Camino de Santiago Day 3: I found my rhythm!

Cesantes to Pontevedra 18KM

It’s day 3!

We picked up where we left off yesterday. Started at Cesantes with a final destination of Pontevedra, slightly shorter than yesterday at 18Km.

Today I found my rhythm. And that was not only the speed ((22-23min per mile) that worked for me but also, I felt excited to start the day rather than dreading what was going to happen. The initial walk from Cesantes to the first check point to Pontesampaio was beautiful. Lots of forest, quiet and not many pilgrims on the road yet.

Pilgrims leave things behind as they walk

These markers are all over the road…not very exact

We are pligrims!

Me, Susan and Jan made it to Pontesampaio

early in the am so not many people on the bridge yet.

Pretty view from the bridge to the town

Pontesampaio is a little medieval town, and the significance of this bridge is that the battle of Ponte Sampaio against the French was fought on this bridge in 1809. Here is the reference if you want to read more about it. After Pontesampaio it was a walk up thru the small town before hitting the forest again. Here is where we found a lot of the pilgrims. 🙂

Up we go! So many stairs!

Somewhere between Pontesampaio and Sta. Marta

lunch break at Capilla de Sta Marta

Pontevedra – Santuario de la Virgen Peregrina

I made it another day!

Beautiful town! I wish we had more time to explore.

wohoo! with the whole team

Already had my sangria and probably dessert… that is the advantage of walking for miles

We made it to Pontevedra ahead of the group, so we were able to fit in a bit of shopping and sightseeing around town. I wish I had more time to explore Pontevedra. Will have to come back next time I do el Camino. After the whole group got to Pontevedra, our tour bus picked us up to go to what would be our hotel for the next 2 nights. We stayed at Caldas de Rei at a gorgeous casa de campo. WOW! beautiful. Here are a few of the pics.

Beautiful casa de campo

It had a pool. Just what i needed after a long, hot day

New dresses for dinner. We felt beautiful!

Today was different because I was more relaxed during the walk, knew what to expect and had a lot of time to think. My sister Frances was on my mind most of the day. One of the things I learned about Frances, was to be grateful for every moment, day, time that you have. And that was the theme for me today. I felt happy to be on the trail, to be with this group of fun women, to be present and totally disconnected from work and other distractions. I was present, grateful that I could be doing this and enjoying every second of this amazing experience.

I hope you enjoy the pics. Let me know your thoughts!

Much love, Ana