PORTUGAL - September 2024

August 30, 2024

I was so excited for this trip, I’d been packed for over a week and was up early in the morning with anticipation!  We had a fantastic summer spending more than half our time at our lake home - a wonderful place to kick back and relax.  But I was ready for adventure again! 

This trip has us a bit more anxious, as there is a lot of unknowns with the Camino portion of this trip.  The anxiety was also fueled by probably spending too much time on the Camino Portuguese Facebook page, with discussions on what to pack, which route to take and places to stay.  I know physically this walk will be no problem, but the unknown of finding accommodations and food is different than previous adventures!

We had uneventful travel, leaving Madison about 2pm with an upgrade to First Class.  Jeff was recognized during the flight for reaching One Million miles with Delta, although many of those were from his Northwest Airlines days (he’s not sure that’s a great accomplishment)!

We had a quick stop in Detroit, then an overnight flight to Amsterdam (splurged for the Delta One lay down seats - wow.  I had to wake JT 30 minutes before we landed).  We had about 2 hours in Amsterdam, an airport we are getting to know quite well.  Found our departure gate, then backtracked to the KLM lounge for coffee and chocolate croissant, and a bathroom for refreshing and teeth brushing!

It was a 3-hour flight to Lisbon.  Probably had caffeine in my coffee though because I did not nap much.  In Lisbon, we claimed our bags - always happy to see them after a transfer at Amsterdam!!  We had checked a small suitcase with clothes and things for Lisbon, and each checked our backpack wrapped inside Osprey “Airporter” bags to protect them somewhat.  At baggage claim we unwrapped our packs as they are easier to carry as backpacks.  Out of customs to the usual throng of greeters offering rides.  I’d pre booked a ride to the hotel, forgoing the adventure of figuring out taxis or trains for now.  That worked well, and gave us a favorable impression of Lisbon on our ride.

We checked into our hotel, Memmo Principe Real (a Marriott Bonvoy property) about 2pm.  We spent some time getting settled, before succumbing to a real nap.  By 5pm, we were in the lobby ready for the hotel sponsored walking tour.

In the lobby, we met Glen and Carol from Colorado also waiting for the tour.  We traded travel stories for a bit, and by the time our guide Manuel came, he thought we were all old friends.  Manuel also works as a psychologist, and was a great guide.  We walked the neighborhood together, with him giving us some history and a general overview of Lisbon and its people.  He described the city as “Organized chaos” and said he never gets tired of the view.  He pointed out places that tourists go, and places where locals go.  In general, he said people here are cynical, and go with the flow.  I can’t wait to do our 5-hour tour tomorrow and try to gain a better sense of what that means!

We spent two hours with him, studying buildings, streets, restaurants and bars.  We had our first Pastel de Nata, a flakey pastry shell with an egg yolk custard (eggs, crème and sugar).  It was heaven on earth, perhaps even better than Pain d’Chocolate (chocolate croissant).  

Afterwards, we had a drink at the hotel bar, which then turned into dinner with Glen and Carol.  Nice evening, and ready for a good night’s sleep!

Sunday September 1, 2024

We set an alarm to get up and showered and have eaten breakfast before meeting our guide, Felipa, for a private overview tour of Lisbon.  She drove us all around in a large van, quite adeptly!  Sunday morning was quiet and a good time to be out exploring the city.

We learned a lot, but were still a bit jet lagged, so of course now I can think of many more questions I wish I’d asked!

Bronze Age archeological findings dates the first civilization here to Roman 1BC to 1AD.  In the 700s Moorish from the north coast of Africa came here (actually not far at all).  In 1147, the first king of Portugal was named, and it was a monarchy / dictatorship until a revolution in 1974.

Everyone that talks history of Lisbon mentions the earthquake of 1755.  Because of that, many of the buildings are uniform and “modern,” by European standards.

Lisbon is a city of seven hills and distinct neighborhoods, which we explored this morning.  Some are Bario Alta - high neighborhood where our hotel is, Róseo square, Alfama near the river, Grassa, Our Lady of the Hill, and Belem where we spent a lot of time.  The Portuguese explorers launched from Belém, and there is a cool Tower which defended the port and Jerónimos Monastery from the 1500s - a gorgeous building. 

We stood in line at Pasteis de Belem - the keepers of the original recipe for Pastel de Nata since 1837 when the monastery closed.  The Experience reminded us of Cafe du Monde in New Orleans!  It was great and now that we’ve had three Pastels, we agree that the original is the best.

From there, we drove back along the river, then up the hill a different way.  We stopped by the Parliament building, and she talked with us a bit about their government and their side from being in the EU.  Then she dropped us back at the hotel before 2pm, and we desperately needed naps by then!  

We rested, and by 5 pm we were back on the street, walking through some different areas that we’d seen from the van, the Chiada shopping area and the Comos Convent.  We shopped a bit, then headed across town to Restaurante Bonjardim, also recommended by Felipa where we enjoyed Roasted chicken with peri peri sauce and a bottle of local white wine.

We walked back down a street with wide boulevards and trees, felt like Paris.  There was a DJ spinning tunes, and couples dancing a mix of salsa/swing that was fun to watch.  The joy in the air was palpable!

From there, we cut up the hill through neighborhoods, enjoying watching families in the little parks and cafes enjoying a beautiful Sunday evening.  Felipa said for many it was a last day of a long holiday, and people would be trying to enjoy every last minute, and that seemed to be the case!

From our hotel, we’d been overlooking this two story house with a crane coming out of the roof, and we were on a mission to find the house from the street!  We did, and it didn’t look like anything special, so the mystery remains!

Back to the hotel, we sat on the patio and drank bourbon and Jeff had a gelato.  Gorgeous relaxing evening!

Monday September 2, 2024

We slept in, then went down for a late leisurely breakfast.  After breakfast, we booked our train for tomorrow, then took a walk down to the river, and along the river for a 5-mile loop. Good to stretch the legs a bit after two days of doing the tourist shuffle.

Back to the room, I did a yoga session while Jeff napped, then we showered and headed out to meet the Food Tour we’d booked for this afternoon. We met Leslie and the 12 of us headed out to six different locations.  We were mostly Americans, with one couple from Iceland (there was another couple from Waunakee!!).

Leslie was a terrific guide, originally from Chile, she studied language in college and learned Brazilian Portuguese, and really struggled with Portugal Portuguese when she moved here three years ago.  Written Portuguese is a lot like Spanish, but the pronunciation is very different.  We noticed some issues with “Google translate” as that is also Brazilian Portuguese!!

Leslie told us there are 3 pillars of Portuguese gastronomy:

*Roman:  wine and Mediterranean diet

*Moors:  fruit, almonds, rice

*Age of Discovery: flavors from all over the world 

We made six stops on our tour and had more food and drink than we could handle, but it was a great experience and a lot of fun.  Each time we sat with a different couple so we enjoyed getting to know each other as well.

