Day 11 Redondela to Pontevedra 20.1 Km You knew it was inevitable—RAIN! Just a mist or a drip all morning. You could hear the flapping of the rain gear as pilgrims went between ponchos on or ponchos off. There are many more pilgrims now as the central and coastal Portuguese routes have merged. Young and old were puffing as they conquered the first very tough nine km this morning. Ray snapped a picture of the elevation map when we were partway through. The dark clouds enhanced the atmosphere as pilgrims passed over a medieval Ponte Sampaio. On a historical note, the Spanish defeated Napoleon (France) in 1809 on this exact bridge. On a lighter note, the rain also brought out the frogs. As you pass through the old villages you often see abandoned laundries. The townsfolk, probably women, would gather here to wash their laundry. Now you just see still green water and hear ribbit, ribbit. It was a day of pilgrims looking after each other. When I stopped to change the bandages on my feet within seconds another pilgrim stopped to ask if I had enough supplies. One pilgrim stopped beside the road, unable to go on. Immediately a group gathered. They spoke different languages but had some English in common. “Let my friend help..she’s a nurse”, one offered. The saying is “The Camino Provides”. As things get tougher it becomes even more important to support each other. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. Day 12 Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis 23 km I never imagined a life walking under vineyard trellises in Spain, but that was our day. A little longer than yesterday, but a little easier and powerfully beautiful. Yesterday evening in Pontevedra we visited Igrexa da Virxe Peregrina which roughly translates church of the pilgrim virgin. The church is circular and very unique in appearance. Since the late 1700’s they have dressed the Virgin Mary statue up in a cape and a pilgrim’s hat. She has ten different outfits that they cycle through. To each their own—Meaningful for some, but not my thing. In contrast, early this morning we passed Santa Marie de Alba. We could hear the sound of mass so we slipped in. There were only six parishioners and one other pilgrim. The father noticed us at the back and asked in Spanish if we wished to receive a pilgrim’s blessing. I didn’t have to be asked twice—I can use all the blessings I can get😄 He asked me where I was from and then placed his hands on my head and prayed for my walk, my heart, and my life. I was so moved by this moment. We ate at the hostel tonight because the lunch break was exciting enough. We stopped at a small roadside cafe where many were ordering Chorizo Inferno. Your dish has sausage on a little spit and they set your meal on fire! We did a walk around Caldas de Reis to find the thermal baths. They are supposed to have healing properties so I made sure I gave my feet a good soak. Did you notice our snazzy new yellow safety vests? The Guardia Civil was handing them out free to pilgrims in the square. Lots of pilgrims—lots of cars. We are staying safe out there. You are always in my Prayers. Love Mom.
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Day 9 Baiona to Vigo 2 km + a BUS You’ve heard the saying when the going gets tough the tough get going. Well, there’s another saying: not every bad day can become a good day. There was no trying that was going to get me through yesterday. I will spare you the details, but I got very sick in Baiona. We did the smart thing and took a bus from Baiona to Vigo—we weren’t the only pilgrims on the bus😄 Resting up to bring the energy to day ten. Day 10 Vigo to Redondela 20.77 km Last night our two-star hotel was fabulous. Ray went crazy over the juicing machine and probably murdered a half dozen oranges before we headed off. We could still see the coast and some pretty fabulous bridges, but we are definitely heading inland. We enjoyed a Spanish tortilla for lunch and are staying at a lovely hostel overlooking the vineyards. But, before I close off, let me talk about some of the pilgrims we met today. Heading out of Vigo we were inspired by a company of about fifty pilgrims walking with an organization called DisCamino. DisCamino is a project aimed at realizing the dream of people with different challenges to complete the pilgrimage to Santiago. Some with physical challenges were being pushed in wheelchairs or bicycle wheelchairs. Some with sight challenges were being assisted. Some were singing at the top of their lungs. But what they all were was smiling. They had the best Buen Caminos. Speaking of singing, let me share a little bit about another pair of pilgrims we keep meeting. Whenever they pass us they yell, “Hey Canada”. They told Ray he reminds them of Ichabod Crane (google it….not sure this is a compliment). They are about seventy-five and fast. One blasts a song by Foreigner on his phone. Every time the phrase “I wanna know what love is” cycles through he throws both of his arms up in the air. They are hilarious. Perhaps a different kind of inspiration? You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. Day 7 A Guarda to Pedra Rubia,Spain 24.79 km
