Camino Pilgrim

A lot of logistical planning went into this one. To get a stamp from Kõpu church the priestess organized it to be at the cafe across the street just for me. The lady who runs the cafe agreed to open the door before official hours just so I could get my stamp. Halliste church office lady was out of town, so instead I agreed on my arrival time with another local. I ended up with a warm bed and hot shower above the local library building. I have the place all to myself.

The trail itself was very fast and enjoyable. There was a short section after Kõpu on the local main road, but it quickly turned into empty gravel roads flowing through fields and forests.

I arrived in Uue-Kariste with little to no effort. I took my hiking sticks with me just in case I get issues from the last foot injury. I had no problems all day. The next 7 kilometres starting from Uue-Kariste village had the perfect little wooden bus pavilions to sit and relax in. The last bus pavilion was Rakitse at a crossroad from where there is 6km into Halliste village. I took a nice good half hour break there. I was in no rush because I discovered that the local grocery store in Halliste was already closed anyways. Luckily I have enough trail snacks to have a small dinner.

Halliste village had two black horses greeting me next to the entrance. They seemed busy eating all the tall grass. Locals were doing gardenwork, mowing the lawn or even construction with heavy machinery on a Saturday evening. There was a sign that the whole area is full of security cameras. A very active village for sure.

The church itself is a kilometer out of the village next to the school and skatepark. The library that they house pilgrims in is another kilometer further. It’s all worth it for a warm place to sleep in and its donation based once again. I already left my donation in the church coffers as I am not sure even where donations are left in the library for pilgrims.