Camino Portugués: Day 7 - Valença to O Porriño

As expected, we had a good night's sleep last night. I purposefully woke up early to see the sunrise from our room window. At that point, there was nothing but pure serenity. As I looked toward Tui, I can honestly say that I felt a sense of gratitude for our journey so far. So far, we have been blessed with great weather and no injuries. It was quite a relief that we had completed the first half of our Camino. Most importantly, I am grateful that Brian persevered and stuck with me the whole way. Even though I know he has not been enjoying the Camino as much as I have, I think he is nevertheless proud of his achievement.

I was glad to get up early enough to enjoy this amazing view before the sunrise.

Since the hotel breakfast did not start until 8 am., I had about an hour to explore Valença before the city “woke up.” The early morning walks are always my favorite activities while abroad. With most shops still closed and almost no vehicular traffic, it seemed we were brought back in time. There were quite a few pilgrims on the road already. I must have seen more than two dozen pilgrims on the trail in half an hour. As they entered the fortification for the first, I could see how they were in awe of the beauty of this place, just as I was yesterday. Some must have wished they had chosen to stay here last night instead. On the other hand, I felt a little guilty for not getting an early start on the trail.

The Chapel of the Soul (*Capela das Almas*).

Only one cafe was open for the number of pilgrims passing through town in the early morning. Again, I was puzzled by the lack of tourist amenities in Valença. This is the one town that has so much business potential for day tourists and pilgrims. At this hour, the light was stunning. The sun glazed over the ceramic tile outside the building, creating a jewel-like appearance. As we were about to head over the river to Spain, I couldn’t help feeling a little melancholic about leaving Portugal behind. After a week, we have been used to seeing the bright and cheerful Portuguese architecture. In particular, I would miss their distinctive tiles, azulejos, the most.

I could never get tired of this amazing view of River Minho.

Since I made the reservation at this hotel, I have looked forward to their breakfast buffet. As much as I want to embrace the humble pilgrim breakfast of cheese and bread, I must admit that I occasionally crave the typical American breakfast, particularly scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage. Pousada’s breakfast certainly did not disappoint. The room overlooks the garden and River Minho beyond. Judging from the demographic of guests in the dining room, we were certainly a little out of place. But we were glad we did not see the hotel manager we dealt with yesterday. I would gladly pay somebody €10 to avoid the embarrassment.

It was quite an epic exit out of Valença.

As we were packing up in the room, I was still mesmerized by the views out of the window. A rowing competition was on the river, and we could hear the raucous cheers from the room. Our luck ran out as we discovered that the hotel manager was the only one manning the reception desk. He was really happy to see the “trouble guests” leave. The worst thing was that we had to ask him to stamp our pilgrim passports. I don’t know, but I felt guilty.

Since the hotel is located at the edge of the fortress, the exit from Valença was quick and easy. It was also the most dramatic section of the Camino yet. The route passed through historical gates and ramparts. It was a wonderful send-off for pilgrims as we embarked on the next stage of the journey. Truthfully, I was not particularly enthusiastic about crossing over to Spain. I have always told people that Portugal and Europe are my favorite countries. While I enjoyed my time in Spain the last time, I was a little reticent about Galicia because of its reputation for unpredictable weather.

One of the most iconic locations along Camino Portugués is the crossing of River Minho. This river has been the border between Spain and Portugal since the Treaty of Alcañices in 1297. Camino follows the Old International Bridge, which was constructed in 1884 by a disciple of French engineer Gustave Eiffel. The boxy bridge has its own utilitarian duty. The top deck carries the train connecting Porto and Vigo. Besides my previous visits to Vatican City and Monaco, this was my first walking across a national border. I suspect it was probably the case for most pilgrims. No matter how you see it, crossing a national border on foot is something exciting, especially for a pilgrim.

The Old International Bridge carries not only cars but also pedestrians and the international rail line.

A plaque marking the national border is in the middle of the bridge. It was a great spot for a photo op. Even before that, our phone began picking up the Spanish cell signals. Right beyond the bridge is an EU border sign. The sight of España got us excited. It has been almost ten years since I was last in Spain. It has been over twenty years for Brian, and we have always talked about coming to Spain. Until a year ago, neither of us considered it a Catholic pilgrimage that finally brought us here. We both took this opportunity to reflect on the years since our last visit.

The Portuguese side of the Old International Bridge.

