We were still a little sore from the day before, but we were full of expectation because we were meeting my mom and my aunt in O Cadavo to walk the last kilometers with them.The day started perfectly... it was such a beautiful morning with breathtaking views all the way, if you plan to do exactly this phase then go early so you see the sunrise from the mountains.
We had a very good pace, we were planning on arriving to Paradavella around 9h30 in the morning, but after passing the horrifying uphill of Montouto and in the middle of a river, our stroller broke.Noooooo.... we wanted to just sit and cry, Emilia had just woked up, it was around 8 am.
I heard some guys coming and I thought they would give us a hand, they were fairly young, they said good morning, told us that a couple of meters behind they saw our reflecting vest, we told them that the stroller broke and they answered "Buen Camino", didn't even offer to pick up the vest since it was obvious that our hands were full
We had to calm ourselves and think quick; we carried the stroller with Emilia inside (she was on her pijamas) and made a stop just before the Hospital ruins. There we met more guys coming from the road (they took it to avoid the horrifying uphill), they asked us whether we already passed the Hospital ruins, made a remark about the fact that we were carrying too many things, we told them about the stroller breaking, and maybe there was a general hearing problem on people that day because they also said "Buen Camino" and continued.
There we had something small to eat and I made an analysis of what happened, when I put the hooks to be able to pull the stroller, I put them on the wrong end. I used as anchor a moving part that was stressing the part that keeps the stroller together, so if you plan on doing something similar, put the hooks on the frame that sustains the rear wheels.
I felt so bad about that mistake, but anyway I had to come up with a clever way to continue so I convinced my husband to go on with Emilia and the bike, I secured the stroller with ropes and started pulling it.
Going downhill on the way to Paradavella we met our friends of the Primitivo, so the moment we reached the Cafe there, everyone started looking for things to fix the stroller. Our friend Philip took it as a personal challenge and the end result was a stroller that will last a hundred years because he did not only fixed it... Philip improved it; so all the other guys ignoring us didn't matter anymore because the "Camino" sent its real angels to the rescue. Thanks to Patrice, Ian, Reiner, our german friend that lived in Ireland and last but not least Philip... you are the prove that there is still hope.
It took until 11h30 more or less to fix our stroller and after that and with renovated spirits we continued our way to O Cadavo. I called my mom and told her to look for a hardware store.. I knew it was a Sunday and it would be a real challenge but I also know my mom and once she has a mission she would do anything to get the materials I listed on the phone.
We continued on the camino with Emilia on the bike because we were afraid of using the stroller. In the woods before A Lastra, Emilia fell to the side of the mountain and the only thing that kept her from falling 10 meters down to the highway was a blackberries bush full of spines, what a day!!... but Emilia took it very good, she did as I said and didn't move too much so the injuries were minor.
The views were still very beautiful along the way but reaching O Cadavo was very hard because there was a long stretch without cover from the glaring sun. Since it was later that 15h00 my mom started getting impatient and walked from O Cadavo in the opposite direction of the Camino to find us. She made friends with everyone going that way asking for us, we were very popular that day until she found us...How much joy... seeing mom coming our way with a huge smile and ready for the Camino.
Log of the day:
05h00 - 06h00 - Preparation
06h00 - 08h00 - Fast pace walk
08h00 - Stroller broke, our spirits dropped to the underground
11h30 - 16h00 - Paradavella to O Cadavo... Finally the day ended
In O Cadavo my mom found the owner of the hardware store that is the same owner of the funeral home and he opened the store for my mom to get the necessary things to secure and balance the stroller. The owner of the Pension Eligio did the remaining work for us, he saw us so tired and in need of help. He did a wonderful job and the stroller was now going in a straight line without pulling to the side and was so sound that we could go one thousand kilometers more.Hotel we stayed in O Cadavo:
Pension Eligio, very friendly, cozy - on the Camino
Next Stop Lugo....
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