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Santiago de Compostela → Negreira 20.4 km (12.7 mi) |
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¡Comienzo de nuevo, todos!
It was so strange waking up this morning to start walking again, though probably not as much as it was for Serge and Didier, who start walking home today. Nonetheless, with a backpack on, it was time to bid the farewells for the third time over breakfast. See, we’d all bid each other farewell at the end of the last two nights, then kept running into each other in Santiago. That took some of the barb out of this round of farewells.
Then again, the internet has made the world so small that we could stay in contact with the click of a button and the tapping of many keys. Plus, we’ve all got free housing for life whenever we visit each other’s city of residence, though it will take some serious work to find space in mine. Maybe a farewell isn’t real unless you mean to make it so!
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They saw me off at the Praza do Obradoiro, where, sure enough, a yellow arrow pointed the Way. With a “so long,” a “farewell,” an “auf wiedersehen,” and a “toodles,” I resumed the walk. Little did I realize just how challenging this restart would be! I’d gotten my compostela, attended Pilgrim’s Mass, and bid farewell to all the people I’d been pacing. I didn’t know what kind of company I would have for the next few days, what sights I would see, or what to expect of anything, really. I didn’t have a guide, only a map I had picked up at the albergue.
I had started late, and the air was hot and smokey. There were groups of middle school students laughing their way out of Santiago, and there were some surprisingly steep stretches of hill! I started to feel less sure about my decision, but then, from the unseen distance, came the call of a seagull! The image of a harbor with the boats rocking gently back and forth popped into my mind, and suddenly, I was energized. I was going to the sea, doubts and setbacks be dammed!
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I took a break at the Ponte Maceira, just to listen to the cascade and count the water striders. This bridge is believed to have Roman origins, and it’s said that when the disciples of St. James were fleeing from Roman troops, the bridge collapsed under the feet of the Romans, allowing the disciples to escape unharmed! It has been rebuilt twice, first in the 13th century and then in the 18th century! Now, it is a quiet spot and a great place to drop a line in the water, though the one fisherman I met had only caught one, which he considered mala suerte.
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All things considered, I was very glad that this route was so considerate to the continuing peregrino. Sure, it was hot and confusing, but it was a mere 22K! That gave me ample time to regain my bearings in Negreira. Apparently, Negreira’s pretty good for that sort of thing! An increasing number of people who work in Santiago are choosing to set up residence in Negreira as a quieter alternative to the big city! I’d have to agree that it was much quieter, though that may have been due to the strike and the fact that I arrived during siesta.
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It was nice to set down my backpack and wander the town for a while, just to get my brain back in sync with my feet. I ran into Axel and Morten, whom I’d glimpsed briefly at lunch, then lost. I was super happy to see some folks I knew on this side of Santiago, and they invited me to share dinner with them: yummy rice pilaf, cheese, and perfect, fresh strawberries! Even after living in California so long, I’d forgotten how wonderful strawberries can be!
Despite the old bloodstain on my pillow and the cracks in the albergue walls that screamed “bed bugs,” it’s good to be walking again! I’d been having dreams all along the way of waking up at home and scrambling to get back to the Camino before the next sunrise! I hope they won’t continue after I’ve reached Finisterre.
Buen Camino!
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Total Distance Walked: 779.5 km (478.2 mi) |
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