Camino Portugués: Day 9 - Redondela to Pontevedra

The luxurious apartment gave me the best night of sleep thus far on Camino. For breakfast, we had protein bars and yogurt we bought last night. While they may not be filling, it allowed us an early start to the day. Since the apartment is located directly on the Camino, we felt very energetic about setting off on today’s stage. At just over 13 miles, today’s stage is another short one and ends in Pontevedra, perhaps the most storied town along Camino Portugués. As much as I enjoyed our time in Redondela and O Porriño in the past two days, we were quite excited to visit a sizable city for a change.

Since our apartment is right on the Camino, we felt particularly energetic. This was perhaps our earliest departure time so far. I was surprised by just how steady the pilgrim traffic was. In the time that it took us to lock up the apartment, about six or eight pilgrims were walking past us. It is just one of the numerous reminders that we were getting closer to Santiago de Compostela. At this hour, our fellow pilgrims walked stoically at a brisk pace. The early risers took the physical aspects of the Camino more seriously than us. Brian and I saw the Camino as a cultural exploration and were among our age group's slowest pilgrims.

I was pleasantly surprised that the weather today was perfect. Since we arrived in Galicia a few days ago, we had unbelievable luck with decent weather. Every morning, the first thing I did was check the forecast and stress over the unpredictable Galician weather. I had difficulty expressing my anxieties over the weather, which is out of our control. Based on the forecast, our luck would run out later today. It was smart for us to start early and take advantage of the crisp blue sky.

The route immediately out of Redondela was a gentle incline winding through a charming residential neighborhood. At some point, we looked back and were surprised to see the Atlantic and the Bay of Vigo. It is just another reminder of how close we were to the coast. I wonder how different of an experience for those who made the pilgrimage to Fatima. More importantly, it showed us that we often do not look back on our past often enough in our lives. More likely than not, we did not even know what we had been missing.

This morning's first point of interest is the so-called “scallop wall,” which bears past pilgrims' personal notes and scallop shells. Among the numerous items left behind are prayer cards for the loved ones who passed away. Walking the Camino must have been a way to commemorate the lives of those who are no longer around. It reminded me of the 2010 movie The Way. I wished we had lingered around a little longer to read more of the messages left. Everyone has their own reasons for undertaking the pilgrimage. While Brian and I considered ourselves “casual pilgrims,” it was touching to see how significant Camino is for people’s inner journeys.

One of the many “seashell walls”, with many heartfelt messages left behind.

This morning, we were joined by an affable American pilgrim, Robb. Originally from upstate New York, Robb was one of the friendliest and most easy-going pilgrims we have met. Working in the financial service sector near Philadelphia, he has none of the pretentiousness of a super-wealthy finance guy. Without even a day pack, Robb is the least “burdened” pilgrim we met on the trail. He mentioned that he did start out his Camino with a full pack but then decided to use a pack-transport service after a few days. In his words, there was no reason why we shouldn’t maximize the enjoyment of our pilgrimage. After all, everyone walks their own Camino.

So…. just in case you don’t know which way is to Santiago.

Frankly, Brian found a kindred spirit in Robb as a pilgrim. He was the first pilgrim we met who said this would be his last Camino. Although he did enjoy his Camino so far, he did not believe he would ever do this again. Like Brian, he was cajoled by a Camino enthusiast and had a little hard time adjusting to life on the pilgrimage trail. Not everyone is keen to romanticize the Camino to the extent that some of us do. I wonder whether many pilgrims like Robb decided to keep their mouths shut when encountering enthusiastic pilgrims out of respect. Not before long, we had to bid Robb goodbye as he needed to wait for his girl friends, who walked the Camino in tandem with him.

The winding country lane we have been on so far suddenly dropped us off at the bustling town center of Arcade. We were both very excited to see a breakfast cafe packed with pilgrims: Cafetería Pastelería Acuña Arcade. Although we did have a light breakfast at the apartment, we were ready for some caffeine fix. For the past few days, we have been having stale croissants. So we were very excited to try out their empanada of various flavors. Unbeknown to most visitors, the empanada, which is often closely associated with Latin America, actually originated from Galicia.

