Vila Chã, 5th October 2023

Buen Camino,

I couldn’t wait to wake up last night. I was just so excited. Also, I was just so freaked out. At 3 am, panic hit me. My hips began to hurt. If you’re planning the pilgrimage to Santiago, I do not recommend spending the two prior nights on a fold-out sofa. Especially if that sofa keeps unfolding even while you’re sleeping. I propped my legs on a pillow and tried not to think about starting the trip with a limp thanks to my already genetically imperfect hip joints.

I woke up twenty minutes before my alarm and left forty minutes after the original plan. I bought a banana at the corner shop and met an older couple from Alaska. We exchanged the very first Buen Camino.

Then I hit the road. I cheated a little. According to the rules, you should start at the Cathedral. But the route led right past my hotel, so I just went straight on. The best part was that I didn’t care. My journey, my rules.

The walk was amazing. For five euphoric minutes. Then I met two pilgrim girls. They were slower, they must had been walking for about an hour from the Cathedral, and my energy levels must have really annoyed them. But soon, I got annoyed too, because I didn’t walk fast enough, so I had them hanging on my back. Plus, my back began to hurt. For twenty minutes, we waddled in a line like three little ducks. Each of us was probably worried that the others would steal her bed in the albergue (pilgrims' accommodation, more on that later).

I wondered if this would be my whole trip, constantly chasing someone or fearing being chased. And then I saw a playground with a swing. My backpack (nicknamed Elephant) flew to the ground. I went for a swing. The best decision of the day. Because suddenly, everything felt better. I was no longer racing anyone. And later on, I even got used to the weight of the backpack.