Camino Portugués: Day 8 - O Porriño to Redondela

We woke up this morning refreshed. We are lucked out for staying at the edge of town, away from the bustle and raucous of the festival last night. However, our apartment happened to be right next to a wedding venue. But we were grateful that all the music from the afterparty was over by 1 am. We could sleep like a baby and feel refreshed in the morning. I was glad that this place does not offer breakfast. It forced us to get out on the trail on the earlier side. Call me a glutton; I scouted out a breakfast place yesterday.

There is an attractive French bakery, Amaquia Panadería, on the boulevard toward the historic center. The smorgasbord of baked goods was massive and made us salivate. I did not know much about traditional Spanish breakfast, so we ordered something “American”: a chocolate-covered donut and a chocolate-covered croissant. They were amazing, but I could feel diabetes developing on the spot. I would say that this place could easily hold the candle to most bakeries in cosmopolitan New York City. But what made this bakery particularly memorable for us was their pilgrim stamp. It was a loaf of bread resting on an open scallop shell. It is the most beautiful stamp we collected thus far.

Look how low the arcade is! Was medeival Galician short on stature?

Walking through the historic center is somewhat of a surreal experience. All traces from last night’s festival have been erased from the street, except for the signage. Knowing how late the street party carried on into the early hours, I couldn’t believe there was no single piece of trash on the ground. We just felt incredibly lucky to experience O Porriño at its liveliest; we will always have a fond memory of O Porriño. Who knew this would be one of our favorite towns? Everyone indeed walks their own Camino.

We were amazed by the number of pilgrims on the trail on our way out of town. Ever since Tui, the Camino has been noticeably busy. It is not unusual to see a whole stream of pilgrims walking in a single file. On the one hand, it was great to see the trail coming alive and feel the community, But on the other, the odds of seeing someone familiar also seemed to diminish, at least psychologically. However, I can’t say there was any less spirit of the Camino. But no matter how many pilgrims we passed, there was no shortage of “Buen Camino” and smiles along the way. After all, we all have the same destination, no matter where we begin our journey.

This is one strange basketball court in the middle of the road.

The walk out of town was not particularly scenic. But thanks to the beautiful weather and pleasant temperature, we were in excellent spirits. We walked through the urban outskirts with big box stores and warehouses for a while. I am quite intrigued by the graphic design of the supermarket chain Gadis. The bold typeface and paunchy colors brought a smile to my face. But by far, the most enigmatic “thing” we encountered this morning was a roadside basketball court. Completely fenced-in in the middle of the road, it looks like a prison exercise yard or a contemporary artwork. Perhaps this is for some types of special Galician sport that I don’t know about?

Just barely more than ten miles, today’s stage should be the shortest of this entire Camino. Between Tui and Pontevedra, the mileage clocks in at just over 31 miles; I debated long and hard whether to cover that distance in two or three stages. Since we decided not to take a rest day, it only seems logical that we will take things slow. The cities of O Porriño and Redondela are convenient stopping points along the way. Neither town has the best reputation in the pilgrim community, but they have all the amenities for any discerning pilgrim.

One obvious observation in Spain was the plethora of concrete Camino way markers. I don’t know whether this is true, but I suspect they are mass-produced and funded by the Galician government. At the base of each marker is an insignia of Galicia. In fact, I remembered seeing the same Galicia marking back in Barcelos, which is NOT Galicia. Camino markers are particularly important for us pilgrims as we approached the 100-kilometer mark. As far as the Catholic is concerned, any pilgrim who walked the last 100 kilometers can obtain the “Compostela“, the accreditation of the pilgrimage to the Tomb of St. James. Frustratingly, there is no actual marker for this exact spot. Instead, there was a marker for Km 100.221 and Km 99.840. Somebody should get on that if you ask me.

Speaking of these stone markers, Galicians seem to have a particular knack for stone construction. O Porriño is known for its granite production. We walked by several granite yards of various sizes and shapes throughout the morning. It was actually not uncommon to see giant chuck of granite laying around by the side of the road, Galician architecture is particularly fond of stone. Gone was the white stucco we saw in Portugal; Galician buildings look as if they were entirely constructed of stone. Coming from the United States, I bemoan most houses are constructed of wood and paper. I am genuinely jealous of the buildings here in Galicia.

