Final Porto Day

Walking to our pickup location for a river wine cruise, the organization making location changes, playing the game and finally giving in and canceling—- admiring the charm of Porto in the rain and feeling really good about walking and the experiences to come … I missed a sidewalk.

Not a big miss. Not dramatic. Just enough to remind me that cobblestones + rain + overconfidence in the moment and not watching my feet ——bad things happened. One second I was on a mission —the next? I was executing an unintentional interpretive dance move… ending in a perfectly rolled ankle (not part of the plan).

Graceful? Not so much. Memorable? Absolutely.

Now, at the time, I did what any determined (some call me stubborn) person would do—I kept going. Because clearly, I am ready for the Camino, and all that it brings—-what’s a minor ankle roll in the grand scheme of things——RIGHT???  Age is just a number. 

12 hours later, my ankle had other plans.

What started as “I’m fine” slowly turned into “Okay, maybe I’m not entirely fine,” and finally finished on “There is no way I’m walking back to this hotel.”

Enter: Uber it is!

Nothing humbles you quite like calling a ride in a city you were confidently exploring all day… because your ankle has officially resigned from duty.

The driver, of course, was fantastic!  I, because I am invincible, was trying to pretend this was all part of the plan—like, “Yes, I always take a car after a full day of walking. It’s called balance.”

 So here I am, elevated, slightly wiser—-ego not fully in tact.

Lesson learned: Porto is stunning.
Rain makes everything different.
And sidewalks… demand your full attention.

Camino prep, apparently, includes learning how to walk all over again.