As we got closer to the little town of Ponte Sampaio, we were greeted with an increasingly large number of hórreo. Not only did they become more frequent, but they became increasingly large in their dimension. It was obvious that they were no longer decorative in nature like the ones we saw a few days earlier. We felt a sense that we had finally reached the heart of Galicia. It was only a five-minute walk from the cafe before we arrived at the Río Verdugo and the impressive medieval bridge, Ponte Sampaio. This amazing ten-arch bridge is in remarkable condition and a well-known landmark along Camino Portugués.

Compared to Ponte de Lima and Barcelos, Ponte Sampaio appears much more scenic and tranquil. Despite the serenity of this spot, the bridge was the site of a major battle between the Napoleonic army of France and the Kingdom of Spain in 1809. The Spanish victory expelled the French from Galicia. Constructed in the 10th century, it is wide enough to allow vehicular traffic and pedestrians in one direction. The bridge was also an excellent spot for people-watching, with a nonstop stream of pilgrims marveling at the beauty of this spot. On the right side of the bridge is an enigmatic stone plaque. I could not distinguish the text, but I suspect they are written to Galego. For Brian, who is actively learning Spanish, traveling through Galicia presented some confusion at places. It is sometimes difficult to discern between unfamiliar Spanish words with the Galician.

Immediately at the other end of the bridge are a series of hórreo on the slope along a very narrow Camino track. It was not difficult to visualize what an important riverport this spot must have been five hundred years ago. Judging from the size of hórreo here, this was likely a distribution center of agricultural goods. Today, the town's main trade is tourism and pilgrimage. There are quite a few restaurants and albergues around the little town. This was easily one of the most picturesque spots along the Camino, and there was no mistake that we were in Galicia.

Getting back onto the ancient Roman road.

The next section of the trail went through the forested areas, which eventually led us back to the ancient Roman roads, a thrilling sight for pilgrims. One new phenomenon to us this morning was the proliferation of roadside vendors selling various types of Camino souvenirs. These vendors often set up their stands in the rural sections of the trails and offer commemorative stamps to all passing pilgrims, whether they patronize the business or not. As we were inching closer to Santiago, we suddenly realized we still had too many blank spaces to fill in our pilgrim passport. We decided to get stamps from these vendors. In hindsight, we should have made greater efforts to collect stamps earlier.

After about an hour, Robb re-emerged on the trail and walked with us for the next couple of miles. Like so many conversations we had with American pilgrims, the topic eventually turned to the state of our political discourse. We eventually found out that he was also gay and also walked with our German lesbian pilgrim friend Annaka from a few days ago. It was almost funny that LGBT pilgrims somehow managed to meet one another, although none of us have the flamboyant personality that is typically associated with gays.

The field of shipping containers was a welcomed break on the Camino.

About two kilometers outside of Pontevedra, pilgrims are once again presented with an option of a detour. We naturally chose the detour as it guaranteed a more scenic route. Since Robb had to wait for his companion, we bid him goodbye again. We did not doubt we would run into him somewhere down the Camino again. This next section of the trail is quite similar to the one preceding Redondela. Instead of walking across the industrial section of town, the detour took pilgrims through a woodland park along a small stream. The entrance into Pontevedra was through a tunnel next to a draining ditch, an unusual entrance into a grand city.

For pilgrims on Camino Portugués, Pontevedra holds some special significance. Pontevedra is the largest city since Porto and is also considered “the” starting point for the final section toward Santiago. As a regional capital, the city is also a welcoming oasis filled with the creature’s comforts of the modern world. My first impressions of Pontevedra were not particularly positive. Consisted of mostly six-to-seven-story apartment blocks, the city appeared like just another work-a-day place without the charm that we were expecting. But as we got closer to the center, the historical characters of Pontevedra presented themselves.

The outskirt of Pontevedra lacks the charm I was expecting from a historical city.

