Day... I couldn't tell you if I tried

So had a bit of a blog hiatus, mostly due to the fact I have been far too exhausted and far to busy trying to get myself to a place I could actually walk the NEXT day! As I said in the title I have no idea what day it is or how many days we have actually walked, although I think in the back of my mind we only have 3 more walking days. It's a bit of a double edged sword of "only 3 more days??" and also "oh dear God still 3 more days??" You other pilgrims will understand!

We left Portugal today which actually made me really sad, much more than I would have anticipated. I loved it there, the food (mostly the ginormous portions but it was good too), the people we have met along the way at different cafe's or alberge's, the country side and the general feel in the air. People are not rich by any means, they work incredibly hard for what they have and always seem grateful for it. It truly is a land of community, everyone helps every one else out if they can with no expectation of reward or repayment, its just what you do. More on that in a little.

Down to the nitty gritty. This trip has been more challenging than I ever could have imagined, I was blissfully naïve the months leading up to us leaving and my eyes have been rudely ripped open. In total I have probably only walked about 10 pain free kilometers. Blisters have taken over my life. I have been having an argument with 7 of them covering both feet, excruciating step after excruciating step. Interestingly enough it hasn't detracted from the rest of the experience. Mornings are my favorite. The sun has not yet taken it's hold on the land, the brisk air and the fog turns the country side into another world. There are few sites I have seen in this world which have really imprinted themselves on me, one of them will always be the sun illuminating the morning haze over the rows of grape vines over valleys and hills, giving everything a subtle glow. Breathtaking. I could go on and on about how beautiful it is here, but perhaps I will save that for another time, here is was I have learned so far.

I have learned defeat. Something I have never been one to admit or accept gracefully. I think it was day 5 of walking, a longer day, 25 or 26 k, my blisters causing me to walk at a snails pace, limping on both feet. Man! The thoughts running through my mind that day! They were mostly along the lines of, don't be a quitter, what makes you so special to quit half way through, other people have lost most of their toenails and still didn't quit, don't be so weak. The other thoughts were along the lines of, haven't I suffered enough this year? Why am I doing this, this isn't fun for me. Then the unbidden thought came into my head. You need to ask for help. Having to ask for help in any capacity is my mount Everest, especially when it comes to a situation where I realize I just can't do it. I finally caught up to my dad, we finally made it to a café after a mere 15 k which took me an embarrassing 4 hours to make, to stop, rest and eat. He didn't ask, but I'm sure it had been on his mind for hours, him thinking I need to get a bus or some other way to get to the next town, but he didn't ask, it needed  to come from me first. " I can't walk. I can't make it the rest of the way" I said, to which he agreed. Serendipity took over. We arrived at the little café about 10/15 minutes before he closed down for 30/40 minutes or so, causing about 10 other people along the way to sigh in disappointment and carry on to the next place for food. When the owner came back, he came in the form of my personal angel. He had very little English, but understood I needed a taxi to take me to Rubieas. His response (in rapid Portuguese of course) was something along the lines of, " No need, I'm going in that direction anyway, I'll take you now " After I got over my shock of some random person being so nice to me I almost started to cry. This ties back into the community aspect, he saw I was in need and just did what he could, and wouldn't take any money either I might add. So, the lesson I learned that day; I suppose people could say I was rewarded for my failure and quitting, I'm choosing to see it as a gift of grace after coming to terms with my own truth. I couldn't make it the whole way that day. I will try again tomorrow, what else can you do?

Today was a bit of a spontaneous rest day. Starting out in Valenca, walked through the old fortress, and let me tell you that was a pretty amazing experience on an early Sunday morning. The place was essentially a ghost town, nothing opens until 12 and we had the place to ourselves, so much so, we even were awarded a private harmonica concert by my dad in a partially underground tunnel with amazing acoustics! We then walked across the bridge into Spain, took a selfie with my dad which is apparently a thing he does now... and eventually grabbed a taxi to take us to Mos, just to shorten the day of walking through an industrial area on the highway. The last 10 K of the walk was supposed to be the hardest, up over an mountain and down a really steep track, but instead we decided to take a day. A day of rest. Hopped in a taxi and off we went to our next hotel. Now I get to be sitting in a café, enjoying some wine, looking out the window on the sun bleached hills with the occasional shimmer from the water, updating you all on our progress. Perfecto.

Three days left, oh what will they bring?!?!

Dart the Younger