Today was a long but beautiful walk along the coast. We have stayed in varied accommodations but tonight’s is especially unique. We are in a mobile home in a trailer park all to ourselves. As I write I’m watching the waves of the Atlantic Ocean crash on the beach. This is the most relaxed we have been in days. Today was an especially lovely day practicing our Spanish with locals. In Oia, someone tried to give us half of her loaf of bread because she wasn’t sure we were going to make it to the market in time. Opening times are something we have had to learn to watch carefully both in Portugal and Spain. We aren’t used to grocery stores shutting down for a couple of hours in the middle of the afternoon. Also, restaurants will often close after lunch and not open again for supper until seven or eight in the evening. I realized I haven’t talked about the encouraging piles of rocks we pass along the way. Sometimes it’s locals leaving us a message and sometimes it’s pilgrims. Some pilgrims carry a rock in memory of someone, or to represent something they are struggling with. Today’s rocks were mostly happy. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. Day 8 Pedra Rubia to Baiona, Spain 10.7 km Overnight the rain thundered on the roof of our mobile home. Predictions were that we would be walking in the rain all day. Surprise, surprise—perfect weather. Everything about today has been perfect. Last Camino we walked by Spanish Paradores and said SOMEDAY! Today is someday—we are halfway and we’ve treated ourselves to an overnight in a castle. It is everything I dreamed of and more. But let’s back up just a little bit. Partway to our destination we were starving. Nothing seemed to be open (we’ve talked about those tricky restaurant hours before). Then we passed a restaurant that said opening at one and it was exactly one. Now, here’s the problem it looked pretty fancy. When we are walking we do NOT look pretty fancy. Ray asked to see a menu before we went in and the prices looked reasonable so we headed in backpacks and all. They were so kind. They brought our sparkling water with fancy glasses, an ice bucket with tongs, and a plate of freshly sliced lemons. Ray finally got to try grilled sardines. Pretty sure he ate an entire school of fish😄 They even treated us to complimentary lemon sorbet for dessert. When we asked for a pilgrim stamp they said “Of course”. It was as if they see grubby pilgrims every day. When Christopher Colombus’ boats returned with news of the “discovery” of America the destination chosen by the captain of the Pinta was Baiona. His boat was the first to arrive in Spain. I like to imagine that someone was standing right here on these castle grounds when they heard the news. Something substantial has been on this site since Roman times (60 A.D.). A castle, more like what we are experiencing, has been around since the 16th century. It will be back to basic accommodations tomorrow. Tonight we are enjoying walking the ramparts, taking selfies with the armour, and eating the very posh chocolate orange ice cream. You are always in my Prayers. Love Mom. Day 5 Viana do Castelo to Vila Praia de Ancora 19.5 km Last night we stayed in basic rooms above a fancy restaurant. A pilgrims' breakfast IN in the fancy restaurant was included. We woke up to the smell of fresh buns baking down below. It was a bit of a giggle to sit around in our stinky hiking clothes with linen napkins and fancy glasses. Best breakfast yet! We stuck mainly to the shore today and saw the best-preserved windmills yet. These even had blades. As we walked we could see men wading in the tidal pools collecting something. Ray hopped the wall to see if he could figure out what it was and we are pretty sure it was muscles. I wasn’t hopping the wall for anything today. A bit of a pulled back muscle from our long walk yesterday. Today my best friend was a pharmacist who fixed me up for tomorrow. Boy, do I appreciate his kindness! Day 6 Vila Praia de Ancora to A