A short rundown on a long walk. These are some random thoughts that hopefully someday soon I'll compile into a short story.
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First of all we had an AMAZING time walking the Camino.
Weather was mostly cooperative with Tropical Storm Henri not arriving until we'd finished our trek to Santiago. It was a little cool in the mornings, but after 20 or 30 minutes of hiking, we were plenty warm. It never got above 80 degrees during our 2 weeks there and fell to the mid to upper 50's most nights.
I wasn't prepared for hiking up mountains / hills. I picked the Camino Portuguese because it was described as a "Generally flat walk along the western coast."
The first day out we went from sea level up to about 1000 feet in the first couple of miles, then dropped back to sea level down steep roads that most American cars couldn't climb.
This is the overlook at the top of the first mountain.
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Rule number 1. Follow the markers, not the Pilgrims. We saw this one play out over and over again, someone would walk past a marker and just keep on trucking. Most of the way is really well marked, other times it feels like a scavenger hunt for the next arrow or shell. The absolute WORST was in Santiago, a very busy city of about 100,000. Lots of people and traffic, not a lot of markers.
Rule number 2. Tech gear is your best friend. Socks, underwear, shirts, shorts. Good wicking and fast drying garments make long walks a lot more enjoyable.
Rule number 3. Carry a first aid kit for dealing with blisters. Even if you don't have problems, you WILL come across a lot of folks not as well prepared.
Rule number 4. If a waitress keeps saying platas, platas, she means MOVE YOUR F'N PLATE. Evidently they don't place the entrée plate on the pretty little decorative plate that was on the table when you arrived.
Pule number 5. Be careful if you order Hot Chocolate, sometime you will get a mug of molten chocolate from a smiling barista. If you want milked based hot cocoa, ask for Cola Cao
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Rule number 6. Beer and Wine are cheaper than soda, relax and enjoy. In most places 2 beers and 2 glasses of wine was less than 5 Euro. Each round came with an appertivo of some sort.
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Rule number 7. If an opportunity presents to soak your feet, take it. There are a couple of lovely hot springs in Caldas de Reis. Water temp in one fountain is 40C, in the other about 35C
Key learnings
It is not a race, enjoy the journey
Even the tough days are good days. I was beat at the end of our 15 miler, I wouldn't change a thing
Carry less than you think you need. If you really need something you can buy it along the way
Throw away the stuff that's a burden. We tossed some "spare" clothes and other stuff along the way. It just wasn't worth carrying
Learn some Spanish. I speak MUY poco Espanol. I should have gained some conversational phrases before the trip
It's your walk, do it your way
Be mentally prepared for the crowds in Santiago
Finishing is kind of a let down
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More pics later. Most are too large to post.
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