Day Nine - Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis

Today was probably one of the hottest days we've had. The heat weighed us down more than we knew and didn't mix too well with walking 21kms but we all made it in the end. The most challenging part of today was getting close to the hotel. It seems that as we become more aware of where the hotel was we started to struggle to keep our legs moving and yet we kept  walking. Somewhere between 5-7kms from the end is where most of us felt as if we were walking through thick sludge in a mangrove. Everybody so far hasn't actually complained much  which is great because it helps others focus on the path ahead. 

When we were in Tuy we were told that we'd find four things on the pilgrimage: ourselves, some sense of community, nature and most importantly God. In general I think God has given us the strength to continue to walk this far.  Today I for one, started to feel as if I was on a real pilgrimage not just because we're starting to form a different perspective on our faith but because each reflection and prayer we say seems to be bringing us closer to God. As we hiked up and down hills we had a chance to think, clear our heads, and reflect. This allowed us to become more aware of who that person is hiding inside us. 

We had a huge, but very beautiful landscape to take in today, not to mention the unique Spanish architecture you see in every building we past along the track. The track wasn't so bad either, it wasn't like yesterday or the day before where we were so tired after climbing up steep hills. In fact from our previous hotel to this one, Hotel Cruceires, the track was pretty much flat compared to others we've walked so far, stony but flat. 

We passed other pilgrims today and it was so amazing to see them with high spirits after walking so much. They were from Spanish parishes and they sang and sang and no one complained. It was great to see other pilgrims and just talk to some who knew English. As we walked we shared stories with each other. The huge group that passed us today was actually interested in where we came from. Its just so amazing how many have traversed the Camino and you don't realise how many do it until you see it for yourself. It's just amazing. Overall today was beautiful and gave us a wider view on ourselves, our faith, and mainly our gratitude. 

Today we take so many things for granted and then you get to see how people half way around the world live, it's very different to how we live in Australia. We have so many things to be thankful for and today's trip gave everyone a different perspective on everything especially our gratitude. From travelling up and down rocky and somewhat wet paths, today was a great experience as we felt more in-tune with ourselves and everyone around us. No matter how sore we are we find our resilient side and carry on. No pain, No gain.

Buen Camino