Hi Everyone,
Today is our rest day in Baiona!
We were extremely tired and slept in until around 10:30 AM. After lazing around and barely moving, we finally decided to go explore the city in the afternoon.
Will found a Vigo soccer jersey with the cross of St. James (also the symbol of the Camino), I got a key chain, Maggie found a special ring, and we bought some tennis balls to roll the bottoms of our feet. Then we went grocery shopping and had a home-cooked dinner on the balcony. So relaxing.
Now… story time, as promised!
There are many tales that I’ll definitely share later, but there are two that are top of my mind and I think you’d enjoy them.
The first one takes place yesterday in a grocery store after walking 21.2 miles. As you can probably tell, we were very tired and didn’t have too much extra energy to leave the apartment. However, our stomachs were calling so we needed to find something.
Bravely, Will, mom, and I made the long and treacherous journey to the grocery store in the neighboring building (we didn’t even have to cross a street). The moment we walked in, mom’s eyes landed on some tasty-looking fruit. So, she reached for a plastic bag. Little did she notice it was a plastic bag you put your wet umbrella in! It was also pretty obvious what the bag was meant for. I mean, we were in the very front of the store and nowhere near the fruit.
This resulted in an eruption of laughter and mom reminding us that she’s the one who feeds us. Mom was so tired and disoriented, but this was probably the funniest thing I’ve ever witnessed from a woman who never goofs like that.
I wanted to share this story because it’s a fair representation of our collective state at the end of each day on the trail. Dazed and confused. And a little foolish, yet feeling quite accomplished.
The other story — which is staying more on track with the whole idea of this journey — is something that also happened yesterday.
Early into the walk, we were faced with a short but steep hill. We were obviously not pleased as we had basically only gotten out of bed an hour before. Also, the weather wasn’t the best and we heard thunder at breakfast. However, we couldn’t just stop and say “no, thank you” to the hill, so we pushed on. As we climbed, the sky started to clear up. Instinctively, mom reached for her phone and took a picture of us taking on this first challenge of the day.
She then put her phone away and kept marching. It wasn’t until we were going through photos when we stopped for lunch that we saw what the photo had captured. The clouds and the sun shining behind them formed a golden heart.
This definitely felt like something coming straight from dad. He is watching out for us even when we don’t notice because we are distracted or exhausted.
It’s things like these that just make you pause and think for a second. He’s all around us and I’m truly feeling a lot closer to him.
There will be much more to come later. From lying down in random driveways to sitting next to goats, the Camino has given us so many unforgettable memories. I hope you enjoyed these two and please be on the lookout for more in later posts!
Until tomorrow!
P.S. Please be sure to check out the fundraiser again (or if you haven’t already)! Donations are still being accepted throughout our trek.
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