Because Galicia is the home of Santiago de Compostella, finally arriving here definitely gave us a much-needed mental boost. Brian has been itching to visit a Spanish-speaking country. As much as he enjoyed Portugal, Spain allows him to practice his Spanish before heading to Mexico next month for language institute. See all the signage in Spanish, signaling the new phase of our Camino. Compared to Valença, Tui seemed to take pilgrimage a lot more seriously. Everywhere we looked, there were signage, statues, and murals depicting the schemes and messages related to the Camino. Among them is another massive black and red mural sponsored by Estrella Galicia, which we have become quite familiar with over the past few days. Interestingly, we saw more imagery of Porto than Santiago for the section immediately off the bridge.

Like Valença, Tui is situated high on a bluff by the river. As mentioned yesterday, there used to be an impressive fort that used to stand here to oppose the forts in Valença. The hike up toward the center of town was quite steep. The narrow lanes twist and turn up toward Tui’s impressive cathedral. Along the way, we walked by a meadow with a lone white horse. For whatever reason, it just looks like such an otherworldly sight. The romantic inside me wondered whether this was a sign of the journey ahead.

Located at the highest point of the town is the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Tui. Because Tui is located 116 kilometers away from Santiago de Compostella, starting the pilgrimage here is sufficient to qualify for a Compostela, the official pilgrimage certificate issued by the Catholic Church. According to the rules, pilgrims must document that they walked the last 100 kilometers to Santiago to obtain the plenary indulgence. Among Spanish pilgrims, Tui is a popular starting point for Camino Portugués. At the front desk inside the cathedral, the woman in front of us was picking up twelve copies of pilgrim credentials! Now, that would be one giant group of pilgrims!

Honestly, I was a little taken aback to find that there was an admission fee to the cathedral. Typically, the less religious a country is, the more likely the church will charge admission for visiting the cathedral. This is necessary to make up for the shortfall from donations from local parishioners. After all, the upkeep and preservation of these historical landmarks are expensive endeavors. Spain is still a relatively religious country by European standards, so I was slightly surprised by the admission charge. However, they do offer discounted admission for pilgrims.

Reflecting Tui’s strategic position, the cathedral resembles a fortress. Like the cathedrals in Coimbra and Porto, the exterior walls are adorned with battlements and turrets. The cathedral served as a refuge for civilians during the past sieges. As a result, there were very few windows, making the interior dark and cavernous. The highlight of the entire complex is arguably the attached Gothic cloister and a castellated tower. After a few precarious flights of stairs, we were rewarded with an amazing view of the cathedral and the River Minho. On the horizon, we could see the fortress of Valença and even the Pousada hotel we stayed at last night. Paradoxically, the distance between the two locations seems even further away from this vintage view.

The imposing architecture of Tui Cathedral.

To get a better zoom toward Valença, I changed my 16mm prime lens to a 35mm prime. In my infinite wisdom, I changed the lens above a murder hole (meurtrière). Sure enough, the body cap tumbled several stories into the construction yard below. It was one of those “Oh Fuck!” moments in my travel. While the cap costs only $12, I now have no cap to protect one of my prime lenses. Based on the size of Tui, I doubted there was a camera store in town with a body cap in stock. I even contemplated asking the staff member whether I could enter the closed construction zone to search for my cap. But ultimately, I was too shy to make such a bold request.

The panoramic view from the tower of Tui Cathedral. You could see Valença on the horizon.

Back inside the cathedral, I was trying to put aside my camera anxiety and appreciate all the artistic treasure. Architecturally, the church is nothing to write home about. Constructed in the heavy Romanesque style in the early 12th century, it absorbed various Gothic elements throughout the century. Due to structural weakness, the church's central nave was braced with horizontal buttresses, further muddling the space's architectural clarity. However, the altarpieces and the pipe organs are impressive. If anything, the drab and dark architecture serves as a perfect backdrop to these masterpieces. In addition to the organ, several multi-story alters are as tall and complex as any building in town.

I must admit that for the next hour or two, my mind was fully occupied by my little camera woe. I considered finding a camera shop in Tui instead of spending an hour or two exploring convents and churches. I eventually found one camera store in town on Google Maps, but it was quite a big detour from the Camino. Knowing that lens cap is hardly a commonly stocked item, I decided to forgo a store visit and do away with one prime lens for the rest of our Camino. In retrospect, I should not have spent so much mental energy worrying about a little piece of plastic. I regret not spending more time to appreciate Tui. Honestly, I don’t remember much about the town. I am afraid this might be a major regret from this Camino.

The walk leading out of Tui was very pleasant. After descending from the historic center, the trail followed quiet country lanes. Call me crazy, but I could see and feel this difference between Galicia and Portugal, the two banks of River Minho. While there are similarities, Galicia appeared to be more green and rustic. Within ten minutes, we saw our first traditional public laundry, which was once the community gathering point. Known as Lavadoiro, they are by no means unique to Galicia, but it is quite coincidental that we saw our first in Tui. Wouldn’t you say?

