Distance travelled today: 17 miles on foot
Day 10: Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis
For two weeks we are pilgrims. We are travelling, on foot, from Porto to Santiago de Compostela; a total of 248km and not a journey that I ever thought would be easy.
The reason? I am not sure that I can define a reason; there is definitely a cultural and historical element; the Way of St James is a legendary pilgrimage, rich in medieval alure. The route itself has been recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site and is in itself, a journey through history.
I was also attracted to the idea of an unforgettable adventure; something we could do together whilst meeting other adventurous souls from all over the world, and hearing their stories. I think the final reason was probably just to see if I could do it - to walk day after day, immersed in nature, and to see where my thoughts would take me.
Although for me, it was not a journey taken for religious reasons, there is no denying the spiritual side of it (something I feel wherever I walk) and I was prepared to embrace whatever I faced head on.
One thing that we have faced from the very beginning is suffering: aching feet at the end of every day on the path, an aching back and sore shoulders from carrying a heavy backpack, uncertainty about whether we would find somewhere to stay every night, discomfort when that shelter turned out to be a narrow, hard mattress with a scratchy woollen blanket, and variable weather conditions which have ranged from the hot sun beating down on us day after day in the first week, to plummeting temperatures and the pouring rain in the second week.
Blisters have been a big problem for both of us; the cobbled and rough stones of the Portuguese route having a massive impact on our feet. We have become 'adept' at binding and plastering our feet each morning, and checking for new damage each night.
Some days, on reaching our destination, we have struggled to imagine that we would be able to continue the next morning - but so far, we always have.
Today is day 10. Ten days of walking, and we would hit the magical 200km mark, leaving only 48km to Santiago de Compostela.
We had 24km to walk, one of our longer stretches, and after 10km my toe started to hurt - a recurrence of my first injury, a huge blister on my little toe. We stopped and I restrapped the toe, improving it slightly, but then my knee began to hurt as well, probably because I had altered my gait. As if that wasn't enough, I was suffering from some chaffing - this was not good, there was still at least 10km to go.
I hobbled on for a few kilometres until we reached a rest spot and we stopped for a drink.
I had another fiddle with my plasters, applied some vaseline and took a couple of paracetamol, and half an hour later we rejoined the path. Chaffing alleviated and toe well- strapped, the knee seemed to sort itself out, and a couple of hours later we arrived re-energised in Caldas de Reis.
Its tough being a pilgrim; the struggle is real and the suffering is sometimes hard to overcome. But I have no doubt that after a good meal and a good nights rest, we will be ready to do it all again tomorrow.
Buen Camino!
Pilgrim - (noun) - definition: one who journeys in a foreign land; often to a sacred place for religious or cultural reasons.
Pilgrimage - (noun) - definition: to go on a prolonged journey, often undertaken on foot or on horseback, toward a specific destination of significance.
Suffering - (noun) - definition: the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship.
To struggle - (verb) - definition: to make strenuous efforts in the face of difficulties
Christians are encouraged to see themselves as 'pilgrims and strangers on the earth', 'temporary residents' whose true home is in heaven (1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13).
The harder the struggle, the more glorious the triumph. Self-realisation demands very great struggle.
Swami Sivananda
After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.
Nelson Mandela
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