Padrón to Santiago

Today I wanted to get an early start. Last night I scouted out the route so I would have a better chance of not getting lost in the dark. I stayed about a mile out of town so didn't have to go through the usual confusion of searching for Camino markers in between parked cars and thousands of other distractions that go along with cities.

I left about an hour before dawn using my phone as a flashlight. It was fairly easy to find the markers even though the route was down tiny alleys and dirt tracks that seemed to wind in all directions. I like the early morning too because it is always nice and cool.

With the first light I reached the lovely Marian shrine in Escravitude. Soon after that I left the busy highway and was back on the quiet back roads.

At one point I turned to follow the usual yellow arrow when a woman walking a couple of little dogs insisted that there was a much shorter way. I was reluctant to ignore the yellow arrow that I'd depended upon for the last three weeks. But I decided to follow her advice. Within about two blocks I found another Camino sign. I'm not sure why that first arrow pointed in that direction. But she was right. Her route seemed to be much shorter.

Somewhere past the halfway point I ran into a young woman from Montreal, Canada. We walked together for about an hour. We stopped at a cafe and got something to drink. Soon after that we parted ways because she was a little faster walker and I could tell she wanted some alone time. I found that most people who are walking alone prefer to be alone. Walking alone gives you a chance to examine your life without distractions. I like walking with other people for a while but I also really enjoy my alone time.

Once I got close to the city, the yellow arrows became extremely scarce. Last year when I came into the city on the Camino Frances, there were scallop shells embedded in the sidewalks, clearly marking the way. But the Portuguese Way is not nearly as popular and I depended on the street names in my guidebook more than the Camino markers. Once I reached Rua Franco I knew exactly where I was and walked straight to the cathedral from memory.

It was a little disappointing to see the cathedral though. They are doing so much renovation work on it that both of the main towers and the entire front entry are covered with scaffolding which in turn is covered with a blue netting material. There were certainly no photo opportunities of the front of the cathedral!

But inside it is still quite lovely, although large sections inside are also covered with scaffolding. I suppose such an old building needs frequent attention for it to remain standing and safe.

I am quite thrilled to have finally arrived.