May 8: Portomarin to Palas de Rei

May 9: Palas de Rei to Arzua

Distance on the Map: 33.4 miles

Distance Actually Walked: 29.4 miles

Distance by Taxi: 6.36 miles

May 8

May 8 was a slog. I wasn’t feeling as good as the previous day and my blister continually reminded me of its presence. Heel blisters are no joke when walking consecutive long distances. I heard a cranky old man yelling on his balcony as I walked into Palas de Rei. Others told me the town’s vibe was off. Lots of angry folks for some reason. The scenery wasn’t extraordinary, and I became trail-numb by the visual sameness.

Marching to Hymns

To keep my spirits up and motivated during such times on the trail, I hum silly little marching cadences that I make up. The contents therof are secret, but banging. I also have been focusing on a couple of hymns, on endless loop in my mind while I walk across Spain: “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks” (Indelible Grace version) and “It is Well With My Soul” (my reimagined version — it’s awesome). Both lend themselves to a decent marching cadence of about 3 miles per hour, and the lyrical content is hugely edifying and encouraging.

May 9

On May 9th, I felt better (I had re-bandaged my blister, and my cough was lesser and bearable). I was also rushing to beat a forecasted midday thunderstorm. Those are not your friend when you are out exposed on the trail.

On the way I stopped for second breakfast at Essential Coffee. It’s a small and mighty trailside Cafe. I had my go-to protein boost (Tortilla Espanola) and cafe con leche. The Tortilla hit all the marks: it was warm, moist, and had thoughtful smaller bits of potato and — a first for me here — sautéed onion. It was super-delicious. And, it was served with a large (i.e., big enough to fill your palm) chunk of homemade, fresh, soft, and warm sourdough bread. It was divine. When I was getting ready to leave, I was paying my bill when the owner discreetly slid a napkin-coverwd chunk of sourdough bread across the counter to me. “You’ll need it for your hike today,” he said.

I made a good distance, had lunch (meeting up with trail friends Jet and Crystal), and called a cab for the last few miles. I was glad I did — the storm was a real soaker, with dramatic thunder sounds. I listened to the mayhem from the protected comfort of the back of the taxi.

Here are some pix of the past two days:

What’s Next

I have two shorter days of walking to finish my pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Then things move fast. I have to go to the Pilgrim’s Office at the cathedral to get my Compostela (certificate of completion), attend a Pilgrim’s mass, sightsee… and the Grand Reunion With The Amazing Susan. We’ll shift into vacation mode with ten days touring Northern Spain.

At that time, dear reader, I hope to reveal a secret that I’ve been keeping till the end of the pilgramage. It’s not naughty, shocking, or socially objectionable, but I promise that it will be HUGE. Big. Ginormous.

Stay tuned and keep reading….