Perhaps Galicia's most visibly unique stone buildings are the hórreo, the stone granary. We first saw these characteristic structures just outside of Rates, and it has been quite a while since. It is remarkable just how popular hórreo is. Before Camino, I thought of them as relics of the agrarian past. It was a pleasant surprise by how widespread they are in this part of Galicia. Most hórreo appear to be almost brand new, so it was obvious that they are still a functional and desirable feature for most single-family homes. Based on my observation, they are often the most ornate structure on the property.

Mos seems like the most popular pilgrim stop for today’s stage.

Our main stop for today’s stage is the village of Mos. The village is centered around the Church of Saint Eulalia of Mos, which has a splendid interior despite its small size. More than any other places we have visited on the Camino, this place was crawled by pilgrims. It was our first coming across a store dedicated to the Camino, selling typical souvenirs ranging from shells to high-end jewelry. There were plenty of mass-produced products and nothing special or noteworthy. Because of the number of pilgrims around, we could sneak into the nearby bar to use their bathroom. Little did we know there was a very nice public bathroom just a block away. Mos took its role as a pilgrim stop very seriously.

I was ambivalent to see a Camino-dedicated store on the trail.

While resting in front of the church, I spotted a group of middle-aged Asian pilgrims. This was my first time seeing Asian pilgrims since the morning of the second day on the Camino. I have traveled enough to recognize Korean travelers from afar. I have read that Koreans represent the biggest slice of Camino pilgrims from Asia. While there are plenty of practicing Christians in Korea, it is not the most Catholic country in Asia. I read that Camino’s popularity could be attributed to the books and TV shows. In 2013, there was a popular five-episode reality program about Camino Francese. In 2019, another reality show called Korean Hostel in Spain debuted. The premise of this 11-episode show was to set up a “Korean albergue” in Villafranca del Bierzo to provide hospitality to homesick Korean pilgrims on their way to Santiago.

The number of pilgrims increased as we got closer to Santiago.

This may be a bit of a stereotype, but I find Korean travelers quite easy to spot from afar. I could confirm they are Korean based on their clothes and how they interact with each other. I would love to see more pilgrims from Asia and Africa. Even though Camino is considered an international affair, drawing pilgrims from all over the world, there is no question that 90% of pilgrims are from the West. But I am very optimistic that it was only a matter of time before Camino became truly internationalized. After all, this pilgrimage is for people of all nationalities and creeds.

From Mos, it was a gentle climb toward the highest point of today’s stage. The ascend through the woodland was very pleasant and much easier than the climb up to Alto da Portela Grande de Labruja a few days earlier. About half an hour in, we encountered a roadside shack selling snacks and drinks. A bunch of hay bales were set up next to the shack as a lounging area. It was a very beautiful setup. In the corner of our eyes, we spotted the group of Canadian pilgrims we met back in Valença. Leslie and Ray are from Ottawa; Maria and Manuel were from Toronto originally but now reside in Washington, D.C. Brian and I found them some of the friendliest people we have met so far.

A gentle incline toward the highest point of today’s stage.

Naturally, the topic of our conversations was our common acquaintance, Peter. He was one of those pilgrims that everyone would remember. Speaking of our pilgrim family, we also saw the couple from New York that we met in Ponte de Lima. It was serendipitous that we suddenly started to meet up with all our pilgrim friends. Even though our past interactions were quite limited, we had a great camaraderie. Camino de Santiago is undoubtedly among the best places to make instant friends. It was almost silly just how excited we all were seeing each other as if we were long-lost family members.

Saxamonde offers quite a number of pilgrim accommodations before Redondela.

This section of the trail is very close to Vigo International Airport, the largest airport in Galicia. We could see jets taking off parallel to the Camino path just over the ridge. We thought about flying out of Vigo instead of Porto at the end of the Camino. Despite being the largest city in Galicia, Vigo has always had a horrible reputation among travelers. I found the city to be somewhat of an intrigue. But we would have to defer it to our next trip.