In all honesty, our immediate concern was lunch! It was about 2:30 pm, and we were both starving. To our understanding, lunchtime in Spain is late compared to most countries, and it is usually not the day's main meal. As we wandered around the historic center, a woman gestured to the restaurant before us and said it was one of the best parrillas in town: Pontegrill. The massive steakhouse was empty, so we were slightly suspicious of the woman’s claim. But it was a wonderful meal and one of the most affordable pieces of great steak.

However, our lunch was truly memorable when I asked the waitress about getting a pilgrim stamp. She seemed confused by my question but eventually started digging the drawers near the cashier. Just as I told her not to bother, she found the business stamp, which measured approximately 6 inches by 9 inches. That was about twenty times the size of a typical pilgrim stamp. Brian and I bursted out laughing and thanked her for the trouble of finding it. In retrospect, I wish we had got that just for the hilarity of that enormous stamp.

There were several student tour groups around Pontevedra during our visit.

We were staying tonight at Hostel Charino, which only opened earlier this year. I mistakenly told Brian that we would be staying at the hostel today. He famously said the “hostel is hostile” and has been anxious about the exact sleeping arrangement all day. I had to assure him we would stay in a suite with a private bath. Hostel Charino is not only the nicest hostel I have ever visited, but it also has the most enthusiastic owner. A successful entrepreneur in the hospitality industry, he decided to open the best hostel in the city. The property has a decidedly contemporary interior and all the amenities one could wish for… including free use of a washer and dryer! I could not remember ever seeing a free laundry machine at a hostel.

It was clear that the owners were very proud of his venture and were enthusiastic to show off every nook and cranny of this place. Although I was a little taken aback by the fact that his elderly mother was working as the cleaning lady. It was not a good look, I must say. We felt fancy that we had the best room in the house. The spacious penthouse room even had a jetted tub. For once, Brian was very happy with staying at a ‘hostel’, which was a big sigh of relief for me.

After a quick shower and washing laundry in the machine, I explored the city. Once again, the city was quiet in the mid-afternoon. On my way out, I ran into a pilgrim from Texas called Genevieve, who gave me some suggestions on Pontevedra. Although Pontevedra is a sizeable metropolis, the historic center was quite compact. The one site Genevieve recommended specifically was the Ruins of San Domingos, so I made that the first stop of my whirlwind city tour.

The ruins of San Domingos sit at the edge of Alameda de Pontevedra, the massive public square fronts numerous grand public buildings. Among them are the legislative building and the administrative center for the Province of Pontevedra. Pontevedra is one of the three provinces that make up the region of Galicia and is an important political center. The plaza is filled with various historical monuments dedicated to regional history. For pilgrims, the monument to note is the memorial dedicated to the Battle of Ponte Sampaio, the site we visited this morning. I always love how things come full circle. I wonder how many of our fellow pilgrims recognize this historical connection.

For most pilgrims, the most noteworthy landmark in the city is the Church of the Pilgrim Virgin. The tall and slender church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which was said to guide the pilgrims from the Galician town of Bayona to Santiago de Compostela. As a church dedicated to the pilgrim, it has plenty of visual symbolism of pilgrimage. Architecturally, the church's floor plan is said to resemble the profile of a pilgrim shell. That said, I have trouble finding an architectural floor plan online. Weird, right? Naturally, I was very keen to get their special pilgrim stamp.

This church is undoubtedly the magnet for all pilgrims. I met our four Canadian pilgrim friends again. Seeing them on the trail has been a highlight for Brian, as they are some of the friendliest people. And unlike most other pilgrims we met, they walked the Camino for religious reasons and took each church with great respect and seriousness. It was satisfying to see true religiosity on the Camino for once, even for an irreligious person like myself.

The church interior is rather basic, but there is a lot of pilgrim shell iconography to keep us busy hunting. From the light fixtures to the door knobs, I could imagine enthusiastic pilgrims falling head over heels for them. The church’s main is open to the public without charge, but visitors can climb to the upper mezzanine for €2. I hoped to get a better view/understanding of the floor plan, but it was rather underwhelming and skippable.

Pilgrim insignia on the doors of the confessional booth.

