Valenca to Tui

My first day back on the camino was only going to be 3 kilometers from Valenca to Tui.  Across the bridge and up the hill.  But I wanted the test to be short and easy and not leave me in the middle of nowhere if there was a problem.  I was not the last to leave the albergue in Valenca but it was early and I needed my coffee.  There was a cafe open - okay, hip is fine, coffee in hand.  I'm hitting on all the cylinders.  But nothing was open yet in Valenca so I just continued to Tui.

This the Portuguese side of the border under the bridge.  This a two level bridge trains above and cars and pilgrims below.  Adios Portugal and thank you for a very unusual camino.  Any camino is a testament both the neccesity and futility of planning.  Buy the guidebook, work out an itinerary and start walking and everything goes according to A PLAN but not neccesarily mine.  The camino always presents unexpected challenges and welcome surprises.

Now I'm in Spain looking back at the hilltop fortress of Valenca.  And not just in Spain but in Galicia.  Galicia is one of the remote corners of Europe, along with Ireland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany where the Celts found refuge from all the European invasions that came after them.  Also, the actor Martin Sheen's father was from Tui and immigrated to the US.  Martin Sheen, aka Ramon Esteves, starred in the film "The Way" which is a story about the Camino de Santiago de Compostella.

Always nice to know where I am.  As long as I'm on the camino then no worries.  But this looks uphill, oh well.

The cathedral in Tui.  The style is consistent but this one has peaked Gothic arches rather than the round Romanesque arches of previous churches.  I found the municipal alburgue and was refused entry because I hadn't walked far enough that day.  I understood the rationale, keep beds for the long distance walkers, but I have been on this camino longer than 95% of the pilgrims that stayed there that night.  I found a private alburgue and everything was fine.  No worries, mate.