The most exciting edifice outside of Tui was the Roman Bridge of Veiga. It was a reassuring sign that we were back on Via Romana XIX. A massive stone statue of the pilgrim naturally attracts the attention of all the passing pilgrims. The oversized monument certainly ensures that a picture would be obligatory. Ironically, the Camino path just missed the bridge. It continued on the dirt path for the next half hour. At places, the tree canopies covered the path as if it was reaching over to touch the pilgrim. I was very grateful for another wonderful day on the trail.

Perhaps the most interesting landmark for this section of Camino is the humble-looking single-arch bridge. Known as the Bridge of Fevers (Ponte das Fevres), the bridge was easy to miss and is hardly remarkable in its physical form. However, this bridge is historically significant because it is supposed to be where a Dominican friar by the name of Peter González, was struck with fever on his pilgrimage to Santiago. Stricken by the fever, he returned to Tui and died shortly after. A few years later, locals attributed miracles to him, which led to his eventual canonization. Known as Saint Telmo, he is a patron saint of Tui. By the bridge is a stone cross with an inspection marking the spot of his demise, and pilgrims should ask him to speak to God on their behalf.

Because this was the Camino, it was time to pet a horse.

Right beyond the bridge, we came across two pilgrims petting a horse chained up in the middle of the road. Apparently, the Polish pilgrim found the horse trapped by its own leash and spent fifteen minutes trying to free the horse from the tangled rope. With no owner, nowhere to be found, we all took turns petting the horse and celebrated its new freedom, albeit relatively. We recognized the other pilgrim from earlier. Annaka, from Frankfurt, Germany, marched past us swiftly about half an hour ago. In fact, I remembered saying to Brian about just how fast “that girl was going”! After chatting with her about the horse, we decided to walk together.

The Portico da Gloria Mural in Orbenlle.

Right or wrong, Annaka is a perfect embodiment of the German stereotype: no-nonsense, knowledgeable, and goal-oriented. In good German fashion, she treats her Camino as a competitive power walk, averaging 22 miles a stage. From Porto, she planned to get to Fisterra in just ten days! That was just crazy. Amazingly, she was planning on that, not because she was short on time. That was simply the pace she had been walking so far. Brain and I joked that our biggest achievement on Camino so far is that we somehow managed to slow her down for an hour or two!

At Orbenelle, pilgrims are greeted by two official (concrete) waymarkers pointing in opposite directions. The two markers are identical, except the one on the right has the mileage count. From my understanding, the marker on the right denotes the official route, whereas the one without the number is considered a scenic detour. Judging from the steady flow of pilgrims, it seems everyone knows by now that scenic alternatives are always worthwhile. I wonder why they don’t just change the official route.

In life, everyone is presented with many choices, often in opposite directions.

This section of the trail alternates between woodlands and small villages. The scenery was beautiful, and we were blessed with good weather. Since we left Porto, the daily maximum temperature has been hovering around 85°F. That may seem pleasant normally, but it was too hot considering we walked under the sun all day. It may just be a coincidence, but Galicia lived up to the reputation for its temperate climate. At the same time, many puffy clouds were on the horizon. I have wished for overcast conditions for the past few days. However, the prospect of rain or thunderstorms was never far from my mind.

Our conversations were wide-ranging, including topics in politics, public infrastructure, travel, and others. Because she works in IT within Germany’s healthcare industry, I could not help asking about their health system and her thoughts on the madness that is American healthcare. Because Annaka did a year of high school exchange in Michigan, she was very familiar with the American ways of life. Surprisingly, she was very fond of her experience in rural western Michigan. It is reassuring to know that America still has admirers in Europe.

Walking with Annaka was the definite highlight of this stage.

After about half an hour, our conversations eventually turned to our reasons for walking the Camino. As the only non-religious person, she was happy to learn that neither Brian nor I are religious. And when she realized that Brian and I were married, she was ecstatic. We were the only LGBT pilgrims she met so far. As a lesbian, she assumed that the pilgrim community might be borderline homophobic. She joked that the cathedral at Santiago might even self-immolate when she eventually arrives. She seemed surprised when I told her that many pilgrims appear secular.

Not before long, all Brian and I could think about was lunch. Because Annaka was such a fast walker and we enjoyed her company, we passed by several nice cafes and restaurants along the way. Ultimately, our hunger set in, and we decided to bid our farewell to Annaka when we saw a sign for a little roadside restaurant in Santo André. Given just how fast she walked, we figured we would unlikely see her again. However, we always treasure the few hours we spent together as the Camino family.