Just outside the church, I ran into a group of pilgrims, including the Danish guy and Estonian girl I met yesterday. Coincidentally, they were looking for somebody to take a picture for them again. I was happy to fill that role for them again. I also took this opportunity to ask them about their route tomorrow. After Pontevedra, Santiago has two options: the Central Route or the Variante Espiritual. The latter route was a rather recent phenomenon. I have read enough blogs and listened to podcasts to know that Variante Espiritual is considered the most beautiful section of Camino Portugués.

The tricky thing about the Variante Espiritual was a boat ride from Vilanova da Arousa to Pontecesures. It is generally advisable to book the boat ahead. But just like our Camino so far, we left reserving everything very last minute. I got the contact information from the Danish guy, so I hope to make the reservation before setting off on the trail tomorrow morning. As somebody used to plan everything to the detail, there is something liberating about being this spontaneous.

Among all the churches in town, the most splendid would be the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. The church is noted for its Gothic and Manueline interior. Like most Manueline churches, the inside was pretty dark and mysterious. There was no shortage of great artwork dedicated to the Age of Discovery. On the facade are busts of Hernán Cortés and Christopher Columbus. I hope that they will survive the current wave of political correctness. At the main entrance was a booth manned by volunteers offering stamps to pilgrims. As we got closer to Santiago, the locals took the pilgrimage with more pomp and circumstance.

At the plaza in front of the church is a public exhibit on the pedestrianization of Lugo, another Galician city. According to my guidebook, Pontevedra has the largest pedestrianized zone in Spain and is the pioneer of such an endeavor. Spearheaded by mayor Miguel Anxo Fernández Lores in 1999, the city constructed large numbers of underground garages in the periphery. In addition to reducing traffic, the lack of on-street parking also means those spaces are returned to the public. The city authority does not believe “buying a car does not mean buying public space.”

The effort reduces traffic deaths and air pollution and has a surprising impact on the city’s economic fortune. Once considered a city in decline, Pontevedra experienced an economic boom and a population resurgence. The streets are quiet and safe; they create a relaxed ambiance that is conducive to economic development. The pedestrianization in Pontevedra extends beyond the historic center. I would argue the visual effect of pedestrianization is even more dramatic in the modern section of town. The lack of surface parking also allows for greater greenery on an otherwise busy street.

The modern section of the town enjoyed the biggest transformation through pedestrianization.

For me, the popularity of the Camino today seems to be a reaction against modernity. Pilgrims chose to forego modern convenience and embrace the older way of life. With the lack of vehicular traffic, Pontevedra really brought forward the spirit of Camino. We spent the evening wandering the numerous back lanes of Pontevedra. For the most part, traditional Galician architecture is well preserved and is integral to the city’s tourism boom. The low-ceiling arcade and strong stone pillars provide a sense of medieval mysticism. The serenity of this city made this one of our favorite stops on the Camino.

Since we hadn’t had a proper Spanish dinner on this Camino, we went to a “high-end” restaurant for once. Restaurante Gumer is located just off Alameda de Pontevedra and is a modern brasserie. The contemporary menu leans heavily on Galician seafood. The dishes are exquisite and are complemented by local vintage, of course. The restaurant logo happened to be a bearded man, which looks awfully like the statue of Ramón del Valle-Inclán that we saw in town earlier. I asked our waiter whether the restaurant was named after the Spanish writer. The waiter chuckled and told us their restaurant logo was modeled after the owner’s father. He did not recognize the resemblance with Valle-Inclán until I pointed it out.

*The Fiel* statue commemorates a medieval servant who ensures that fair measurements were used at the public market.

Just as we were about to wrap up our dinner, I got a message from Amaret Turis Monautico, the pilgrim boat service, saying that there were still a few spots available for our date. After a quick back and forth, we are all confirmed. At €30 a person, it is more expensive than I imagined. But honestly, I doubt most pilgrims would care about the cost of the boat service since the Variante Espiritual has become such a popular subvariant for the pilgrims. With this last segment of the Camino planned out, I felt like I could sleep easy tonight.

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Camino Portugués: Day 9 - Redondela to Pontevedra

Camino Portugués: Day 10 - Pontevedra to Armenteira

Camino Portugués: Day 8 - O Porriño to Redondela