#1 Manteigaria Silva

Marmalada (Romeo and Juliet): Quine (fruit), cheese and bread. Port wine, fortified (added brandy which stops fermentation and keeps it sweet).

#2 Solar da Madalena 

Pork Sandwich and Beer

Pork is marinated with white wine and bay leaves, served with mustard and peri peri (hot sauce we had last night for the first time).

#3 Taberna da Baixa

Red wine, Cheeses, Pumpkin jam and Chorizo brought to the table flambé 

#4 Rei do Bacalhau

The waiter plopped a large carafe of Portuguese “water” (white wine) down on each table of 4!

Yummy Seafood with rice

#5 Ginjinha

Cherries fermented in brandy - a drink brought to Lisbon from a former monk.  They say it’s “medicinal” and it did taste a bit like cough syrup!  Reminded me of the Cherry Bounce my dad used to make 

#6 Espacio Alentjo

“Green” white wine from the north coast of Portugal - grapes picked early so they don’t become too salty.  Cod cake - like a crab cake, without much actual cod.

Our tour finished about 6pm - early by Portugal standards, but we were full and quite buzzed!  We walked back up the hill and found a gelato shop a few blocks past our hotel.  The streets were bustling, and it was an enjoyable evening.

Back to our room to finalize what is going in our packs versus what’s staying in the suitcase at the hotel.  I’ll be offering snacks to everyone, as my snack bag seems to weigh more than my small bag of clothes!

Tuesday September 3, 2024

I could hardly sleep last night, anxious to get started on this long-awaited adventure!  

We were up at six, dressed to hike and had the final sorting of what goes is the pack and what stays in the suitcase.  Since our room had a scale, we determined our final weights, which was of course more than our “practice pack” weights!

Packs with water (and hiking sticks):

Susan 18.2 lbs 

Jeff 20.8 lbs

We had breakfast and the hotel arranged for a driver to take us to the Lisbon Oriente train station.  We arrived about 30 minutes before our train, which was perfect.  We were relieved to find that Portugal followed the same system as virtually all European cities, easy for us to figure out.  We had 2 seats, facing backwards though, in the first-class compartment.  We read, napped, read and napped for the three-hour journey.

We arrived in Vila Nova de Gaia just after noon.  I’d selected this station on the south side of the river as it looked like it had the shortest walk to the Cathedral, which is the official start of the Camino Portuguese (you can walk it from Lisbon and even further south, but it’s not well marked or supported).

We walked the 1.7 miles to Cathedral using Google Maps, with some uncertainness!  Over a viaduct and a large bridge, that had a lane for the street car, and for pedestrians (cars must have been underneath).  The Cathedral is undergoing renovations, so there was some confusion about where to go to get our credentials stamped.  While in line to pay to gain entry to the cathedral, pilgrims coming out wished us our first “Bon Camino” and I was surprised at the wave of emotion that washed over me!

We got our stamp and headed out into the hot and windy afternoon.  We saw few official markers, but basically, we just had to get down the hill to the river, and keep the water on the left!

The waterfront was active with walkers, cyclists, runners and people on electric scooters.  It was mainly a well-developed waterfront, with buildings in various states of repair, from very nice to almost bombed out looking!

About 4 miles in, we were ready for a break.  We were almost at the end of the river, and we stopped at a shady spot and had a coke and a snack from my bag while we rested our feet and legs.

We rounded the corner, then we were walking along the ocean, and it was stirred up today!  There were people on the beaches, but no one swimming and the life guard stations had red flags flying.  We walked through a beautiful park, where we were delighted to find public toilets!

We continued up the coast until we came to Matosinhos, where I’d booked accommodation through Expedia - a nice updated house with rooms, a common hot tub in the little courtyard and breakfast in the morning.  We asked about a stamp for our credential, and were directed to go to the Tourist Information office at the beach.  We showered, did some sink laundry, and headed out to get our stamp and some real food.  Lucky for us, the TI was open until 7p and we got our stamp and bought scallop shells for our packs (signifies we are pilgrims), but not good was most restaurants don’t start serving until 7p and we were hungry and exhausted.  We searched until we found a family run seafood place where we shared Couvert (olives, bread and some kind of spread), a fresh salad and seafood rice for two and a carafe of green wine.  It really hit the spot, and I felt good about being adventurous eating (I’m taking the heads off my own prawns now)!

Back to the room for some tea and chocolate (I’ve carried two bars this far and it’s time to lighten my load).  San, Matt and Janet are at the MSP airport and we’re so excited to see them tomorrow!

Walked 8.4 miles / Spent $238 on food and accommodation 

Pilgrim’s Blessing:

Almighty God, you who has called your servant Abram out of the Chaldean city of Ur and watched over him during all his travels, you, who were the guide of the Hebrew people in the desert, we ask you to take care of us, your children, who, for the love of your name, start our pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

Be for us companion on the way, guide at the crossroads, strength in weariness, defense in danger, shelter on the way, shade in the heat, light in the darkness, comfort in despair and firmness in our intentions.

So that we, with your help, might arrive safely at the end of our journey and enriched by grace and virtues, might return safely to our homes, filled with everlasting joy.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever.

May the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with us and remain with us always.

Amen

Wednesday September 4, 2024

A cup of tea, some chocolate, and a game of cribbage and then a great night’s sleep.  I didn’t even wake up until 8am!  I did some yoga, we went down to breakfast, then packed up and we were out walking by 10am.  

After three blocks, we rejoined the route and began to see pilgrims - a lot of pilgrims!  So many pilgrims that it increased our anxiety about finding places to stay in the evenings.  We’re fine tonight, but after that we’d planned to “wing it,” however now we are second guessing that plan.  We’ll have to discuss with our team members tonight!

We were walking doing a street in the business district, when a man standing at a cafe was hollering to the passing pilgrims that he had a stamp!  Well, we were anxious to get our new credentials stamped so we took him up on it.  It was a great business model as once we went into the cafe, he asked if we wanted Pastel de Natas, and even though we had just had breakfast, of course we did!!  We got them to go however.

We joined the pilgrims heading north along the waterfront.  It was a gorgeous clear day, although a stiff breeze blew from the north like yesterday.  About 2 miles from Matosinhos, the Oceanside paved trail turned to boardwalk, and our route generally followed a gorgeous boardwalk the whole way.  Besides the great view and walking surface, there were clean public toilets and drinking fountains nearly every kilometer.

There were ample spots for taking breaks, and we took one at mile 3 to eat our pastries, and mile 6 for another snack.  Meanwhile, we were leapfrogging pilgrims, and they us as we took breaks at different times.  Other than “Bon Camino” greetings, we didn’t have extended conversations with any of them - heard many different foreign languages being spoken however!