From the outside, San Campio seems like a popular stop for pilgrims and locals alike. The place was packed, and we were lucky enough to grab a table on the patio. This being our first meal in Spain, we were naturally excited to indulge in their world-class cuisine. We were immediately disappointed as we saw that the short menu comprised only bocadillo and salad. I have read that bocadilo is the most common menu item on the Camino, particularly in Spain. Since I am typically not a fan of sandwiches, I was hardly impressed by the food. But the most surprising thing is the pricy price tag. €2.50 for a bottle and €5 for a dry cheese sandwich are a ripoff. That said, the staff here was marvelous.

Interestingly, they have a full-on barbeque grill on the side, which smells delicious. As we were wrapping our lunch, we saw a few groups of pilgrims we met on the trail for the past few days. Among them is the English beer-drinking couple we met two days ago. Even though we barely exchanged a few words previously, there was mutual acknowledgment and encouragement with our greetings and gestures. Sure enough, they immediately ordered a few bottles of SuperBocks.

Camino was always the most spirited just after lunch.

From our lunch place, it was only an hour leisurely stroll toward O Porriño. Immediately after the underpass of the A-55 Motorway, pilgrims are presented with another option for another detour. We could walk the official route on a straight boulevard or a riverside trail along Río Louro. Once again, it seems like just about everyone took the scenic detour. The final stretch toward O Porriño is surprisingly pleasant. This path of this alternate route is a riverside park that appeared very popular with the locals. The tree canopy is dense, providing the much-appreciated shade from the afternoon sun.

This is the kind of Camino trail that all wish for.

The town of O Porriño is known as an industrial town. I doubt there wouldn’t be much tourism if it were not for the Camino. While the trail along the river was exceedingly beautiful, we were reminded of the city’s industrial heritage by high-voltage lines and the nearby elevated highway. While that may sound horrible, I did not mind the contrast. It was fun to see yellow arrows painted on the base of a six-story tall pylon. That said, a giant sewage plant is nearby, and we had a strong whiff of the raw sewer. Call me if you want, but I don’t think putting a giant treatment plant next to a pristine body of water is wise.

Our stroll along the riverside trail ended at the massive municipal albergue, doubling as a pilgrim welcome center. According to the app, frequent exhibitions about the Camino de Santiago exist. But during our visit, the building was eerily quiet. The lone receptionist graciously stamped our pilgrim credentials. After taking out some cash from a local ATM, we ran into the Polish pilgrim we met earlier. When we invited her to walk with Annaka and us, she graciously told us we should go ahead of her because of her slow pace. I was surprised to see her getting into O Porriño before us.

It was actually difficult to form a first impression of O Porriño.

Our first impression of O Porriño was not exactly stellar. The city is mostly composed of four or five-story apartment blocks. While the city was orderly and neat, there appeared to be none of the historical charms. But I was happy to see some remnants of the traditional architecture along the city’s historic core. Excluding Tui, O Porriño is the first Galician city we visited. I could see the difference in architecture between northern Portugal and Galicia. To me, Galician architecture appears more humble and sturdy. The one exception here would be the City Council House (Casa do Concello do Porriño). Despite its small footprint, the handsome building resembles a medieval fortress and rose high above the central plaza.

According to Annaka, O Porriño does not have the most stellar reputation among pilgrims. Bed bugs and large industrial zones are the two things to watch out for. Even though O Porriño is a popular pilgrim stop and a sizeable industrial town in her own right, I did not see many private accommodations available. Our accommodation tonight, Apartamento Sanjuan, is quite a distance from the historic center in a section of town that is not particularly scenic. So it was a surprise how nice the service apartment is despite the lack of homey ambiance. This was the most well-equipped place we had stayed on the Camino thus far. In addition to air conditioning and a private balcony, the highlight is a mini fridge full of water and free beers! I can’t remember when we last had free beer, except at all-inclusive resorts.

Brian is a big fan of our serviced apartment at O Porriño.

We were ready to venture back out after finishing our laundry and a short nap. Because we arrived at today’s destination a lot earlier than usual, we could enjoy the town without stressing out finishing errands. Now that we were all rested and showered, I could not truly appreciate the hidden beauty of this place. Among all the Camino towns we passed through so far, O Porriño is definitely the ugly duckling of the bunch. The lesson I learned from the Camino was to discover beauty among the mundane scenery. We could learn so much about a place with some research and keen observation.

O Porriño may not be pretty to look at, but it seems like a wonderful place to live.

