Pontevedra to Padron (26.37 miles/42.46 km)

Today was a marathon day, but this time I had hoped to make it all the way to Padron knowing how far it was. Santiago was less than forty miles away and I want to go as far as possible today, so I could make my last day on the Camino a short and easy day.

I started out at 7:30 am and it was still dark. Paul had stayed near the city center and we met on the Camino across the Rio Letez bridge.

Leaving that early in Pontevedra I was a little surprised by how many pilgrims were on the Camino. It is not only the merging spot for various Caminos, but most pilgrims follow the guide book sections which are usually 10-12 miles, and Pontevedra is at the end of one of those sections. It’s interesting because about noon, or a little later, most of the pilgrims have gone that 10-12 miles, and the Camino becomes wonderfully empty. The pilgrims you do see after 1:00-2:00 are usually the few pilgrims going long distances, or some that just started late.

The scenery was fairly similar to the days before through some forest areas, through some vineyards and farm land, and always skirting through some residential areas. There were some steep parts, and then a long pleasant section through some woods that was fairly level and even slightly downhill. In the afternoon it started up a long step grade, and then a long steep downhill into a Padron.

In the early afternoon Paul and I had stopped at a cafe for a break and something to drink. Paul wanted to check his foot as he had developed some pain in his right foot. It turned out to be a painful blister on the ball of his foot, one of the most difficult areas of the foot to treat. I helped him wrap the foot with some mole skin and medical tape, but it is in a painful area that generally gets worse if you walk on it, so Paul decided to stop for the day.

He is a seasoned Camino trekker and generally does not have issues, but it can happen to anyone, just like me with my shin splints. Unfortunately, he had reserved a room at a private casa about ten to twelve miles in Padron and I was not sure if I would make it there. We said our good byes and I continued on by myself, and missed having his company.

Not much later I had a very pleasant surprise when Andrei, Liubov, and Anita, the Russians, found me on the Camino. I had heard the sound of someone coming up on me quickly and thought that some crazy pilgrims must be walking really fast, when they ran up and surprised me. Apparently they saw me in the distance and hurried to catch up to me. I have said it before, but one of the best things about the Camino is the people you meet from all over the world, and there are no politics. Meeting Andrei, Liubov, and Anita is an example of that as I felt a connection with them the moment I met them at the albergue, and it was like seeing old friends again. Unfortunately, or I should say, fortunately, I was able to walk with them for a short time before they turned off the Camino to go to their lodging. Hopefully one day they will come to visit me in the States.

The number of pilgrims dropped drastically after noon and I probably saw less than ten pilgrims on the way to Padron.

I was pretty tired when I got to Padron close to 6:00, way past my normal stopping time. As I had mentioned, I had pushed myself because I wanted tomorrow, my last day on the Camino Portugués, to be short so I could get to Santiago early and have time to savior the finish.

Coming into Padron I saw the Chef Rivera Hotel and decided I did not want to go any further, plus it had a restaurant, so I decided to get a room ($40). After a long day it is hard to go back out and walk to get food so having a restaurant close by was a plus.

It was late by the time I got my Camino chores done and I ended up having dinner at a restaurant next door. Not too far of a walk!

It was a long day and I was running out of energy, but I felt like that stable horse hurrying to get back to the stable. Tomorrow is my last day on the Camino and I will celebrate tomorrow night. Now, I look forward to seeing what the last day on the Camino brings me.

Best wishes to all,

Ted

Please excuse the typos, spelling, grammar, etc., as I am typing this on my phone, and I am probably pretty tired.

If you would like to see the Alzheimer’s Association website, see our team page, and donated, please go to:

act.alz.org/goto/tedstrek

Walking the Camino through Pontevedra early in the morning

Walking through the city center in the morning

Walking through the city center in the morning

Approaching the bridge across the Rio Lerez

Walking across the bridge

Looking back at Pontevedra

Sunrise over Pontevedra

Starting back on the forest

Wait a minute, is that the line at a Disneyland ride, or are those pilgrims on the Camino? This was a large group of Spaniards that were together and started in Tui.

Nice shady section of the Camino

And yes, you can do the Camino on horseback. You can get a Compostela comporting the Camino on foot, by bike, or on a horse.

Logistically it must be a lot of work and expense to ride a horse on the Camino. One of those expenses should be that they pay for someone to clean up the road apples we poor pilgrims have to deal with for miles! Hey, what about those rear end manure bags? I guess it’s more authentic, just like the old days when the poor pilgrims that couldn’t afford horses had to deal with it.

Andrei, Anita and Liubov. Loved seeing them again!

Andrei, Anita, me, and Liubov

Walking through Caldas de Reis

The Camino on a nice quiet road north of Caldas de Reis with few pilgrims

The bridge crossing into Padron

Crossing the river into Padron

My home for the night, Chef Rivera Hotel

Funny hotel that has an elevator, but it stops between floors, so you still have to walk up a flight of stairs. I had to pull the Wheelie up the stairs!

My room

The small tub would be perfect for washing a dog

My vegetarian veg burger meal. No, I am not a vegetarian, just sick of fish and chicken

The elevation for the day. Picture the hunchback of Notre-Dame shaking his head and yelling, the bells, the bells! Well that is be, but I am yelling, “the hills, the hills, the hills, when will they ever stop?!”

My trek for the day

My trek for the day

My trek for the day