It was still dark when I left Vigo, leaving the old town behind me and following the main shopping street. Christmas decorations were already up and I enjoy following this long, straight street, slowly ascending. It changed a lot. After the pedestrian area, it became a busy road, full of cars, even though it was an early Saturday. But then I got into a different district of town and was in a shopping area once again. People were getting their weekend supplies, fresh fish or bread. I saw some more murals and an oddly shaped church. There I took a left and kept climbing up to the edge of Vigo, following smaller roads that led to beautiful views, perfect for my goodbye to the city.
It started raining a bit. Having learnt my lesson, I put on my rain pants and jacket this time. But the rain didn’t persist. It was all fine though. It was chilly, so the extra layer didn’t bother me. The sign at the pharmacy said it was 5 degrees. I really thought it was wrong and meant 15, but then I noticed my breath in the air. Summer’s over! There were a lot of clouds around as well. Yet it didn’t rain very much all day. The clouds came in and out at different altitudes, at times creating a foggy hillside.
Somewhere on a blog I had read that “el mejor banco del mundo”, the best bench of the world, was somewhere along the route, so I kept my eyes open for it. I was telling Vivian, who I met after a while, about it. Then it started drizzling again and Viv decided to wait it out under a bus shelter. I kept going and searched my online map for this bench. It turned out not to be right on the trail, but 800 meters further, all steeply uphill. But it was “el mejor banco del mundo”! I realised the view wouldn’t be great, or may not be there at all, but I started climbing anyway. I left the comfortable wide forest road for a narrow and rocky trail. My exercise and adventure for the day.
I ended up at a flatter, wider space, filled with huge rocks. I had to search for the bench. It was hidden behind some of the boulders, mounted on a rock. I was happy to have come up as the view wasn’t perfect, but certainly not bad. Today it was “el más nublado banco del mundo”, the cloudiest bench of the world. I stood for a while, watching the clouds drift through the valley and over the water below. I considered staying for a while, hoping the sun would come out, but I saw a cloud climbing up the hillside towards me. Soon this spot would probably be one big cloud and I didn’t want to just sit here and wait for hours, hoping it would clear up. So after a while of taking it all in, I descended back to the camino.
Redondela wasn’t far. At the end of the wide road the trees gave way to see the town. The road went down steeply and I walked through the outskirts of town on asphalt roads. My hostel was at the start of the center. After checking in, I went out to explore. I found a river trail that went to the “port area”. There wasn’t much of a port, but it was pleasant, flat and beautiful. The water in the river was very still, showing reflections of the colorful houses. There were many birds, mostly seagulls, but also some ducks, chilling in old boats.
My hostel had a big kitchen area, so I bought some supplier in the supermarket and had my dinner inside. I honestly didn’t want to go out anymore. It was cold and dark. My microwaved potato tortilla, ham, bread and tomatoes were delicious. And since the tortilla was family-sized, I even had plenty left for a luxurious breakfast the next morning.
Joining the masses
For some reason I didn’t stop today. My feet kept moving, past all the cafés, to the point that I arrived in Pontevedra at 12.30pm and had to wait until 2pm for check in and… a toilet! The time had changed, so I had an extra hour to sleep. Good thing, because the first alarm clocks went off at 5.30am. I stayed in bed till I got too restless and joined the early crowd in the kitchen. I heated up my tortilla con patatas and had the most elaborate breakfast yet. When I headed out I instantly felt the change from the day before. I saw people in front of and behind me. I passed a few just to find some “free space”. The central and coastal routes had come together and it was noticeable.
Today’s scenery is best described as a fairy tale. The start was pleasant. Then a challenge was presented in the form of a hill. It kept going and had some steep sections that provided a sweaty early morning workout. At some point you could choose for a 70m 15% incline or the more gentle 350m 5%. At the top I was rewarded for conquering the evil with a view of the towns and the water. I said my goodbyes to the coast. But it turned out the evil hadn’t been fully vanquished. A sign informed me of another big hill coming up before reaching Pontevedra. Why put it on a sign? Just let me walk in peace and be surprised at what’s coming.
The landscape was wonderfully magical too. At Arcade I walked through a lovely town, which was just waking up. There were beautiful plants and charming houses. The road led past some cafés to the bridge to Ponte Sampaio. There, a little road went straight up to an hórreo, an old grain storage. Around the corner a girl was selling small items and fruit. A bit further lay some free fruit for pelgrims. Then the way entered the countryside and enchanted forest. There were roads made of wonky stones, walls covered in moss and trees with ivy climbing to their tops. Just before the city you even got the choice to stay in the fairy tale, or to walk along the main road. But this is where the forest got muddy. I slid through a thick layer of mud and then didn’t try to avoid it anymore. I’d wash my pants upon arrival.
Pontevedra is a nice city. It was Sunday, so most shops were closed, but people were out for a walk in the sunshine, enjoying drinks and music on the terraces and seemed generally in a good mood. As a solo traveler it is always a bit strange, since it’s not as easy to join in on your own. So the groups of people sort of made me miss my own groups at home. There was live music on a square with a bunch of cafés. There was an old monastery, without it roof, where moss was growing on graves and decorations. There were cute little streets, going around like a maze. There was a church that sort of looks like a sea shell. I got myself an ice cream and enjoyed the sun on a big square.
My hostel had plumbing problems, so they put me up in the sister hostel down the street. But… in the morning both the bathroom sinks were blocked as well. Interesting. At night I had Indian food because all supermarkets were closed and other restaurants opened way too late. I met a guy from Hong Kong who would do some kind of walk or hike every year. Other than that I didn’t really talk to anyone. So it was a quiet night.