We’d heard from San that they were in Frankfurt and ready to board the plane for Porto, but then nothing more.  I can track her phone and saw they were in the Porto airport, but then it stuck there (she must have turned off her phone).

We arrived in Labruge about 1pm, likely too early to check into our accommodation so I suggested we sit at a cafe and have lunch.  Labruge is the first fishing village we’ve come to - clearly out of the bigger city of Porto now!  Lots of locals out on the Main Street, eating and talking in an animated manner.

We sat at a cafe and figured out you had to go inside to order, so I did that.  I was having a hard time explaining I wanted 2 ham and cheese sandwiches, so the clerk called a younger worker over who spoke great English.

After lunch, we stopped at a supermarket and bought fruit, nuts and beer since we were close to our accommodation.  We walked past a campground and kept going to the address Google maps was taking us to.  It looked like a house, and I had some uncertainty, but I rang the bell on the gate.  I woman answered and I told her my name and that I had a reservation.  She responded in Portuguese.  We repeated that a few times, and she finally came out.  I tried to show her the reservation on my phone, but she pointed down the street.  It was then I recalled that our reservation was for a “bungalow” in the campground - duh!  I am just now wondering if others have buzzed her gate before that she knew where to send us!

We checked in and walked back to our bungalow - like a little trailer with two bedrooms (3 beds) and a sofa bed … plus kitchen, bathroom and a nice porch.  It’ll do for the 5 of us for one night!

We showered, did our sink laundry and were relaxing outside when we got a text that they were at the gate.  We gave them instructions and soon they were walking down the lane - impressively, they walked 5 miles from the airport after an overnight flight!

We had a beer, they changed and we walked to town (about 1km).  They were hungry and anxious to see the ocean!  It was about 5pm and cooling off already, but we were smart enough to grab our puffy coats tonight!

In search of dinner, we found a Tapas place with fun staff and had an adventurous dinner:  stout beer, Port & Tonics, shrimp, mussels, clams, salad, bread, potatoes, salmon and sardines!  Jeff had asked about a melon looking thing on the bar, and they sliced it up and brought it to us for dessert!  After that they brought us bread that appeared to be soaked in olive oil … Jeff finally got them to bring the check so they’d stop bringing food!

After dinner, we made another stop at the store and bought a few things for breakfast and some additional snacks.

We headed out to our place and the Arrivals were understandably very tired.  I was anxious to make a plan for tomorrow: how far to walk and where would we stay? When we decided where to go, I started looking at accommodations on the Camino app and found everything already booked. I know there are places that don’t appear on the app, but I just couldn’t see showing up at 5pm when you’ve hiked 15 miles and are exhausted, and then have to do a room search. I found a hotel with 2 single beds for €100 per night - Matt and San were too tired to be dealing with it, and it wasn’t clear to me if they wanted to share with Janet or if they all needed to book - stuff we’ll have to work out as we go! Janet did book an apartment where they’ll stay, about 20 minutes from our hotel - stay tuned!

Walked 8.79 miles / Spent $255 on food and accommodation 

Thursday September 5, 2024

Our little cottage has paper thin walls.  Sounds of cabin mates snoring, dogs barking, kids crying didn’t make for a good nights sleep.  Our bed and pillows were rock hard, so I stuffed my puffy jacket to use as a pillow, and laid on top of my puffy sleeping quilt for additional padding, that helped a bit but it was a restless night.  At 8am, our cabin mates were ready to go in search of coffee.  They headed out to the resort restaurant while we ate our yogurt and bananas and packed up for the day.

By 9:15am, we were on the coastal path heading north.  It was sunny and warm, but most of us had thin long sleeve shirts on - it was very windy!!

We came to Vila Cha - another adorable fishing village, and enjoyed the creative mosaic work on several buildings in town.  Just before town, the boardwalk was under construction and we had to walk on the beach for a bit.  I took the time to take my shoes off and walk barefoot on the beach - it felt fantastic.  There was a cafe with chairs and a cute scene of “beach people” made from what looked to be recycled products and Super Bock hats!

We continued walking - more of the same, boardwalk, sand, cafes, and lots of wind.  It was a bit overcast and the temperature was very comfortable.

Just before Vila do Conde, the boardwalk was being completely rebuilt and the route was detoured on to city streets, then onto the dunes.  We climbed onto the partially completed boardwalk (no railings or corner junctions) and walked that into town.  There the route went through a residential area, then across the bridge and to a bustling city.  We were ready for lunch, but only saw fancy restaurants serving large lunches.  I googled “sandwich shop” and a Subway sandwich store appeared just off our route so we went there.  It was a nice break.  Jeff and I ordered a “foot long” each and planned to have the other half for dinner.

Across the street was a sports park where we found clean toilets and a place to refill our water bottles.  From there, we rejoined the trail along the river and then back to the Atlantic.  

Next we came to Póvoa de Varzim which was the most vibrant city we’ve been to so far.  Lots of creative statues and art, and a whole wall of tile mosaic depicting their history, which seems logically based on the sea (fishing, exploration and shipwrecks).  We took another extended break there before continuing on along the sea.

The other three had an apartment just north of town, so they peeled off there.  Jeff and I continued along the boardwalk another 1.5 miles to the hotel we had booked, Santo André Hotel.

Along the way, we watched an elaborate sea weed processing production in play.  They’d have a pile of fresh seaweed, people would spread it out in a thin layer presumably to dry.  Then a tractor would pile the seaweed up and into a bale and they would cover it in plastic.  Is it for fertilizer, food?  At one place we saw it looked like they were being used as a base to rebuild a dune?  We’ll never know, I guess.

We checked into the hotel - a bit dated, but nice, clean and quiet.  We had a room with a balcony on the beach side.  We showered, did laundry and hung our clothesline outside where our clothes dried quickly!  

We ate our left-over subs and collapsed into bed - too exhausted to even play cribbage!

Walked 15.2 miles / Spent $161 on food and accommodation 

Friday September 6, 2024

Camino Day Four - just under 46 miles in.  We are really enjoying it and finding our rhythm.  Eat, hike, eat, rest, hike, eat, rest and hike some more.

Today was cooler, overcast in the beginning of the day with a little drizzle in the middle … we all got out our rain gear, but probably didn’t need it.

We walked boardwalks along the coast until Agucadoura, then headed inland.  We walked past an agricultural area with many small fields and greenhouses, yet we were still walking on raised boardwalks!  We had our morning break at an eclectic home with free will snacks and drinks, and messy grounds as it appears they allow camping!

From there we walked into Apulia, where the costal and literal routes merged resulting in many pilgrims - those on bicycles as well!  We walked down to the beach for a lunch stop.  I wasn’t hungry and the din of the cafe was messing with my mojo, so I sat outside and worked on my blog.

