It was raining when we left Afife, scrambling uphill to return to Caminho Costa, trekking in the rain for the first three hours to reach Ancora. It was a slog, and this wasn’t yet the mid-point on our journey!*
The first 2 hours we trekked mostly through lovely woodlands, across streams, mostly rockbed, an undulating pattern uphill and down. But I swear, more uphill! It was slippery. Often we walked through a stream, as rain found the path of least resistance. So grateful for trekking poles and hiking boots.
Reaching the outskirts of Ancora, the only thing dry was my feet! We took lunch there, one of the few meals that didn’t delight. We were grateful for the rest, and that it stopped raining by the time we finished.
Passing through the city, our pathway took us on to the shore. Beyond a few fishermen’s shacks (presumably) gone to ruin, there was only wide open coast. Given terrain of the past few days, seascape was refreshing.
We passed the Praia de Ancora sign and a monument to early explorers. Sooner than I’d expected, the coast of Galicia, Spain, came into view, with dramatic hills reaching to the water.
On our final leg, we were routed slightly inland through residential areas of narrow cobbled streets. The last few miles were excruciating. Finally we reached the sweet central plaza of Caminha, Portugal. Oh, my! If only we had time to look around or linger at the cafe. But no, we had ferry tickets.
We met another trekker near the ferry dock, a German girl, working in Ireland and traveling alone. She’d trekked much further than we, and longer in the rain, to reach the border of Spain. She was exhausted and seemed to appreciate the levity of our camaraderie.
As we waited for the ferry to appear, we scrounged the packs for chocolate and snacks, wishing for a beer. When our captain returned from his last run to Spain, I was surprised. Not at all what I had in mind! This would make a great Grasse River ferry, eh? All the same, we had to cross this river to continue our journey.
He positioned us in the boat on two benches facing each other. He tossed our packs to the front. Then distributed life jackets as if he was tossing bread to the fish. Perhaps one of five might have actually cinched?
We held them together, and held on to our hats, as we were off like a rocket and across the border in less than 5 minutes. It was like a ride at the fair. I told him we should have paid more!
Our first views of Galicia, Spain, up close were from the bow of a very small boat. Because we’re in the European Union, there is no passport check on border crossings. It was just that simple. Fun but kind of crazy. The sort of thing you’d hope your kids have enough sense not to do!
This trek was a tough one. It wasn’t the terrain, or the rain, or the duration, so much as the failure to rest regularly. We had developed a rythm of rest that blew up in the wet. It was hard to find places to rest, so we kept pushing through. Six hours into an 8-hour trek, I was feeling it acutely. This was our fourth trek over 10 miles within 8 days, which surely also factored in.
We showered and contemplated skipping out on dinner, but I’m glad we didn’t. It was another mile or more to walk down to the Port (and back), where you find restaurants in A Guarda. It was so lovely, I’m glad we didn’t miss out.
Most restaurants offer a reasonably priced Pilgrim’s menu. I chose the garlic prawns with eggs, and it was delicious. I might have mentioned, eggs are served in so many ways all day long in Portugal — and apparently, also Spain! We’ve enjoyed the Padron peppers all along The Way. The Hubs ordered those along with his meal. I’m still waiting for them to be served red, as we’ve seen in markets throughout Spain and Portugal.
My devotional today was on gladness. I didn’t have time to read it through in the morning but I thought about the word off and on all day. I mused on gladness, versus happiness or joy. Huh.
I felt genuinely glad while we were trekking in the rain, even though it was a very difficult day. I wasn’t happy about the rain, or joyful about my pain. But I felt glad to be immersed in this adventure, doing what we’re doing authentically. I wouldn’t want to miss despite the inconveniences.
The author says gladness arises out of contentment, a sense of satisfaction as desires are met. That resonates. The Lord knows the desires of my heart, and this adventure a fulfillment of deeply seated desires. I’m humbled and grateful.
Hold hope. Keep faith. Walk your walk.
~Sincerely, Sondra
*Side note: GoogleMaps showed a 4.5-hour trek, but don’t you believe it! Google has no clue about the Camino. :=) We use the Follow the Camino app map to stay on course as we trek. I share out GoogleMaps as a general point of reference, but it doesn’t align perfectly or even factor in terrain.
