The journey after that turned mostly straight making an almost laser straight line for the city over not quite 10 km. Upon arriving in Caminha I noticed there was some kind of ceremony by the waterfront so I was able to dart down and observe a rather large ceremony from the Portuguese Republican national guard (GNR).
I can only imagine the primary purpose, however during my observation there was a lot of formality and pump and circumstance. Later, as I was waiting for my train, the GNR barricaded most of the downtown section. These built-in barricades carried a message that roughly translated to "today this road is for you"and I can tell you that the armed guards making sure no cars went through the barricade we're taking no excuses for anyone trying to get by. Apparently the streets are closed off and that section for pedestrian traffic only and if you were trying to drive a car you had to go around the long way.
I can tell you I had a wonderful time at the cafe well whittling away the time and indulged in two different treats suggested by the lady staffing the counter.
The short train ride to Valencia was largely uneventful and all of 22 minutes. Arriving in Valencia I once again made my way to the old fortified City where it still amazes me that anywhere else in the world this would be a historical site, yet here it is still as active and alive as it was when it was built. The town is full of shops, some even nestled into niches in the fortified walls. I enjoyed the brief stroll through there before heading out to the bridge into Spain.
I work my way through the approach to The Old City coming up the steep climb to the cathedral, passing it and heading down the back end through some steep stairs and a tunnel to my albergue.
My friend Charlton and I decided to head back into town and grab some eats.
No anyone who's been following my journeys for any length of time knowns that there is one item in Spain that I absolutely love that I just cannot get stateside.
KAS LIMON
Paired with a wonderful kas lemon was a Spanish omelette and to my surprise some zorza. Zorza is a very simple treat of pork meat marinated and wine some garlic in a few other spices and lots of sweet Spanish paprika. When prepared it is cooked in a pan with a generous amount of oil to crisp up the marinade coating resulting in an absolutely delicious product.
Waddling away from the meal we ventured into the local Supermercado only to find a dream come true for me:
I had a private chat, I would load up a whole bunch of that stuff and bring it back with me! But for today I had to suffice getting a few cans to bring back for the night.
A couple little observations. Day two on my track, I stopped at the local to read my office and learned a wonderful phrase from the lady staffing the desk. I asked her how I could say I hope you have a wonderful day. She responded with the appropriate Portuguese phrase is "Espero que tenha um bom dia.". I can tell you that when I use it, it oftentimes brings a smile to the face of the people I am dealing with. Yes it's common for people to pick up a lot of simple phrases, but I think the act of learning that one phrase has changed the Dynamics of my interactions with people so many times. Today for example I was cashing out from the bakery, when I use the phrase with the lady at the end of the transaction. She motioned me to wait a minute and handed me a sampling of a cookie with a huge smile and a very sincere obrigado... Okay, the cookie was so delicious I bought a small box of them! There are other times when using the phrase during a transaction has really shifted the entire transaction and made it from an impersonal transaction to a sign of true gratitude.
Tomorrow I strike off across Spain heading north to Santiago de Compostela. I am enjoying this journey as much if not more than previous journeys. I feel very free and unencumbered even though every step down the trail I'm carrying all my belongings that I need for this journey with me. There are a few choices on paths coming up, but nothing major. In most of the path choices, it's a choice between a straight line shot through a busy area or a slightly longer pass but through a more beautiful area. I'm reasonably certain that I will opt for the prettier paths but as always I reserve the right to change my mind for any reason including but not limited to how the wind blows, sunspots, or what direction my breakfast pointed to in the morning. Through the stretch I expect the distances between myself, charlton, and Ed and Pat, too lengthen. While we are all battling physical issues that eliminating each of our journeys, I have my limitation the most dialed in and tamed - I usually can push Heel to about 22 km before it throws a fit. Charlton can get 15 to 16 km on his knee right now, anymore and he's done for the next day. It is currently around 12 km a day battling pain with every step. While I do expect to arrive in Santiago plenty ahead of everyone else, I also have aspirations of some additional trail mileage which I will discuss if the opportunity still is viable when I get there.
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