Up the coast again, the we turned inland to Fao to cross the Rio Cavado.  We wandered through really old wonderful neighborhoods - amazing to think of all that could have occurred there over the last 300 years!!

Across the river, we were in Esposende where we stopped at a cool stop decorated for the Camino, with vending machines and a “souvenir” shop where San and Janet bought scallop shells, and I bought a bracelet and stickers.

We followed the arrows for the coastal Camino and they led us through a really cool plaza in town with restaurants and shopping.  Jeff stopped in a Pharmacia and was able to buy batteries for his hearing aids there.

Three more miles to our destination, an apartment we had rented in Marinhas.  Nice walk there along coastal dunes, except for the bikes on the boardwalk!!

Our apartment is ok, not great.  We have certainly stayed in worse!!  We could not get the stove working, so when we went to the nearby grocery store, we picked up soup that we could microwave and cheese & crackers, cookies, wine, beer and things for breakfast.

A low-key night, watching some YouTube TV and relaxing.  The place isn’t terrific, but it is good to have the gang together.  Jeff and I got the double bed tonight, Sandra and Janet have the room with the single beds, and Matt’s taking the couch!

Tomorrow we head inland for a change of pace, destination:  Viana do Castelo.

Walked 13.5 miles / Spent $191 on food and accommodation 

Saturday September 7, 2024

Awesome day #5.  The Camino Portuguese has 4 different routes:  the Central Route, the Variante Espiritual which includes a boat ride through the world’s only maritime stations of the cross, the Coastal, and the Senda Litoral which follows the actual coastline.  We have been following the coastline, but today opted to take the Coastal.  Today we climbed a bit more, went through some really cool towns and saw over a hundred other pilgrims!

We walked through what seemed like a continuous village for the first 4 miles.  We enjoyed peering into the gardens and looking at their landscaping and architecture.  We stopped at a church that had a water fountain and clean bathrooms.  Fewer cafes on this route, but great trail markings and adequate water and toilet stops!

We stopped at a cafe that had a few pilgrims and also many locals.  We bought coffees and hot chocolate and had snacks from our packs.  The locals were drinking beer and wine (it was 10:30am).  The locals would greet us with cries of “Bom Caminho!”

After about 4 miles, we entered a magical forest with pines and eucalyptus trees!  The smell was amazing!  It was the first time we employed our hiking sticks and we were glad we had them!  It felt great to be hiking on a path over rocks and roots as opposed to boardwalks and cobblestones?

We came to a river with a small stone dam / bridge where the trail crossed.  We took the opportunity to take a break and some of us soaked our feet.  Blister on my little toe where I used to have a callus before I started getting pedicures regularly!  It’s not bothering me however.

We continued through small neighborhoods and alternated woodland paths where we basked in the scent of pine and eucalyptus and enjoyed the shade.

As we approached the village of Chafe, we could hear loud, festive music, which was unusual.  We wandered through the village and came to an actual festival!  There were food trucks and drink stands set up, and Jeff and I decided we needed a cheeseburger and the others needed a beer!  As we were waiting, a parade gathered and went by - mainly drums, and a few accordions.  It was fantastic.  There were 5 different groups, and they made a loop around the little church square.  Some ladies in costume were starting to gather, but we didn’t hang around to see what happened next.

We continued on and started to pass a lot of end of day stragglers who appear to be in pain.  As a group, we’re all doing well so far - good conditioning.

We booked a family room in the hotel - Matt and Sandra have the queen bed; Jeff, Janet and I each have a single bed in a separate small room - one bath to share.  Needless to say, we’re all getting more comfortable with one another!

Out for a beer until the pizza restaurant opened at 7pm.  Salad and pizza, with some leftover for tomorrow’s snack!  We finished the dinner with a couple glasses of Grappa.  Jeff tipped the server well and he brought two more glasses of Portuguese Grappa, which was awesome!  We will look for some of it to take home.

Walked 14.3 miles (average 32 minutes per mile) / Spent $106 on food and accommodation 

Sunday September 8, 2024

Long day today - 17 miles!  Had I paid more attention when making accommodation reservations, perhaps we’d have split the day into 2?

I used ear plugs and had a great nights sleep.  The five of us are doing ok sharing one bathroom and living in cramped quarters.

We had continental breakfast on the sixth floor with a gorgeous view of the city, and headed out shortly after 9am.  The city was quiet on Sunday morning.  The only people out were dog walkers and pilgrims.

We had some navigational issues as we left the city, but managed okay.  It was a steady climb, yet I was disappointed that we didn’t go past the castle looking structure we’d seen from the other side of the river.

Today was warm without much breeze, which meant we were bothered by bugs for the first time this trip:  flies and ugly moth-like things that bit!  I started out the day in a sleeveless shirt, but wrapped by scarf around my shoulders to keep the bugs away!

We hiked a good pace through residential areas with the occasional view of the sea.  Many of the properties seemed unoccupied, seems strange?  At 4 miles in we took a break in the shade.  Just after 6 miles, we hit the first town, Carreño, where there were many pilgrims at the first cafe - too many for us to get a stamp!

We walked by a fancy “farm to table” outside restaurant, would have been a nice leisurely place to stop, but we knew we had to keep moving.  We found a nice spot for a break at a river down the path.  Then we climbed a pass, nothing much really but our book made it a bit dramatic.  A temporary cafe was near the bottom of the path, and we stopped in there for sandwiches and cold drinks.  

We wound through more residential areas outside Ancora, and as we got closer to the sea, we realized there were a lot of people walking along with us and said “maybe there’s another festival!” and there was - a big one!  Drums, people in costume, carnival rides, a flea market … lots to take in.

We were back to walking along the coast after that, about 5k of paved path and then the last 2k down a sandy path through a pine forest.  Happy to get checked into the campground where we bought a bottle of cold vino verde and beer.  We quickly settled into our bungalow, showered, did some sink laundry and headed to the campground restaurant for an okay dinner.

We walked to the river, hoping to see a sunset but there was a peninsula blocking our view of the ocean.  Pretty colors anyway, and we saw the boat that’ll take us across the river to Spain tomorrow!

Good day - I feel proud of the distance we’ve hammered out, and the way we’re making this adventure happen!

Walked 17.5 miles / Spent $261 on food and accommodation 

Monday September 9, 2024

So the “bed race” is real.  We have been trying to book two nights in advance, but the issue is knowing how far we will want to go each day.  For tonight, we were excited that I’d found another camping bungalow near Oia.  However, last night after our 17-mile day, we realized it was NORTH of Oía.  In addition, we did not really know where the water taxi would drop us in Spain, so our estimated mileage for the day was questionable.  I tried to push tonight’s reservation back one day to give us a break, but it couldn’t happen, so we went for it.

