The morning of day two on the Camino I woke up earlier than most pilgrims, so I grabbed my backpack and headed out of the room as quietly as possible to pack up elsewhere (click here to read about day 1). Today’s leg was an estimated 35 km and I wanted to beat as much of the heat as possible. My only pair of pants were still drying on the line, so I put on shorts (against the advice of the pharmacist who had given me cream for my heat rash). Before hitting the road, I loaded up on sunscreen and attached my wet clothes to the outside of my pack so they could dry along the way.
I crossed the bridge from Barcelinhos into Barcelos as the sun was coming up and immediately wished I had had more energy the day before to have seen the city when it wasn’t still sleeping. The golden arrows led me straight through town and past a few large rooster statues. The reason for them being such an iconic symbol of Portugal actually stems from an old legend taking place in the city of Barcelos.
Not far beyond Barcelos I stopped at a café for some more cheese sandwiches. Outside the café were two people I would come to see often on the trail – Kathrin and Giovanni, two solo pilgrims from Germany and Italy respectively. They were on their way out as I was coming in, so we just chatted briefly before parting ways. A lot of people passed by as I was sitting there and I began to worry about getting a bed for the night. Luckily, that worry wouldn’t become necessary for a few more days.
Shortly after I left the café, I met Carolin and Christian, siblings from Germany hiking the Camino together. Carolin is an experienced pilgrim, having hiked the Camino twice before. Walking with them was really enjoyable. Our pace was about the same and whenever we took a break it was nice and long.
After one of our stops, I decided to go on ahead for a little while. The day was really hot and there had been almost no shade all day. Shorts had been a terrible idea. Constantly headed north, the sun was always at our backs which meant my heat rash had gotten worse and was burning whenever it felt the sun. To add to my torture, my calf had been cramped for several kilometers and was beginning to affect my knee, too. Along a country road between two fields, I sat down in the shade of a tree that happened to hang over the fence, no longer a happy camper. Hot, tired, and aching I began to question.
Why did I decide to do the Camino? Who cared if I really walked all the way there? I could’ve just taken the train to Santiago and vacationed instead. Why was I so determined to accomplish this pilgrimage?
Carolin and Christian caught up to me, sat with me there on the road, and rescued me from my inner tantrum. We talked about how stunning the landscape had been all day. In comparison to the first day, we had been on much fewer roads and had gone by more farms, fields, and meadows. And although there had not been much shade, the temperature wasn’t as awfully high as yesterday. I realized I hadn’t been drinking enough water since the beginning of the Camino and that was the most likely cause for my current feelings of misery. Not too long after drinking a TON of liquids, I began to feel a world of difference. I couldn’t stop expressing how joyful I felt to be walking. Quite a turnaround from two hours before.
We began to feel like we were really close to the city, but Carolin’s knee started to hurt pretty badly. Christian benevolently carried both of their packs the rest of the way (he’s her hero)! Little did we know how far that would end up being: we all kept thinking that the city would be around every bend in the road. Just one more kilometer… Just one more kilometer… It felt like forever until we reached the stream leading into Ponte de Lima, practically dragging our tired bodies through the flea market that was happening on the river bank.
When I arrived at the albergue on the opposite side of the bridge, I was almost in tears as I sat down to check in. Most likely I was exhausted and hungry, but I also felt overwhelming relief to have arrived for the evening and survived what was the most difficult day for me on the Camino.
Kudos on your determination and persistence! Your pictures are stunning! Wishing you continued good 😊 luck!