Greg's Wanderings

Tag: Camino Portugues

  • Day 24 – Mos to Redondela

    Day 24 – Mos to Redondela

    Oct 4

    The municipal Alberge was an interesting experience.  Both my roommate and I were in bed by 9 pm, but conversations echoed from the nearby public room until quiet time at 10:30.  I woke up a little after 7 and tiptoed to the bathroom so as not to awake Michangelo.  When I returned to room, to my surprise he was gone.  In fact, the entire Alberge was almost empty.  My eye ask and earplugs are very effective! Turns out, checkout time was 8 am – even though the sun wouldn’t rise for another 30 minutes. 

    Whereas yesterday I was able to do 20k before the pain started, today it was less than 5.   My leg is swollen and red and I have decided my plan to bus to Santiago and then walk back to Padron is foolish.  My walking ends today.  

    I reached my hostel on the northern end of Redondela about an hour and a half before it opened.  I decided to find a nearby place for lunch, only to discover there was nothing nearby.   Rather than backtrack, I continued forward and went 2 additional kilometers before finding an open bar.  

    I had hoped to catch up with my friend Meelis, who has been on the Litoral Route along the coast.  He sent me a marker of where he suggested we meet, but it looked to me to be well past where I had stopped for the day.  I told him “sorry” but would try to catch up again in Santiago. 

    As I was walking back to my hostel after my lunch, who did I bump into, but Meelis!   We had a nice chat under an oak tree as the rain came down  and hopefully we’ll see each other in Santiago as well. 

    The first truly rainy day. First time I had to wear my raincoat
    Old Roman milestone
    Morning bread delivery
    I stopped at a bar that had not yet opened, but the bakery had made their delivery
    Breakfast empanada
    My swollen and red left leg.
  • Making a plan

    Making a plan

    I’m dealing with this combination of realities:

    1. My leg injury has put me two days behind schedule 
    2. Given the tight hotel situation in Santiago, I have a prepaid, non-refundable room for three nights starting in 3 days (Oct 6)
    3. Based on my experience today, I need to limit my walking to avoid further damage to my leg.

    With those factors to work with, I’ve come up with the following plan:

    Oct 4 – walk just 10k to Redondela and spend the night there. My Estonian friend, Meelis, will be passing through and we’ll have lunch together. 

    Oct 5 – (Happy birthday, Dad!) catch a bus to Santiago and then walk back up the Camino 14k to Padron.  I have reservations at a hostel there that is supposed to be one of the best in Spain. 

    Oct 6 – walk back into Santiago – hopefully with some members of my Camino family. 

    Oct 6-9.  Enjoy the sights of Santiago and greet friends as they arrive. 

    Oct 9 – take a bus to Finistere and spend the night 

    Oct 10 – take a bus back to Porto.  

    That leaves me with four nights to split between Porto and Lisbon before my final night in Lisbon, already booked near the airport. 

  • Day 22 – Tui rest day

    Day 22 – Tui rest day

    Oct 2

    Another night of leg pain.   I’ve applied “BioFrost” an icy-heat ointment and alternated with Ibuprfin topical cream, but the leg pain persists and is nearly debilitating.  

    Last night I decided that if it wasn’t feeling better by morning, I would see a doctor.  

    Morning came and the pain carries on.  I found a hospital in Tui about 2km away.  I summoned a cab and got a ride.  

    As I’m writing this, I’m seated in a waiting area.  Waiting for my number to appear on a video board indicating it’s time to be seen in consult room #209.  It’s hard to say how long the wait will be as numbers do not appear sequentially and the video monitor doesn’t yet show me in the queue.   

    I anticipated a long wait (what else do I have to do anyway) and brought my phone, ear buds and the back-up power supply, so I’ll be good for as long as it takes. 

    While I wait, I am thinking through contingencies.  I assume I either have shin splints or a stress fracture.  Either way, I’m guessing I’m not going to walk to Santiago any time soon.  

    If I learn that more walking isn’t going to cause more harm, I’ll walk as much as I can stand and then take a bus to Santiago.  I have a hotel booked there beginning October 6 and would like to be there to greet my friends as they arrive.  

    My room here in Tui is booked through tomorrow and I don’t think I’ll extend any longer.  The hotel location is isolated from other services and taxis are both expensive and hard to get.  My 2 kilometer ride today cost over €7 and I waited nearly an hour.  

    In less than an hour, I had been seen, sent downstairs for x-rays and called back into consult again.  

    There is no fracture and the doctor said as long as I could tolerate the pain, I could keep walking.  She prescribed some acetaminophen – which is not available over the counter and wished be well. 

    I waited nearly as long back downstairs to check out.  When I explained to the registrar that I had travel insurance and would need to pay them and then submit the claim for reimbursement, she tore up the papers and said “no charge.”

    Two consults with a doctor, two X-rays, a prescription and a cab ride for under €9 – and most of it was the taxi.

    I stopped by a farmacia to get my meds, then had a tasty lunch at a nearby juice bar. 

    Then, I walked a couple blocks to the Tui Cathedral to get my pilgrim credential stamped.  

    By this time, the meds had kicked in a little, so I decided to hike back up the hill to the hotel as a test. 

    The test proved that I can walk with only minimal discomfort, so now it’s back to planning the next few stages.  

    After resting the remainder of the day with my leg elevated, I celebrated the resumption of my walk with a nice dinner in the hotel dining room.  

    My slip for consultation at the hospital
    Hard to say when FF042 might be called, but it wasn’t long
    The line to turn in my paperwork to longer than waiting to see the doctor
    Signs supporting Palestine and condemning the genocide were everywhere. This one on a government building
    Inside the Tui Cathedral.
    Built more like a fort than a place of worship, it was said the style was to reinforce the power of the Bishop of Tui.
    My tosta lunch.
  • Day 21 – Valenca to Tui

    Day 21 – Valenca to Tui

    Oct 1

    My leg pain for worse overnight which sealed the deal on staying in the area.  I packed up my things and walked into Spain.  

    My hotel is a bit off the Camino, but is comfortable and cheap.  I plan to stay for at least two nights to give my leg a break.  

    When I took my shoes off at the end of yesterday’s walk, I discovered that the backing behind my heal had disintegrated. Time for new shoes.  Fortunately, Tui is one of the most popular starting points for the Camino and there are plenty of gear shops.   

    I ate lunch at my hotel and then walked back down the hill to the business district.  I bought a pair of Hoka trail runners and stopped by a pharmacy for some anti-inflammatory cream.  

    I had planned to grab an Uber from the short ride back up the hill, but discovered Uber doesn’t offer service here. I ordered a cab online, but after waiting nearly 30 minutes while it said it was  processing my request, I finally started walking back up the hill to the hotel.  When the hotel was in site, I finally got a phone call that a driver has been dispatched – I canceled the request. 

    I had stopped at a grocery store while in town and bought food for dinner.  I spent the rest of the day & night in bed Auth my leg elevated. 

    View of Tui from the Valenca side of the bridge.
    My left foot is in Spain, where it is 10:45 AM. My right foot is in Portugal where it is 9:45 AM.
    Welcome to Spain!
    My hotel room while I rest my leg
    Time for new shoes.
    Fortunately, there is a restaurant at the hotel
    The view as I walked to my hotel.