Page 21 of Every Step She Takes
“It’s a booklet where you collect stamps along the Camino.” We step forward in line, and even though the nun at the front desk greets us in English, I respond in Portuguese out of some weird instinct before I turn back to Sadie. “You must get two stamps each day of your Camino, and you get them from restaurants, shops, and albergues. Those are hostels specifically for pilgrims.”
“I know what they are,” says the woman who didn’t know why the Camino started at a church. The nun hands her the blue-and-white accordion booklet.
“As long as you complete at least the last one hundred kilometers of the Camino, you use the credentials to get a certificate when you reach Santiago saying you completed the Camino.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you get a certificate? Like, what’s the point of it? Does it get you free stuff or special discounts?”
“No. It’s just, like, a souvenir.”
Sadie flips through the mostly blank pages of the booklet suspiciously. “I don’t get it. Why would I need a certificate saying I finished the Camino? I’ll know I completed it.”
I don’t have an answer for that. I grab my booklet and turn away from her.
By the time we make it back outside, the man in espadrilles is gone, and a small circle has formed around Inez, including Bike Shorts, Giant Camera, and Old Butch. “Six, seven,” Inez counts, pointing to me and Sadie as we join the group. “Perfeito! That’s everyone! Welcome, pilgrims! Bom caminho!”
Bike Shorts hoots in response, and Inez adorably pumps her fist in the air. “Yes! That’s the kind of energy I want to see! I am so happy you have all decided to join me in this transformative experience. I cannot wait to get to know each of you better,” Inez singsongs like a Disney Princess addressing her flock of woodland creatures. “Tonight, we will have dinner as a group and do proper introductions, but for now, we have a journey to begin!”
This time, Giant Camera and another femme with peekaboo platinum streaks in her black hair hoot along with Bike Shorts. Inez radiates pure joy.
“Today we have a short, twelve-kilometer walk to Matosinhos, on the coast just outside Porto, to ease us into the Camino. We’ll take things slow and give ourselves plenty of time to stop for photos and water. Public restrooms are also marked along the route in the app. Did we all download the Camino app? And if we get separated for some reason, please reach out in the WhatsApp group chat.”
There’s some confusion as Inez passes around a QR code for the app, and a woman with perfectly coiffed, bottle-blond hair and a full face of makeup loudly struggles with what an appis, but Giant Camera steps in and helps. Technology finally sorted, Inez clarifies, “I know some of you literally just stepped off the plane, but you will have the chance to get supplies in Matosinhos this afternoon. Sound good? Any questions?”
There are, in fact,manyquestions for such a small group, and after another thirty minutes of tedious details about the trek, we take a group photo of the eight of us crowded around the trail marker. I end up next to Sadie again, and her long ponytail brushes my bare arm.
“How many Caminos did you say you’ve done?” she asks me as we begin our descent from the cathedral down toward the river. Her cheeks are pink, and her eyes look the exact color ofthe sky in this lighting, and she has her zip-up tied around the narrow of her waist, emphasizing her staggering curves. And I definitely need to avoid her.
I grab my headphones and sling them around my neck. “You know, I’m pretty tired from traveling, so I think I’m going to put a podcast on and zone out,” I say. Very casual, very indifferent, very much not staring at her freckles.
“Oh,” Sadie says as I cover my ears and lose myself in the white noise and the steady steps of our walk away from Porto.
From: Wells, Sadie
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2025 9:13 p.m.
To: Wells, Victoria
Subject: Draft of first blog post?
Hey Vi,
Here’s what I have so far for my first blog post. Am I on the right track at all???
Day One: Porto → Matosinhos (7 miles)
About two miles into our journey today, I discovered there were several things I did not know about the Camino when I agreed to do this trip for my sister.
I didn’t know the walking would start as soon as we got off the plane, and I wish I’d had the chance to shower the jet lag off first.
I didn’t know that we would be walking an average of 12 miles per day, starting with a 13-mile (!) walk tomorrow.
I didn’t realize the Camino is a religious pilgrimage, or that it would start in the Sé do Porto Cathedral.
I knew, in theory, that I would have to carry my possessions on my back, which is why I bought a $500 pack from REI. But I didn’t knowwhat carrying my possessions wouldfeellike. It fucking hurts. My neck is strained from the weight, and my lower back is pinched and aching.
