After a great night enjoying the ancient town of Coimbra, I left early, and alone. My anxiety of not fitting in, and not being able to connect with people weighed on my mind, as heavy as my legs, and the grey sky above. The sun had barely risen. It was humid already, sweat dripping off me. I walked out of town with two Spanish women. Together, we navigated the labyrinthian streets, casting our headlamps around searching for the yellow arrows, leading us north.
The day consisted mainly of road walking. I held my head down, lost in my thoughts. The night before Agata, asked me how I feel when I travel. I immediately responded that I feel more like me. Traveling, with a few possessions on my back is where I feel the most at home. I asked her how she felt. “Inivisible”, she said. I think that is a great way to think of it. People ignore you when you have a backpack. I like to go unnoticed.
I walked for 16kms mulling over everything. Finally, I found a small cafe and ordered a coffee. I ate it in silence with the remainder of the breadrolls I bought the day before from the woman in the small town. I also picked up some juicy tomatoes in Coimbra. Here, now, is everything I need.
I finished my meal and walked on through a deep eucalyptus forest. Everything was silent, save for the rustling of the wind and leaves until I started hearing the occasional pop-pop sound of rifles. I kept walking until I saw a number of pickups, parked on the side of the trail. Men, dressed in camouflage lounged against the vehicles, shotguns propped against them. The hunters eyed me up and down, before nodding as I passed. I guess I was scrawny enough to not be worth the effort.
Eventually, I made it to the small hamlet of Mela. I was exhausted and drenched in sweat. I sat, eat a fruit tart and drank a coke. After 25 minutes, I started walking the raining 5km. I needed to walk alone today, but couldn’t help thinking of the hiker saying “never quit the trail on your worst day”. I had really focus on that to keep me motivated. Sometimes you just have a bad day.
Right before Sernadelo, Claudia caught up with me. We walked the remainder of the section together, his company raising my mood. We check into a simple albergue with a small cafe beside it. I showered, changed, and washed my gear, before settling into a chair at the cafe to edit a few photos. We are about 3 days from Porto, where I plan to take a rest day.