Internationally, O Porriño is best known for prolific granite production, believed to have been introduced by the Romans. Granite has always been a cornerstone of Galician architecture. O Porriño’s specialty stone, Rosa Porriño, was highly prized during the turn of the century. While granite is no longer a sought-after countertop material, it is still popular for the exterior facade among local architects. Rosa Porriño is the most popular granite variant in the world and is used in iconic landmarks such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and Espace Léopold (European Parliament Building) in Brussels.

In addition to the widespread use of granite in the city’s buildings, numerous monuments and memorials are dedicated to granite production. The most thought-provoking among them is located at the roundabout of Av. Domingo Bueno and Rúa Antonio Palacios. The enigmatic statue depicts a miner chiseling away at the granite base. Its dramatic and surrealist silhouette makes it among my favorite sculptures I have ever seen in person. Just a few meters to the west is a bronze bust of Antonio Palacios, a distinguished architect known for its grand and eclectic civic buildings. Being a native son of O Porriño. he is also a prolific promoter of Rosa Porriño with his projects, including the nearby town hall building.

The crowd began for the Festival of Christ of Agony.

As we got closer to the city center, we were surprised by the number of people out and about. Besides live music, many street vendors and games are also set up along the main pedestrian drag. Needless to say, we knew something was up. And in thirty minutes, the whole city center is transformed into one big block party. Unbeknown to us, our stay coincided with the annual Festival of Christ of Agony (Festas do Cristo). I could not find much information online, but judging from the name, it must be a rather serious religious festival. But from my observation, I didn’t see any priests or religious procession. The whole scheme felt like La Festa Italiana, our local church fair in Jersey City.

These guys are really a good sport for posing for my camera.

I had difficulty figuring out exactly what was going on there. A local band or drum ensemble marches down the street every five minutes. Their musical style was wide-ranging, and it was fun to hand out and see what came next. But the most intriguing of all the performers are two groups of “giant heads.” Known as “processional giants,” these figures traced their origins to medieval ceremonies. In years past, these gigantic figures were often characters from the Bible, and they were meant to communicate Christian messages to an illiterate population.

While they might have a religious origin, the ones we encountered depicted “typical town characters.” They are of human scale but with exaggerated papier-mâché heads. Known as Cabezudos in Portuguese, these characters are supposed to roam the streets and “frighten” the misbehaving children. But in reality, the ones we saw were more in a festive party mood. It was really fun to see bystanders joining them in dancing on the street. Compared to the Portuguese, Spaniards knew how to party.

A block off the main pedestrian street is a parking lot transformed into a large fairground. It had all the rides and fun things expected in a typical American state fair. Standing before the Sponge Bob bouncy castle, I marveled at how familiar this place felt. Something is comforting and universal about seeing kids or young families having fun. Since we were told that O Porriño is supposed to be a charmless industrial town, I almost felt we may have visited the wrong city altogether. Due to the festival, O Porriño is one of our favorite towns on the Camino.

The Parish Church of Saint Mary of Conception.

As great as the festival was, getting a table for dinner was very difficult. With our dismal lunch earlier, Brian and I were determined to get some good Spanish food today. We went to several restaurants and were all turned away without a reservation. After going to four or five restaurants, I relented and decided that we should get any food we could. By chance, the best-reviewed restaurant in the city center was an Italian restaurant called Casa di Mili. Even though the thought of having Italian food was depressing, we felt it was better than getting a sandwich from the nearby supermarket. As it turned out, even the Italian place was completely booked.

Fortunately, the lovely wait staff allowed us to take a table, provided that we would finish our meal by 10:30 pm before the reserving guests arrived. It had been ten years since I last visited Spain, so I forgot just how late Spaniards had their dinners. By the time we finished our dinner at 10 pm, there was only one other diner table in the restaurant. As Americans, we find it hard to fathom that the restaurant would only do one seating for the entire night. The food turned out to be great. The grilled calamari salad was to die for. Who knew that Italian food with a Spanish twist could be so delicious?

It is fun to compare the junk food they have with ones back home.

Walking back to our apartment, we spotted a big gathering in front of a stage by the roundabout. From the sound, it was not a church choir concert. The beating bass and upbeat pop tunes indicated that the party was only starting. As much as we would have loved to join the party, I had to remind myself that we were still pilgrims, and it was past bedtime. I think we lucked out by staying at the edge of the town. I spotted two albergues on the same block as the sound stage. I bet there will be a lot of sleepless and tired pilgrims on the trail tomorrow.

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Camino Portugués: Day 7 - Valença to O Porriño

Camino Portugués: Day 8 - O Porriño to Redondela

Camino Portugués: Day 6 - Rubiães to Valença