9th stage: Portomarín - Melide (38 km)

After not having many problems with my knees the day before, this stage was another torture. I began walking with Ephraim and Fran, but after my knees started hurting again as well as my heels and toes in recent times I couldn't keep their speed and felt behind. But the pretty thing about the last days 'til Santiago was, that Fran, Fernando etc. were always waiting for me to have a break or a beer together, so I kept on being motivated and forgot plans to stay in Palas de Rei, respectively to walk a shorter distance. The problem was that I had to leave Santiago on Thursday before Easter to be back in Germany on time, so if I would shorten the distances I couldn't spend an extra day in Santiago to celebrate the arriving apart from losing my new friends. That's why I grit my teeth, cut my socks to feel more comfortable on my toes and completed the second hardest day after the first one at half past eight and almost 12 hours of walking in Melide. As a reward we had a delicious dinner in a cozy restaurant specialized for octopus ("Pulperia") together with 2 German girls, Fran got to know in the hostel and the 3 Spanish women (Anna, her aunt and their friend). After the adorable old ladies had a bit to much wine we had to escort them back to the hostel and as if this wasn't enough, the door was already closed so we had to climb through a window, which was fortunately open.