The road down to Redondela was steep, giving us a wonderful view of the valley beyond. On the side of the road, I saw a painted blue and white flag of Galicia. Right next to it was a curious geometric symbol, which is Camino-related. This brightly colored logo is the official emblem of Ano Xacobeo 2021. Translated as Jacobean Year in English, Ano Xacobeo is Santiago’s Jubilee Holy Year when the annual feast of Saint James (July 25th) falls on a Sunday. During the Holy Year, Santiago de Compostella has additional cultural and religious celebrations. But more importantly, the Catholic Church grants a plenary indulgence to pilgrims who made the pilgrimage in such a year, which carries a special weight religiously compared to a “normal” compostela.

A major bonus for pilgrims, religious or not, would be opening the holy door at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. Currently, only eight official “holy doors” are recognized by the Holy See. We were just lucky enough to time our first Camino with a Jubilee year. We technically missed the Jubilee Year by a year. Because of the pandemic, Pope Francis extended the Jubilee Year to the end of 2022, so we made it just in time for this special year. That said, we must remind ourselves to find the holy doors at Santiago.

Flower pots on the window sill brought smiles to our faces.

The final approach was a gentle and consistent decline through a quiet lane until we reached the N-550 roadway. From there, it should be a quick fifteen-minute walk to the historic center. But we were both so hungry that we had to pop into a minimarket for soda and chips. Since we were in Sapin, I made sure to try the popular Sumol orange sida and jamón-flavored Lay’s chip. They were delicious and just enough to tie us over until our late lunch in central Rendondela.

One of the first things that struck me about Rendondela was its historical characters. Compared to O Porriño, this city is quite photogenic. The Camino trail went right through the historic center. Given that it was already 3 pm, we quickly got a lunch table. After some consideration, we picked the unassuming Restaurante Os Viaductos. Located right on the Camino, it was a wonderful way to people-watch and greet our fellow pilgrims. Since we had Itlain for dinner last night, this was our first Spanish meal in this Camino. Since this was a late lunch, we were not shy about overordering. From Padrón peppers to flaming chorizo, we ordered six dishes, and our waitress had trouble fitting everything on our table.

Honestly, I did not know much about Redondela ahead of time. It is a popular stop on the Camino and a sizeable town. Physically, the most noticeable landmarks in the town are the massive viaducts that bifurcate the town. Earning the nickname City of the Viaduct (Villa de los Viaductos), Redondela takes pride in its 19th-century viaducts: Pontevedra Viaduct and Madrid Viaduct. They were constructed to connect Santiago to Vigo and Madrid. According to a common legend, the builder named Pedro Floriani jumped off the bridge because of the non-payment from the railway owners.

These wrought iron structures echo the bygone era of the Industrial Revolution. As a New Yorker, I immediately thought of the Brooklyn Bridge. What made these 19th-century structures unique is their delicate expression. These structures were built without heavy machinery. As a result, every structural component of the bridge was light enough to be carried by two workers. So, even though the structures are very sturdy, they appear lighter than their contemporary counterparts. This is perhaps why they are not as out of place in a residential neighborhood today.

Viaduct of Madrid really seems like coming out of nowhere.

As in most Spanish cities, Redondela appeared mostly abandoned in the height of the afternoon. Just about every store was closed. While it was expected, it was still a strange experience to walk through a deserted city in the middle of the day. For today, we made a reservation for a serviced apartment via booking.com. It was the swankiest place we stayed during this Camino, with wall-to-wall windows overlooking an elementary school. It is located just beyond the city center and right on the Camino. It was truly a luxurious oasis to kick back and relax.

I had the whole laundromat, Auga & Xabón Lavanderia, to myself.

While Brian was taking things easy with some Netflix, I took this opportunity to hunt for a laundromat. So far, we have been handwashing our laundry, and it has been delivering mixed results. Most of our clothes could dry overnight, but ironically, I always had issues with my wool socks, which many past pilgrims recommended. For the most part, we could hang any damp items outside our backpacks. However, we did feel like it was time to visit a laundromat and have things “deep cleaned” and dried properly. It also allowed us to chill out without worrying about the errands.

