Day 8: Taking the Bus

The sunrise over the Puente de los Santos (Saints´ Bridge) from my albergue´s rooftop in Ribadeo

Day 8

Biking the Camino del Norte, Camino de Santiago

Ribadeo to Abadín by bus

Here´s a video I actually took on Day 7 of the somewhat scary bridge into Ribadeo. The biker coming towards me and I had to do a bit of finagling to get around each other on this narrow space. Once on the other side, I had officially crossed into the province of Galicia.

The albergue where I stayed along the river Eo in Ribadeo.

The albergue I stayed in here was almost right under the bridge, so early this morning I had a great view of the bridge and nearby village all lit up from the window by my top bunk bed. I walked out on the roof and watched the sunrise as I considered my plan for the day. I was acutely aware that it is hard for me to sit and stay put; I have to fight the urge to keep moving and biking instead of taking time to focus and center myself on God. It is so easy for the destination to become the goal instead of the goal simply being to connect with God and enjoy the process.

I decided to take a day of rest today and go by bus from Ribadeo to Abadín (about 50 km/30 miles). I had heard warnings from other cyclists of an 11 km/7 mile incline within that stretch, and the visions of me pushing my bike uphill for that long were utterly unappealing. So since I’m not hard core nor am in this for the bragging rights, I am opted for the break. (*Note for those preparing for the Camino: I found out later I could have taken a bus from Lourenzá to Abadín and only been on the bus for 25 km and still would have avoided the insane incline).

Since I had time to kill before my bus, I biked around the coast nearby. Climbing down and sitting amongst the rocks watching the seaweed and sea anemones swaying in and out with the crashing waves was incredibly soothing. My thoughts wandered back to all my uncertainties about what I should do with my life, but the phrase, “Be still and know that I am God” entered my thoughts.

Where I spent my morning near Ribadeo

I have continued to simply repeat this phrase every time worries creep in and it helps me relax and not feel stressed. It is such a waste of my mental and emotional energy to debate and ponder endlessly. I trust that in the moment I really need to make an important life decision, God will give me what I need in that moment to make the right decision, and until then I can just let it go and enjoy the current moment. Anyway, those are some of my thoughts from my Camino. They are simple and obvious but so easily forgotten!

After my bus ride, I met 4 Spanish cyclists in the albergue. We all went out to dinner and of course I was given a hard time about my bike and how uncommon it is to take one like mine on the Camino. It was a great time of memories, sharing food, drink and stories from the Camino together. After hearing all their war stories from the 11 km incline, my decision to skip it was affirmed! Tomorrow is supposed to be a flatter day for the bike. We’ll see!