We discovered that Spain is in the same time zone at the rest of Europe, while Portugal for whatever reason is not?!  So, it was 10 am before we really got hiking.  At three miles, we got to A Guarda and did a supermarket stop as the book said services are limited on today’s route (correct!).  That took about an hour, so I was feeling anxiety about our day as we set out from there.

The hike was gorgeous - coastal paths, not paved or boardwalk, with alternating stretches of walking along the highway in a yellow painted lane of our own.  

We had just one opportunity at a cafe before Oía, and we passed on it, taking breaks on our own, and peeing in the woods.

Lots of pilgrims out, a few we recognized from previous days, but most were new to us.  The locals are friendly, and most call out “Buen Camino” as we pass (now that we are in Spain, it was Bom Caminah in Portugal).  It’s cute, even little kids on bikes call it out as they pass us by.

We’d noticed boats and divers along the rocks just off shore, and then started seeing locals sitting next to their cars “shucking” some kind of sea urchins.  Of course we did not understand what they were, but we did understand that they’d be served at local restaurants!  Some additional research and we think they are Gooseneck Barnacles, a delicacy served in this part of Spain known as “Percebes.”

When we got to Oía, there was a taxi van there and it was 4pm.  I was advocating for taking the taxi to the campground, then taxiing back in the morning, but no one took me seriously.  We needed to find an ATM, so Google took us back to the highway and then the Camino Ninga app helped us reconnect with the route.  I stopped in a nice hotel just to inquire about vacancy and the man at the reception shook his head no and added “it’ll be impossible to find a room anywhere near here!”  

Still 4 miles to go and we were feeling it.  My inclination is to power through as fast as I can without breaks just to get it over with.  Jeff and I ended up ahead of the others.  We got checked in and raided the minimart for wine and more snacks, exiting the store as the others arrived.

Our bungalow is nice - three tiny bedrooms and one tiny bathroom.  We had ample sunshine to sit outside and enjoy the evening.  The restaurant serves only take out starting at 9pm (bedtime), so we had several more trips to the minimart to cobble together dinner and buy stuff for breakfast.

Showers, then down to the shore for a gorgeous sunset.  We booked a home for tomorrow night in Baiona, just 10km (6.4 mi) away so we WILL have a lighter day tomorrow.

Walked 17.1 miles (95 total) / Spent $175 on food and accommodation 

Tuesday September 10, 2024

Everyone slept in today after two long exhausting days!  It was 10:15 am by the time we’d eaten breakfast and packed up and were posing for our morning selfie.

Day Eight on the Camino Portuguese!  We had a much deserved easier day, just 6.5 miles to Baiona where we rented what’s turned out to be a fantastic apartment.  

The hike was gorgeous, mostly away from the coast over a pass - shaded with the relaxing smell of pine and eucalyptus.

We stopped at the only cafe we saw today for sandwiches and coffee.  A wonderful little respite spot where the proprietor was working so hard … it seemed to be his house where he added a counter and sitting space to the side, with a beautiful yard with additional seating and two baños.

We arrived at our apartment about 1:30pm and were so happy they let us check in early.  We had an afternoon of lounging by the pool, doing actual laundry versus washing clothes in the sink, and napping … then we walked into town and did some shopping, had a few beers and a great Spanish dinner where we tried the delicacy of Gooseneck Barnacles and Seafood Paella.

We stopped in a large grocery store on our way back up the hill, probably spent 45 minutes there - foreign grocery stores are so much fun!  We bought a small bottle of wine to go with the chocolate we bought yesterday.

We’ve sketched out a tentative plan for the rest of the week, and I’ve booked accommodations for the next two nights - always a surprise to see what we end up with, but tonight’s has been amazing!

Walked 6.5 miles / Spent $435 on food and accommodation (bought dinner for the group) 

Wednesday September 11, 2024

We had our first disagreement about a mile into the route.  We were following the Costal route out of town, when I looked at my app and saw the alternate Litoral route along the water.  I suggested we head down to that, but Matt plowed along up the hill without discussion.  I looked ahead and saw the two routes connect at a bridge in A Ramallosa and hollered we would wait for them at the bridge.  Janet went with Matt.  Sandra, Jeff and I walked an enjoyable route along the coast, but it was unsettling to have the group fragmented.

After a 10-minute wait at the bridge, they arrived and we were able to have a discussion about what route we were going to take.  We stopped at the Information booth and got stamps and a map for Matt showing the alternate route most of us wanted to take.  I’d say tensions remained medium-high the rest of the morning, but personally I didn’t let it mess with my mojo.

We walked along a waterfront and then a large beautiful beach with an active boardwalk.  We stopped at a cafe where San and Janet got a coffee while the rest of us sat on a bench eating snacks.  We hiked up and over a hill/peninsula to another beach and I must admit I was frustrated when San and Matt wanted to stop for lunch (we’d just had a 45-minute coffee break!).  I took a breath, took my shoes off and enjoyed a barefoot walk in the surf.

From the beach we had a steep climb up the hill, over a river, then steep descent.  Other pilgrims were cutting up to the highway, but we went down and across a small secluded beach which was empty except for two dogs that accompanied us across the sand.  Then back up an even steeper hill, and a stretch along the highway that wasn’t great but we powered through it.

 Back down to the waterfront, then through a nice neighborhood where the houses were built on the water and we had just periodic glances at it.  We stopped at a beach cafe for cold drinks, ice cream sandwiches and a WC, then continued on to tonight’s hotel.

We were greeted by the owners, who let us choose our rooms - one for me and JT, another for the others.  Photos don’t show the character of the place.  It’s old, but well maintained.  We chose a room with a soaker bathtub and that was heavenly for me!

San and Matt went to the store and bought wine, cheese and crackers and we had a little before dinner party on our patio.  Then Jeff and I headed out to find dinner at a restaurant.  It appeared some were open, but when we got there we learned it was just drinks until 8pm when the kitchen opened.  So, back to the grocery store where we found salad kits, guacamole and carrots, more cheese and wine.  We returned to our patio and had a fun evening there.

Back in the room, I started working on figuring out how we’re going to get back to Lisbon and it seems it’ll be a little trickier than we first anticipated … but that’ll only add to the adventure!

Walked 12.3 miles / Spent $271 on food and accommodation 

Thursday September 12, 2024

Day Ten, and the routine is getting tedious.  I find myself thinking of how great it would be to be lounging around at our lake home, versus packing up the backpack, eating strange food and sleeping in different beds with awful pillows every night.  But it’s been a great experience and I’m glad we’re doing it and we’ll keep plodding on towards Santiago de Compostela.

After breakfast, we headed out along the beautiful beach Playa de Vigo.  My energy was low and I plodded along behind the gang.  There were several pools, a lazy river, an outdoor roller-skating rink and various collections of exercise equipment spaced along the path.  It was fun to think about how crazy this place would have been a few weeks ago in the height of the summer!