Luckily, a laundromat was only five minutes away in the historic center. The self-service laundromat was in good working order. I was relieved that the change machine worked. I can’t tell you how often the machine ran out of coins in the past. When I was in Valetta, Malta, last year, it actually took me an hour trying to make change €8 worth of coins because of a broken change machine. In this age of a cashless economy, I am always surprised that these self-service laundromats still don’t have credit card terminals.

The Plaza of Saint James the Apostle seems like the center of town.

With our laundry going, I had some time to explore the city. At this time of the day, life has gradually returned to the city. I enjoyed spending an hour two exploring different corners of the city center. One of my favorite discoveries is a sculpture of the city’s coat of arms, with an octopus and sea creature around it. It suddenly dawned on me how close we were to the Atlantic coast. Funny enough, most visitors would have no clue of the proximity of the ocean to the city center. I then realized that Redondela is where the coastal route of Camino Portugués merged with the central route.

Whoever planned this roadway certainly had little regard for the church.

I did not see that many symbols of pilgrimage. Besides the shallop shells on the city’s coat of arms, there is a fountain of Saint James as a warrior against the Muslim Moors. This was the first time I saw Saint James depicted as a Moors slayer. By all contemporary standards, such imagery could be a little disturbing. But with a better understanding of Camino's origin, I could “appreciate” the historical reasoning for such a non-political correct iconography. As I was admiring the fountain, I ran into my favorite Canadian pilgrims again: Leslie, Ray, Maria, and Manuel!

Among all the historical landmarks of Redondela, the most noticeable would probably be the Church of Saint James the Apostle, located at the highest point of the historic center. At the front step, a group of pilgrims approached me to see whether I could take a photo of them. After the photos, we chatted a bit, and I found out that a pilgrim from Estonia was among them. The Estophilia within me was excited to meet an Estonian, but I could say that she was very guarded, just like a typical Estonian. I should not expect every pilgrim to be as outgoing as I wish. Perhaps I will meet her again and tell her how much I love Estonia.

The building on the left was our serviced apartment. It may not be a looker but it was fantastic on the inside.

On the way back to the apartment, I spotted a faded mural on the side of the road. The blue-white-red logo is known as Estreleira, a political symbol of Galician nationalism. Compared to any other Western European country, the modern Kingdom of Spain is the one that is most at risk of disintegrating. Spain has many autonomous regions, including Basque, Catalonia, Galicia, and Asturias. Each region not only has great political autonomy from Madrid but also its own distinctive languages. During the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, the regional identity was deliberately suppressed in favor of the cultural uniformity of Castilian Spain from Madrid. For decades, there was a real fear that regional traditions and languages could be lost.

A mural for the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG).

Ironically, Franco was actually from Galicia. From my understanding, he never expressed any affinity toward his homeland. In fact, he saw Galicia’s independence movement as treasonous and ordered its advocates' association. Lucky for Galicians today, they can escape the blame for Franco’s fascism. As one of the least economically developed regions in today’s Spain, Galician nationalism is considered more subdued than in Galicia or the Basque region. All major political parties of Spain nowadays either promote or tolerate Galician cultural autonomy. As a result, the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) received less than a quarter of the total vote in the most recent regional election.

Because we were here on a Sunday, the city remained quite subdued even after nightfall. Surprisingly, there were few restaurants open for dinners. Aside from cafe and dessert shops, we only saw a few proper restaurants. Among all the available options, we did not see any Spanish option. We ended up at Los Leones, a popular hamburger restaurant. Their burger reminds me of those from the American fast food chain Steak and Shake and was pretty decent. But having hamburgers in Spain instead of tapas or Galician seafood was still a little sad. I had to remind myself how lucky we were to be on the Camino and be in a beautiful location.

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Camino Portugués: Day 8 - O Porriño to Redondela

Camino Portugués: Day 9 - Redondela to Pontevedra

Camino Portugués: Day 7 - Valença to O Porriño