps up to greet me."
Once again I savored the oceanfront, and once again I was taken with the white, sandy beaches, which I found myself walking on two or three times when there was no boardwalk. My coastal walk ends tomorrow as this Camino connects up to the central route. The rain allowed me to enjoy the whole coastline without any other people besides me.
I only had an hour and a half of walking left when a whopper of a storm opened up on me. I ducked under a tree to see if there were any cafes or restaurants nearby to wait out the storm as I was nearing the edge of Vigo. Almost unbelievingly Google maps showed that there was a Burger King about 12 minutes away. While I had no desire to eat at an American fast food joint in Europe, the idea of having a dry place to wait out the storm sounded nice. Unfortunately it was closed so I didn't get to experience having it my way at Burger King.
The next best thing I found was a highway underpass and while it offered no comfort, it offered shelter and that was what I needed most.
With the new rain, having soaked pants and shoes, the absence of local cafes (and thus the lack of caffeine in my bloodstream) my attitude took a nosedive. It really hit bottom when I stumbled and on some slick pavement and then realized a few minutes later that I'd lost a hiking pole tip for the third time this trip. Yes, we have no backups, today.
The string of profanities I uttered was worthy of a good old fashioned getting your mouth washed out with soap.
It didn't help any that when I arrived at the address in Vigo where I was staying I had a message from my hostess that I needed to pick up the key another kilometer down the road, which added more distance for my attitude to sour like my wet socks.
I was letting the circumstances get the best of me and I was creating my own suffering by not letting it go. Once the key was in my hand I decided to look online and found that there was a hiking goods store just 10 minutes out of my way that carried pole tips. Within a half hour I had pole tips on both poles, had backups in my "Be Prepared" bag, and was back at my albergue.
I wanted to get out of my wet clothes and into the shower, as well as get those wet clothes washed. First I decided to treat myself to some of the chocolate that I had left over from my stay at the chocolate factory hotel. It was a bit soft so I put the bars in the refrigerator to get solidified again. However, there were two squares that I had found on the towels in the hotel bathroom that hadn't melted so I decided I'd eat one of them. Only it wasn't chocolate. It was soap.
All I could do was spit it out and laugh at myself!
Vigo is a big city, the largest in Galacia, I believe. It has a good vibe but I'm too tired to check it out. I did walk to the Basilica de Santa Maria de Vigo. It is a relatively new church here, built in the 1800's and has some interesting mosaics around the altar.
My friend Antonio (Italian living in Switzerland) said he needed lots of carbs so we found a restaurant to split a 2-person paella. It was divine!
Tomorrow is a shorter day so I'm hoping to sleep longer and start laterLeer más
Great stories! So vivid. Don’t think it was quite fair that you actually DID get your mouth washed out with soap—sometimes a string of curse words is exactly what is called for.😉 [Shaleen Stevenson]