We rounded the corner and then were walking along the Ría de Vigo towards the town of Vigo.  Our peaceful walk turned chaotic as we were walking along a busy seaport, and our lane was torn up and was actively being worked on.  The river must be huge and deep, given the size of the boats that were being built!

We walked about a mile in the chaos before changing to the other side - still industrial and not pleasant.

At 4 miles, we stopped at a cafe and ordered coffee / hot chocolate, and got our first stamp of the day.  With our hot drinks (€1.30 each), we were served a ham and cheese panini, 2 muffins and 4 cookies!  Starbucks is going to feel like a rip off next week!  

We were all quite exasperated and hadn’t really even gotten into Vigo yet.  I was a proponent of taking a taxi out of town, and Matt was suggesting we use Google maps to find a better route.  At the end, we agreed (?) to keep walking and follow the red line.  We did end up going through a really cool business district with high end shops and fruit trees in the boulevard.  Then through a park area, past the train station, and along a busy street with shops that was about a mile long up hill.  And then, we really started climbing!

It was warm and we were working hard.  At the top of the hill, about six miles in, we sat on the sidewalk and had lunch and peed in the trees.  We started seeing pilgrims about then - who knows where they were before that, maybe in taxis?!

We walked about another mile along the ridge on streets, then finally onto a dirt path in the trees - a beautiful forest, which was a calming presence after such a stimulating day!

We had periodic views down the Ria de Vigo, fun to look all the way back to where we had started in the morning!  We could not figure out all these platforms in the river - some with boats / small cranes.  We used the binoculars and still could not figure it out!  Later, Siri helped us learn that they’re Bateas, Galician mussel and oyster farms.  Ropes are dangled from the wooden platforms, and they use a crane to pull the rope up to harvest the mussels and oysters.  Amazing!

About a mile from our destination, Redondela, we started heading downhill - steep, and more painful than the uphill!  We met Rosa, who let us into the apartment we had rented for the night - $105 for two bedrooms and two bathrooms, Janet is sleeping on the coach again.  San and Matt went to the store, bought beer, wine, and the fixings for salads and pesto pasta.  Nice early dinner, then time to relax and plan out the next few days.  Just one more day / night together, then they’re heading out on the Spiritual Variant, while we hope to reach Santiago de Compostela on Monday and begin our travel back to Lisbon on Tuesday.

Walked 14.8 miles / Spent $114 on food and accommodation 

Friday September 13, 2024

Day Eleven of Camino Portuguese.  Feeling much better this morning after a good night’s sleep and rested feet.

On the path by 9:45am, late start but I think we’re all feeling the drag of these consecutive days.  It was a nice walk through Redondela, as we did not see much of the town yesterday.  The shops were just opening up and traffic was a little hectic.  We stopped in a Natural Food store for some fruit and a stamp for our credential.

As we walked out of town, we started seeing more pilgrims - some familiar to us, some new, mostly women.

We walked up hill for awhile, then along a nice woodland path, and then down a steep hill before we came to the small village of Arcade.  We stopped at a nice cafe there for coffee and snacks, then walked through town and over a bridge and started walking uphill again when Matt declared it was time to stop for lunch?  I got out my poncho and JT and I took a nap since we’d just eaten 15 minutes ago!

The afternoon was mostly nice trail, still up and down, but not as extreme as this morning - over 1500 ft of elevation today though and we are all feeling it.  The forecast was 80 degrees and sunny, and that was wearing on us as well.

As we got into Pontevedra, we saw an Aldi and stopped for dinner and breakfast groceries.  We still had 2km to go to our rental apartment - a nice stroll through town.  The neighborhood deteriorated as we approached our apartment, but it’s a decent 4bdr 2 bath on the 4th floor, with a washing machine and clothes line on the balcony.

We showered, and Matt and San made us Smash Burgers, with beer, wine and chips.  We ate and watched a little TV but by 8:30p we were all having a hard time staying awake.  

Walked 14.2 miles / Spent $187 on food and accommodation

Saturday September 14, 2024

Camino Day Twelve

Morning routine completed and we were out the door and on the street at 9:45am.  Seems late, but here in Spain, that’s kind of early.  The city was just waking up, and then from about 2p til 5p, lots of places still close for siesta!

We walked together for about two miles, then San, Matt and Janet turned off on the Spiritual Variant.  We were together for 10 nights, but the time seems to have gone by in a blur!

Jeff and I continued on alone.  Felt really odd for the rest of the day.

The coastal route has joined with the central, so there was not a time where we weren’t in sight of another pilgrim, generally groups of pilgrims.  All sizes, shapes, nationalities, and abilities along the way. Even pilgrims with babies!

We came upon 4 young Spanish men that were in a field posing for photos with a cow with horns - seemed dangerous!  We stopped to take a break and they passed us, but we soon passed them again going uphill.  We stopped in a cafe in San Amaro State bought cokes and ate sandwiches we had brought, and then they came into the same cafe - drinking beer, smoking cigarettes… no wonder we were able to pass them on the hill!

Another hot day, in the eighties with no breeze.  We missed the coast!

We passed Hikers reciting the rosary, seemed like the guy was talking in Latin and the ladies repeated in English.  I guess it can be a walking meditation for some in that manner, but I prefer silence for my connection to the spirit!

With 3 miles to go, we stopped at another cafe for Ice cream sandwiches.  Great break on a hot day.

The whole afternoon we walked through Vineyards, with harvesting taking place.  Fun to see the farmer drive the tractor right under the trellis!

We chatted with more pilgrims since it’s just the two of us now.  It’s always fun to try to guess what nationality someone is, I’m about 50%!

Since it was just the two of us now, I had the thought that it’d be easier to “wing it” with accommodations.  But looking at the photos and descriptions of the albergues and hostels:  bunks in shared rooms and shared bathrooms and decided that wasn’t for me!  Back to Booking.com, I booked an apartment for tonight and hotels for our last two nights.  Luckily, I’m proficient with Whats App and Google translate as that’s how we’re getting directions to get into the apartments, lock box codes for keys, etc!  

Tonight we have a tiny efficiency apartment, just $84 and right on the route.  We showered and went out at 6pm in search of a place offering early dinner - no such luck! We grabbed a table at a bar along the river - mostly pilgrims for customers and lots of pilgrims still coming into town.  The kitchen opened at 7 pm, so we stayed there for a fantastic dinner - salad for me and Salmon for JT.  

As we finished about 8pm, the guys were just coming across the bridge - must have had a LOT of beer stops!

First night we were out in just shirts with no jackets - away from the coast and the days and nights have been significantly warmer.  We walked around town a bit, stopped in the grocery store for breakfast items then back to the room for Cribbage (I skunked him!).

Windows open to get fresh air, but town is very noisy (Saturday night).  Will need ear plugs!

