run for your life

This is day 5 (of 7) of my Camino Portuguese journey (which I did around Easter time back in 2017). This day would essentially be the same length as the previous day’s stage, but this time the state of my feet was even worse. When I woke up they were rather swollen with a relentless ongoing low grade throbbing pain.

The first 5km or so was very slow going as I tried to find a way to walk with the least amount of pain possible. Then, as if by some magic, the severe pain just disappeared. It felt like some kind of profound mental breakthrough, and despite the soles of my feet still pretty much looking like mince meat, I was able to walk almost at my usual pace for the rest of the day experiencing only the slightest of discomfort.

The highlights of this 5th day were the two solid climbs, the surprise of coming across the camino shell monument, and crossing the medieval stone Roman bridge, the Pontesampaio, at the fishing village of Arcade. In addition, the final stretch along the nature trails by the Río Tomeza, on approach to Pontevedra, was the perfect, peaceful end to a day that had started as an outright ordeal of pain management. In retrospect, I think my experiences on this stage collectively ended up being the defining moment of this particular camino journey. I had learned to accept the suffering, and to actually do so with true gratitude. It was simply the karmic price, which I had to pay to receive a glimpse of God’s grace. It was at that very moment, after the initial 5km of almost overwhelming pain, that it miraculously just disappeared, as if in an instant. What an amazing existence we are blessed to experience, one that we can become consciously more aware of, should we just dare to push through the barriers that we’ve created for ourselves.

Jyri

More about the camino:

The Camino Portuguese de Santiago, or Portuguese Way, is a Christian pilgrimage trail of about 245km that starts at the cathedral in Porto, Portugal and ends at its architectural namesake in Santiago de Compostela in Spain, but it isn’t just for the dogmatically inclined. It’s also traversed by people of all backgrounds and for all kinds of different reasons, though commonly in connection with personal growth However, regardless of the multitude of possible personal life or spiritual perspectives, it’s also simply an absolutely magnificent and interesting, scenic week-long walk!

This is day 4 (of 7) of my Camino Portuguese journey (which I did around Easter time back in 2017). To follow up on the previous long day, it was another effort close to a marathon distance. Despite my massive (now popped) blisters on the balls of my feet, I was still able to walk relatively well once I got into the groove after weathering the initial discomfort for the first few kilometres.

There were lots of cool things to see on this stage, including the fortress at Valença overlooking the Minho River, which forms the border with Spain, then crossing the river to enter Valença’s sister city of Tui on the opposite bank. Coming across the stone camino pilgrim monument was also a nice surprise along the way. In any case, I mostly just enjoyed being in a flow state and experiencing more of the amazing Portuguese countryside and trails, although the long ‘soulless’ straight of asphalt through the industrial zone on the approach to O Porriño gave a somewhat different perspective!

Be blessed.

Jyri

The Cathedral in Tui, Spain

About the Camino Portuguese:

The Camino Portuguese de Santiago, or Portuguese Way, is a Christian pilgrimage trail of about 245km that starts at the cathedral in Porto, Portugal and ends at its architectural namesake in Santiago de Compostela in Spain, but it isn’t just for the dogmatically inclined. It’s also traversed by people of all backgrounds and for all kinds of different reasons, though commonly in connection with personal growth However, regardless of the multitude of possible personal life or spiritual perspectives, it’s also simply an absolutely magnificent and interesting, scenic week long walk!

After the relatively short second day, I was ready for a big effort; and so it ended up being, a 46km long stage from Portela de Tamel to Rubiães, with the main location along the way being the famous Ponte de Lima, which was also the day’s half way point.

It was a long day of walking, which started in the cool, pre-dawn darkness as I set off from Tamel. I was to very shortly be blessed with experiencing one of the most amazing sunrises I have ever witnessed. It literally took my breath away! After some 4 hours, I arrived in Ponte de Lima, with the expected hustle and bustle of locals going about their daily business, as well as groups of tourists snapping photos, as I crossed the old Roman and medieval stone bridge over the Rio Lima.

For most of the afternoon, in contrast, I enjoyed the wonderful solitude of walking alone in silence over fields and through the forests, which included a nice climb, as I closed in on my day’s destination at the pilgrim hostel in Rubiães. Immediately upon arrival at the albergue, I had to take off my shoes and socks to see exactly what was going on. Something to explain the ever growing pressure in the morning, and then its sudden release in the afternoon, which was followed by a very wet and sloshy sensation between my toes for the final hours of walking. Well, I almost wish that I had not, as my previous much smaller blisters had obviously ballooned up and then burst during the course of the 10 hours I’d been on my feet that day. They pretty well could have been two freshly cooked chapatis! They weren’t actually that painful in the evening, but the next day, upon waking, I wouldn’t be able to say the same, and that would make it much slower going to get to my next destination of O Porriño, which would include a crossing of the border, formed by the Minho River, from Valença in Portugal to Tui on the Spanish side. 

Be blessed,
Jyri

About the Camino Portuguese:

The Camino Portuguese de Santiago, or Portuguese Way, is a Christian pilgrimage trail of about 245km that starts at the cathedral in Porto, Portugal and ends at its architectural namesake in Santiago de Compostela in Spain, but it isn’t just for the dogmatically inclined. It’s also traversed by people of all backgrounds and for all kinds of different reasons, though commonly in connection with personal growth However, regardless of the multitude of possible personal life or spiritual perspectives, it’s also simply an absolutely magnificent and interesting, scenic week long walk!