Once you pass the 100 kms remaining on the Camiño, in addition to the larger number of pilgrims mentioned yesterday. you begin seeing specially designed concrete markers with the traditional Camino shell and yellow arrow. On the bottom of these markers is a brass plate marking the exact number of kilometers remaining to the Cathedral in Santiago …… to the hundredth of a km. It became apparent that these markers can stimulate paradoxical emotions. They undoubtably provide constant motivation and reinforcement of goal attainment, but also begin to inject the reality that our special journey is getting close to the end.
Last night we decided that since our pending hike to Redondela provided us with only one apparent town along the way that served food – we needed to get an early start. We left our apartment at 6:30am, a clear 30 minutes before sunrise. Needed to make sure that we were ahead of the mass of pilgrims we expected to see today. Strangely enough we were joined by one other pre-dawn pilgrim as we walked through and out of the beautiful town of O Perrino in a cold 41 degree morning.
We reached the only interim town, Mos, four miles later and found a great little cafe and ordered breakfast. We were able to easily find a table and order our food. However, just twenty minutes later and for the rest of the day we were joined by hundreds of fellow pilgrims. Had we not left when we did breakfast could have been much more difficult. Later discovered that this portion of the Portuguese Camino has been attracting over 130,000 pilgrims per year!
1000 well, it was the day
The house we rented north of Redondela sits on a bluff overlooking a beautiful inlet of water off of the Atlantic Ocean.
Great finish to a 13 mile day that saw us climb over 1,200 feet of elevation, descend steeply 850 feet, hike by Roman artifacts, and visit another amazing 16th century church and convent.
BUEN CAMINO
