A rainy start to the day
Before my alarm went off, I could hear the rain. Good, I thought. Let it rain overnight and then it won’t rain tomorrow! Oh, how naive I was! When I woke up, it was still raining hard. My feet really hurt this morning. I went downstairs for breakfast. I was not in a happy mood. Although I was ready for rain (or so I thought) I didn’t actually want to walk in the rain! I guess my mood was written on my face because one of pilgrims at breakfast (someone I had never spoken to before) asked if I was feeling all right. To be honest, no. I was not all right. I was trying to wrap my head around walking in the rain. And my feet hurt. The one blister on my left heel was the worst. My sunny disposition had disappeared overnight…
Lourdes had warned me about day 3 of the Camino. She said that this would be the day I’d want to quit!. Although my feet hurt and I felt unmotivated to walk in a downpour, I didn’t want to quit. I didn’t come this far to quit after 40 kms. But, by this point the initial euphoria had given way to reality: I had a couple of new blisters and now it was raining hard. I needed to give myself a pep talk. And that’s what I did: I can do this. I’ve already walked 40 plus kms; I’m in good shape; I don’t need to walk fast. I’ll just walk at a slow pace and slowly, but surely, I’ll get to Portomarin.
Decisions, decisions
After breakfast, I headed back upstairs and got ready to leave. I put all my stuff in ziploc bags, treated my blister which was really bothering me. Every step hurt. As I pulled the poncho over my head, the poncho ripped! This is what happens when you buy a cheap poncho. I should have known better. OK… now what? It was 7:30 am. Stores don’t open until 10 am in Spain. So, what were my choices? Walk with a torn poncho or wait for an hour or two to see if the rain let up. I decided to walk with the torn poncho.
As I walked toward the starting point of the Camino, I saw it. An open store!!! Not only a store, but a store which specialized in all things Camino: supplies, clothes, souvenirs, etc. To say I was super excited would not be an understatement! An open store, in Spain, at 7:30 am. Yes!!! I stopped in and purchased a better quality poncho for 10 euros. I saw Maya and her mom. Maya’s Camino shoes which she had found hanging on a tree had finally given out and with the rain, she needed to purchase new shoes. We chatted for a couple of minutes and wish each other a “buen camino” and I was off.
The trail started with stairs. Lots and lots of stairs! And so much rain! As I reached the top of the stairs, a group of energetic young people came out of the hostel by the monastery. They were in a fine mood, singing and laughing. What a joyful start to the day! The scenery was beautiful. It almost made me forget the rain. About 4 kms into the day, there was a small cafe/shop. I didn’t want to stop, so I kept going. I should have stopped, but at this point I did not know that! Little did I know that I would not see another coffee shop for kilometers. And that the rain would continue to come down hard. Two hours in, I was drenched. Completely soaked. My feet made squishy sounds when I walked! And they hurt. I needed to stop.
An unexpected way to reach my destination
However, there was nowhere to stop. No shelter or overhang of any kind. Then I saw a group of pilgrims huddled under an awning. I made my way over and saw “panaderia” a bakery. Yes! A coffee and a pastry would really hit the spot. But here was the thing. Even though the door was open and there were several loaves of bread on the counter, the place was closed! Not only was it closed, but the owner came out and asked us to lower our voices because people were resting. Oh really? It was 10:30 am at this point. Not exactly siesta time! I was in a bad mood. My feet hurt and I was completely soaked. Not only that, but I couldn’t even get a coffee. After changing my socks (not sure why I did this since my shoes were waterlogged), I took off my top and changed into something dry. No one batted an eye. Modesty took a backseat to comfort! I guess on the Camino you see everything!
I overheard a woman say that she was taking a cab to our destination, Portomarin, which was about 10 kms away. Up to this point, I’d never even considered the option of taking a cab. But, as I listened to this lady (Tiffany) speak, I started to think “I could take a cab…” Tiffany had been walking for 31 days and did not want to get any more blisters. I approached her and asked if she’d mind sharing a cab. Not at all, she said. Great. So, I cabbed the last 10 kms. It was a wise decision.
Portomarin
I arrived in Portomarin early. The rain was relentless. I went to check in, but it was too early. So, I sat in a cafe, took off my shoes and socks and had a couple of cups of coffee. Eventually, I checked in, got changed and went looking for a laundromat to dry my stuff. There was a foot clinic next door. I went over and booked an appointment. For a very reasonable 20 euros, Cristina treated my blisters – all 4 of them! This place was just what my poor feet needed. https://www.facebook.com/ClinicadelPiePortomarin/
After getting my feet taken care of, I was ready to keep walking! By this time, the rain had let up. I walked another 5 km. Not bad for someone with 4 blisters! Portomarin was so beautiful. The town is located on the Mino River. In the 1960s, the town was moved up the hill after the river was dammed to create the Belesar reservoir. They moved the most historic buildings brick by brick to the new location. I really liked photographing this town. It was so pretty.
Connecting with other pilgrims
Earlier in the day, as I stood under the awning, I saw a couple walk along with their adorable dog. Seeing a dog walk the Camino made me smile. I met the dog, Sua and her owners in Portomarin. They had been training Sua for months! She was loving the Camino. Like other pilgrims I met along the way, I’d connect with this lovely couple, Marta and Luis.
During the afternoon, I chatted with some other pilgrims. It was so much fun to meet them and hear their stories. The day before, I had met a group of French women. They were a lot of fun and we’d spent some time exchanging stories. As I walked around Portomarin, I ran into them again. It turns out we were all heading to the same restaurant. They invited me to join them. So, I did. We had a great meal and shared lots of laughs. So much fun. It took my attention away from the blisters.