Walked 14.25 miles / Spent $179 on food and accommodation 

Sunday September 15, 2024

Day Thirteen

We started out from Caldes de Reis at a quick pace (3 mph).  We climbed quickly out of town, and the surface was fantastic - shaded lane through a forest and along small villages and farms.  

We came upon a guy with two dogs with tracking collars and he held some kind of electronic device, where it looked like he was trying to recall a third dog.  Ten minutes later a car came down the lane pulling a small trailer containing dogs - probably for some kind of hunting?  We saw a similar car and trailer a few kilometers down the road, and thought we heard shots being fired - no idea though.

We had our first break at for a lunch stop at 5.5 miles. We encountered even more pilgrims than yesterday, some familiar, some not.  Also saw the couple with the baby again - yikes!!

Most of the day was on fantastic trails through shaded woods.  As we reached Pontecesures, we had a more urban setting and it became apparent that it was a very hot day (86 when we finished).  We took a break in a nice shaded park overlooking the village.

We reached Padrón just before 3pm, and found the city bustling with a flea market.

Checked into our hotel:  Corona de Padrón and spent a few hours relaxing, napping and reading.  By 6pm, we were showered and famished.  The front desk clerk told us about a restaurant around the corner that was serving dinner now - a rare find in Spain!  We arrived and it was chaotic with large tables of locals, drinking and smoking, and all talking very loud, fast and at the same time!!

We weren’t sure what we’d communicated to our waitress, but we ended up with a nice bottle of wine, scallops for a starter (amazing) and each with a different kind of fish, not sure what they were, but it was good!  Served with too many boiled potatoes and I had cooked peas with mine.

Being Sunday, all of the grocery stores were closed, but we found a candy store that had ice cream and bought some to eat as we walked the town.  We found a central plaza with lots of bars with outside seating occupied by pilgrims and locals alike.  We strolled the streets for a bit and the park in front of our hotel, watching some kind of duck/goose grooming itself for a long time, and a seagull surfing the rapids and then flying back up to do it again!

Nice day, but we’re looking forward to finishing up our Camino tomorrow!

Walked 12 miles / Spent $258 on food and accommodation 

Monday September 16th

Day Fourteen - we finish the Camino Portuguese!

Met up with two nurses, one from Canada and one from Washington State.  We passed the first 4 miles quickly, trading stories with them.  One had done the Camino Frances and it was good to hear the differences between the two.  As a solo woman, she said it was harder for her to connect with others on the Portuguese route.  Also, this route had larger towns while the Frances is primarily little villages.

Today, we did walk through a series of small villages, at least until we were about 10km from Santiago. The first five miles were hard surface, cobblestones through urban areas.  After that, we had a five mile section of nice trails which were mostly shaded.  We wound through small villages, not many people out and about but lots of cats, including three little kitties that we getting a lot of love from passing pilgrims.

Our map showed primarily climbing the first half of the day, and downhill the second half … but the reality is this part of Spain is very hilly - no flat land anywhere!

The day was hot again without much of a breeze.  We thought fondly back to our breezy days walking along the sea!  For the first time, I dunked my “cooling towel” in a water faucet and we took turns draping it on the back of our necks - provided great relief from the heat (and now I can say I used everything I brought along).

We were directed off route to the “last” cafe on the Camino, which was a very hopping joint - busy with pilgrims and locals.  We had a great chat with two ladies from Idaho - one had previously done this route and was back with a friend.  Also, her son is doing his medical residency in Madison.

Back on the route, it was hot.  I was desperately hoping for a water spigot for my cooling towel, but we were now entering suburban Santiago and all the water spigots were paved over!

We pushed along at a fast pace, anxious to be done.  With about 3km to go, the trail splits.  Our book said there isn’t a preferred route, but one was 0.6km shorter so we took that one!  Soon we were climbing a hill in a busy shopping district in the hot sun, and I thought of our day in Vigo!  We saw no more yellow arrows or post signs (must have been on the other route), so I pulled up the app several times to ensure we were on the red line (we veered off once).

We walked down a crazy pedestrian area with souvenir shops and happy people out drinking beer, and then we were in the big plaza in front of the cathedral.  Lots of people milling around - large tour groups with earphones following their leader … but we couldn’t figure out where the pilgrim check in was, and our red line ended!  We asked around and were directed down a level and along another street to the office.  

We were directed to a terminal where we entered our names, start date and location and probably some other information and then were given a number and ushered to another line.  When our number was called, we presented our credential with all of our stamps, and were issued our certificates.  After that, we exited via the gift shop where we bought a tube to transport our documents.

I felt like I should “feel” something, but I was kind of numb.  We slipped into a little chapel, and sat there for a few minutes while poignant pilgrim messages flashed on a screen.  We walked out and back up to the cathedral.  I directed us around the other side as that’s where our hotel was, and all of sudden a wall of emotion washed over me.  What a privilege to do this walk with two of the most important people in my life.  How thankful I am that we are healthy and able to have the time and resources to do this.  It might not have been the most physically taxing thing I’ve ever done, but it wasn’t a walk in the park either.  Every day for 14 days, we strapped on our 20 pound pack and walked into the unknown, with faith that it’d all work out fine, and it did.  Better than fine, in fact.

We checked in, showered, dressed in our same clothes again - orange Title Nine dress for me, white shirt and grey slacks for JT, and went out.  First stop was the inside of the cathedral - WOW.  I’d say it rivals St Peters at the Vatican.  Wow!

Then off to the madness.  We stopped at the first restaurant where we saw people eating outside - before 7pm!  We scored a table on the edge and watched quite a parade of people walking by!  Young locals, tourists of all kinds, and those that were obvious pilgrims (sock tans, no makeup, probably wearing the same outfit they have been wearing each evening like us). We had a great bottle of Rioja, and a Seafood Paella which was fantastic!  We chatted with a couple at the next table, an older expat couple who moved from Sedona to Portugal!

After dinner we walked to find a gelato, then heard a drum band across the street in the park so we crossed over to watch that.  They were awesome - drumming and dancing, more talented than the drummers we’d seen in the parades that appeared to be just beating the crap out of their drums!

We walked up a side street and I was drawn into a clothing store.  Can’t help it - I just love clothes and I’m so tired of what I have with me!  I bought a new sweater and a scarf and I’m so happy!!  I even got a cute little bag, so I’ve packed everything but my clothes and my toiletries in my backpack and won’t touch that stuff until we’re home in Waunakee!

Walked 16.5 miles (185 miles total) / Spent $321 on food and accommodation 

Tuesday September 17, 2024

I was sleeping so soundly when my 8am alarm went off.  We were in bed by 10pm last night, but the accumulation of our 14-day trek has left us both exhausted!

