8. dan - Od Redondele do Pintevedre

First of all, I have to apologize for the abrupt end yesterday - I fell asleep on the couch while writing and then couldn't continue😂🙈😴

So here are a few words about yesterday afternoon...

After our break, we continued motivated towards Redondela, with only a stop at the bank and at Lidl😉. We knew it would be a long stage and we wanted to make progress. However, we didn't anticipate the inclines on this stage - it may not have been the highest point, but it had the most steep inclines that we had to descend with 10kg on our backs😖 This means that we walk for 1 hour but only feel like we're covering about 100m. The stones along the way that show the remaining kilometers to Santiago were once a nice piece of information, but now they're just demotivating and annoying - if we had a sledgehammer, we would probably use it on a few of them🙈😇

So we struggle on, feeling like we're not getting any closer to our destination...🙄🥴 In Arcos, we stop for a glass of wine, because after all, they say "no vino - no Camiño"😜 But the last few kilometers turn out to be a true preview of hell - our feet hurt like never before and every step is agony! Along the way, we meet Mario from Jersey (USA), who is traveling with a group of 18 people - we've seen them a few times in the past few days. Mario is truly a phenomenon - he has a solid build, always strolling along, and always has a smile on his face, so much so that you (hello silly stereotypes🤨) would think he couldn't do it. He is deeply religious and therefore a true pilgrim, and he is completing the entire route - simply a super-Mario! But it is encounters like these that make this journey so special - even if they are only temporary... So the five of us manage to reach Padron before the ladies of the group have a short restroom break at Bar O Corisco. At this point, the four of us make a pact - after 31.5km and 12 hours of walking, we can't go any further today🥺 Mario will continue the rest of the stage alone💪🏻👍🏻 We call a taxi to take us the last 4km to our accommodation, and tomorrow we will return to the bar by taxi and start from there - this way, we will actually walk every kilometer of the Camino and don't have to torture ourselves any further today.

In the not-so-nice accommodation, it's just a quick shower, buy some dinner at the supermarket (rolls, cheese, some sausage, and some provisions for tomorrow), eat quickly, and go to bed. We all sleep like logs but are still completely exhausted the next morning😩

Now onto today...

In the morning, we are all still quite tired, even though we slept like logs and slept longer. Nobody really feels like walking today, so the start is accordingly slow. But at around 9:00 a.m., after a quick breakfast with leftovers from yesterday, we start anyway - first, we have to organize a taxi to take us back to the bar😁 When we arrive, we order our morning coffee and confuse the owner - she remembers us from yesterday and is now wondering why we're suddenly back😅 After a short explanation, she gives us a thumbs-up and some free pastries - obviously, this hasn't happened to her very often before😜😆

We pack up, open the door, and suddenly Chris & Josy are standing in front of us - we shared the hostel with them in São Simão. Where we said goodbye with a handshake, we now greet each other with a hug - I just love this special aspect of the Camino!😍

Finally, we're on our way and making good progress. Despite the initial difficulties and yesterday's stage, things are somehow going well, even the uphill/downhill sections - which are worse/more frequent today than yesterday - are quite manageable. The route itself includes wonderful paths through forests and small villages, but also terrible sections on asphalt and my most hated section along the highway... After 20km and around 3:30 p.m., we come across a sign - Bar and 50m😃 Our salvation is near, because we haven't seen anything for several kilometers and we desperately need something to eat and a break. We take the small detour (which we might not have done earlier) and it turns out to be an incredible stroke of luck😍 The owner is incredibly nice (the first Radler comes with a free small salami baguette☺️) and the food as well as the subsequent coffee (again with a free cookie as garnish☺️) are super delicious. As a farewell, we get the usual stamp in our pilgrim's credential and the tip to take the slightly longer but more beautiful path along the river. The tip proves to be right, but the path seems to never end🥴🙈😂 After about 28km, we finally reach our beautiful and above all clean apartment for tonight - we are absolutely happy👍🏻😊

So once again, it's time to shower, do laundry, go to the supermarket, hang up the laundry, and then eat something urgently. After two such mega-stages, we treat ourselves today and go to an excellent tapas bar - from the Sangria, to the Pulpo, the piementos de padron, the croquettas, etc., everything is simply divine and really not expensive at 20,-€ per person. We are full, happy, and satisfied, and go to bed around 11:00 p.m. - tomorrow, we will start the next stage at 07:00 a.m. - "only" 21km😉

I could write so much more about the great conversations, funny moments, and other wonderful encounters, but then I wouldn't have time to sleep🤭😬 So for now, I'll end it here and wish all of you a good night😘

Your Peregrinas

Sandra & Dani