The most beautiful ugly shoes

Today was a hard 16 miles from Vilrinhos to Barcelos. I say hard because with bad shoes every step was a challenge. I took my trekking poles out early and worked hard just to not fall too far behind. 

That said, it was absolutely beautiful. We walked through rural roads, villages, neighborhoods, along so many fields and farms. So often we stopped to stare around ourselves and admire everything. 

Yesterday we met two pilgrims from basque who we waved to on the way by, but ended up being our roommates at the albergue. They seem to be a father and son, and the father speaks no English and very little Spanish but has a really good time trying to teach us his language. We saw them again today in a cafe we stopped at for lunch, and are hoping to run into them tomorrow. 

After the cafe I struggled hard through the last few miles, and the rain soaking through my rain shell did nothing to improve the situation. I was following Carrie and Jo’l, head down, staring at the cobblestones that don’t feel quaint anymore when Carrie exclaimed that a shop had my shoes. I looked up and saw a display of Hokas, and I have never been so happy to see those ugly, comfortable shoes in my life. I rushed in and asked for my size and even though they only had it in men’s (women’s stops smaller here) I gleefully wore them out of the store. I put away the hiking poles and walked like a normal human being the remaking couple of blocks to our hotel. After showers we dropped by a sports store for real rain coats and I got socks that hopefully treat my feet well to go with my glorious new shoes. I forgot to say that they’re also neon yellow, apparently I have a theme here.