We got up and dressed - felt so good to put on my new sweater and have something different to wear!   We went down to explore the hotel’s continental buffet (no eggs and their pastries were a bit on the dry and lumpy side versus light and flakey).  After breakfast, we walked back to the shop to buy the brass scallop that we’re going to challenge our landscaper, Cory, to embed in our patio up at our lake house!

The hotel had arranged for a driver to take us to the airport, where I thought I’d reserved a Hertz rental car.  However, showing my confirmation to the man at the desk he noted I had reserved pickup at the Santiago train station (duh!).  With a wonderful attitude, he said “most problems have an easy solution” or something to that effect, and found us a car anyway.  He said many times the mistake people make is doing the reservation for Santiago, Chile!  At least I got the correct city.  With trepidation, he told us about the manual transmission and was a bit shocked when we said that was not an issue for either of us.  He gave us the keys to a sporty red Opal 6 speed … I learned to drive a stick on a not so sporty yellow Opal 4 speed!

We navigated our way to the Autopista (AP 9) with no issues, thanks Google Maps and good communication between the navigator (me) and the driver (JT).  Once we were flying along the highway, we were amazing by the hills of Galacia!  We were up by the windmills that we had viewed as we were walking over the last several days.

We progressed backwards through the villages we’d just traversed through:  Padrón, Caldas de Reis, Pontevedra, Redondela and Vigo - over the bridge that we’d seen from different angles two different days.

We weren’t far from Portugal when we could see the smoke from the wild fires.  We’d heard about the fires, but hadn’t realized the breadth and severity of the fires.  Nor did I know that Google Maps can display all the fires.

We crossed into Portugal, over the river we’d crossed by boat more than a week ago.  In the distance we’d see thick smoke, sometimes go through patches of thick smoke where the sun was occluded and the sky was an eerie pink.  Then patch of blue sky, then a plume of smoke from actual fire, and sometimes even flames.  We drove on, both wondering if it was smart to be traveling through a foreign country that was on fire, me rationalizing that if it wasn’t safe, they’d close the roads, right?

We exited the highway for country roads to cut over to the Douro River and the hotel I’d booked.  As we saw walking, the roads themselves are tricky - narrow, curved and hilly, with impatient drivers.  At one village in a roundabout, the police had blocked one exit due to fire ahead, but we were heading in a slightly different direction.  On our route, we passed through a cluster of homes where flames were burning along the road and people were using hoes and garden hoses to combat it.

We entered the river valley where the wind was blowing the smoke along the river - kind of beautiful in a sad way. We parked our little red Opal in the hotel garage and took the elevator to reception, arriving just after 1pm … feeling a slightly numb state of shock.  Our room was not ready yet, but the receptionist suggested we head up to the pool bar for lunch - awesome idea.  We ordered the yummy Port & Tonics made with sweet white Port wine … really hot the spot.  The outside pool was really amazing - long and narrow, with the wind whipping it in waves and wafts of smoke flying by.  A few sunbathers were out there, but it didn’t seem like a great idea.  Our eyes and lungs were feeling the effects of the smoke even while we were inside!

Then we checked in, changed into our swimsuits and headed to the spa.  They had a different kind of “hot tub,” it wasn’t very hot and had three different kind of powerful jets.  We hung there awhile, then went to the outside pool where I had all I could do to swim two lengths!  Then it was time for our massages - aaaaaah!  Worth the trip!

We relaxed a bit more, then dressed (orange dress for me, white shirt for JT) and went down to the restaurant for a wonderful dinner:  a bottle of Vhino Verde, fish soup for JT,  bread, butter, pate and olive oil (the couvert), monk fish for our entrees and an amazing brownie with ice cream for dessert.  

A game of cribbage (I’m up 4:1) and we were ready for sleep!

Wednesday September 18, 2024

I was awake before by 7am alarm and got up to do some meditation and yoga -  both much needed and neglected over these past few weeks!

We showered and headed down to breakfast.  Before I fell asleep yesterday I thought about Pastel de Nadas … and of course they had them!  It was the first thing I ate.  Best breakfast we’ve seen this whole trip and we’ve had a lot of good buffets!  We stuffed some fruit in my bag, and I resisted more pastries!

At 9am we were back on our rental car.  Google said 4 hours to Lisbon and the A1 from Porto to Lisbon is open again, but some fire areas on the edge of where we’d be traveling.

JT found his grove with the shifting, hills and curves … to the point where I began to feel car sick, a rare phenomenon for me!  There were some amazing views of the river and the opposite bank with terraced vineyards, but all viewed through a cloud of heavy smoke.

Forty-five minutes into our journey we started to see active fires, groups of firefighters, and large patches of burned hillsides.  At a roundabout, there was a policeman detouring us a different way.  We just blindly followed the cars in front of us.  Our Google Maps of course kept trying to route us back to where we’d been, but we kept going.  The cars turned left up a mountain road where both sides were still somewhat smoldering.  The line on our map turned red, which would mean closed.  The drop off on my side of the car had me whimpering like I do when I have to go to my happy place.  We kept asking each other, “are we being stupid?” but neither knew how to answer that question.

We came to a village and the cars turned off, but we decided to stick with Google.  I’d been really turned around, but using both phones, I figured out we were approaching the detour from the other side.  We approached another roundabout where there were stopped cars and emergency vehicles, but no one seemed to want to stop us from making a right turn.  We could see flames and firefighters up to the left, but we were on an open entrance way to the autoestrada!  Somehow, that felt like a major relief to us.

We soon turned onto A1 towards Lisbon, still smoke in the air and spots where both sides of the highway had burned (which is why it was closed yesterday).  We stopped at a rest stop for a quick break, then back on the road to Lisbon.  Jeff figured out the cruise control and the Opal had adaptive functions much like our Audi, making the drive a little easier.

I noticed the route to our hotel goes right by the airport, so I asked Jeff if we should drop off the car today and cab to the hotel - an option that sounded pretty good after this journey! 

We got to the airport and dropped off the car about 1pm, and got a taxi to our hotel.  We got a nice greeting from the staff who were eager to hear about our Camino.  Our room was ready, and there we found a plate of sweet treats and a bottle of champagne chilling, along with the fixings for Port & Tonics. We mixed those up and gobbled up the sweets.  

We hit the street looking for a wine store, which we found just a few doors down with a helpful young woman.  We bought a bottle of Portuguese Grappa, White Port and Vinho Verde.  She bubble wrapped them so we hope they’ll be secure in our checked baggage!

We went back out and found a fun temporary market set up in the nearby park.  We split a ham and cheese sandwich and had a beer.  Then we walked a few blocks, stopping in a few stores and enjoying the vibrant town.  It was fun that it’s so familiar to us!

 Back in our room, we repacked our bags and ordered a burger and salad from room service and enjoyed that with our champagne while we vegged out watching TV.  Early to bed and hoping for a smooth travel day tomorrow!