Day 21, Vigo - Redondela and Saxamonde

20,97km, 31 015 steps

Detour in the end

It was yet another day when everything felt hard and annyoing. There was something very strange going on in my dorm room the night before, someone checking in late at night and leaving only after few hours. Another woman (whom I actually met in the evening) leaving at 5am or so. So a strange night with a lot happening. I ended up waking up on the noices they made and didn't sleep as well as I hoped to.

I had arrive to the hostel around 8pm and didn't really do much more than went for a dinner and got to bed.

When I started walking the weather seemed to be good, a bit cloudy so perfect for walking. When I left the hostel I was a bit hungry. I wanted breakfast. I did have my first breakfast there, but I needed my second one. Usually I walk an hour or two before it, but today I had it like 400 meters after the hostel.

It was a mistake. After the breakfast I felt tired. I walked a few hundred meters more, stopped for a supermarket to get some more supplies for the road. (I'll write about these later.) After that I walked for two kilometers before it started raining. I took yet another stop in a cafeteria to change into my rain gear. Rain gear meaning my rubber boots and a cheap few euro raincoat that was already badly teared.

I had a long conversation about how wonderful Finland is with a Turkish guy who worked there. He was so amazed by Finland everything. He had some Finnish friends and he was genuinely happy to meet someone from Finland.

When I left the cafeteria the Turkish guy wished me good bye with a very enthusiastic "Viva Finlandia!"

After another two stops later (one more store and one half an hour waiting for the rain to stop) I continued my way and actually started walking. The walk took me through suburbs of Vigo and it felt like the city would never end. I just wanted to get out of there. I didn't like the city.

It reminded me all too well of Sao Paulo in Brazil. I didn't like that one either.

I've heard that Vigo has amazing old town, but the Camino didn't take me there and I wasn't in the mood of spending a day in Vigo. So if you go and check it out, let me know how it was.

Vigo and its suburbs seemed to go on forever. The infrastructure died after my last stop, so maybe that was one of the reasons I wasn't able to procrastinate any longer. After I got out of the city the path took me to a forest where it made its own turns back and forth. There was some amazing views on the way.

At the point where I saw the sign telling me that there was a cafeteria in 500 meters I almost started running. I wanted to sit down for a while and get out of the rain. The cafeteria was absolutely lovely with its heavy wooden benches and a loveliest woman running it. She was so amazing. I was just settling in when the American couple showed up. We sat down, talking about the Camino routes and eating a little something. They left after they were done with their break.

I stayed for another fifteen minutes chatting with the owner. She was so lovely. When I was preparing to leave I noticed it wasn't raining anymore so I changed back into my running shoes.

I continued walking and it started raining again. Never trust the weather in Galicia.

I walked until I found the next cafeteria, it was yet another 4 kilometers or so. The rain for heavier and I stayed there for a bit, hoping it to end, but not really believing in it. It did stop.

I walked the last two kilometers to Redondela only to find out that there was some groups that had filled all the albergues. After a frustrating Google translate conversation with the guy running the first albergue there was a bed for me 4 kilometers out of town and a pick up and drop off arranged.

So there I was. Out of the city, in the countryside. Forced to eat whatever they had on the menu, paying for the bed more than I was told. It was annoying, but what can you do when no one around you speaks a language you understand?

No one bothering to tell me what time I was supposed to be ready in the morning. For dinner I was pushed into a dining room, where I sat in my solitude for the whole length of a three course meal.

I would've liked to sit in the bar where there was other people too.

So yes, it was frustrating. I felt frustrated and annoyed. I needed another 1 euro raincoat, in a city I could've run that errand out of the way in the evening. Now it messed up my morning. So yes, I was annoyed.

The full albergues and changes like this after a rainy day made the day a bad one.

#CaminodeSantiago #CaminoPortugueseCosta #CaminoPortuguese #Camino #pilgrimwithadragontattoo