Guarda, Spain 12.27 km On the Camino Portuguese, there are a wide variety of routes. Today I’m pretty sure we put several pieces together to create something that was truly ours. Heading out of Ancora, even though it’s a little longer, you can choose to walk through a national forest. So, off we went after our morning coffee at a roadside cafe. Almost as soon as we exited the forest we could see Spain across the river. We knew we had to cross by boat, but technically it should have been further ahead in Caminha. A very friendly and very convincing local in a booth beside the shore convinced us we could cross there and even had a map for when we reached the other side. Five minutes later we jumped in a water taxi and headed for Spain. The “new” route hugged the coast to A Guarda. Because it is the road less travelled it felt like we had the walk all to ourselves. We passed through a quirky forest that had an art installation. One was a labyrinth painted on three trees. You have to stand in just the right spot to line up the pattern. A Guarda has quite a bit of street art. Mixing the modern with the old town gives it a funky feel. Today’s blessing? We had just entered A Guarda and a car pulled over to the curb on our side of the road. The driver jumped out and rushed toward me. I had no idea what was happening. She grabbed my wrist and put a ribbon bracelet on it. “Buen Camino” she shouted as she jumped back into her car. The bracelet says “A Guarda Camino Portugues da Costa” I love the random acts of kindness of the locals we meet here. Today was shorter because we had the boat thing, but it will be a longer walk tomorrow You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom.
Day 4 (early) Esposende to Viana do Castelo (28.74 km) Mostly off the coast, so fewer camper vans today. They do tend to just park up anywhere. Apparently, you can pull up your RV in Portugal for free for up to 48 hours. Enough about camper vans, I want to talk about Jam and a Tortoise. We almost get giddy when breakfast is included with our accommodations. This morning was no exception. They even had almost regular whole wheat bread. Once I figured out how to use the toaster I wandered over to check out the jams. I’ve celebrated trying out the different jams here in Portugal. My favourite is sweet tomato—pumpkin not so much. Mid-morning we noticed an arrow pointing slightly off the trail announcing a cafe. We thought it was about time for breakfast number two. A bunch of pilgrims had gathered since one Euro for coffee was a great deal. Next, our host started bringing out plates of sliced oranges, peanuts, and biscuits with jam and honey. “Pilgrim special”, he said… “on the house.” We were already having a great time when we noticed a good-sized tortoise crawling around the floor. He called him “my dog Pedro”. Can a coffee stop get more interesting? Lots of hills. A little sore, but we did see a Stork and a Eurasian Jay. Is that good luck? You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. Day Three: Just a bit over 20 km Póvoa de Varzim to Esposende Sitting out on the balcony of the Mira Rio Hotel looking over the Cavado River. The blisters have started, but my feet are up and I’m celebrating a perfect day on the way. Today was a mix of boardwalks above the dunes and cobblestone paths through forests. It was nice to have a bit of shade. As varied as the path are the nationalities of the pilgrims we have met along the way. We’ve met a lot of Germans, Czechs, and one very personable Irish fellow. He has a cousin who fell in love and moved to Moose Jaw. We had to break it to him that was days away from us. He also had the most spectacular sunburn I’ve seen in a while. What we haven’t met so far are any fellow Canadians. We passed many abandoned windmills and thriving crops in the fields—lots of garlic and potatoes. After a few kilometres we notices that small bunches of flowers had been attached at unusual spots on homes: the gate lock, the window latches, and the door knobs. We hadn’t noticed this yesterday so we looked it up. Well, today is the first of May, so it makes sense. It is a Maia tradition in Northern Portugal. Flowers are attached anywhere evil might creep into a home. Aside from the runner who ran by and gave me a fist bump and a bom caminho, my favourite moment today involved an egg. It was about halfway through the day and we found shade under a giant tree we could rest against. We got out our boiled eggs, Portuguese bread, and some salty olives that were in a zip-lock bag. There were no sounds except the click of pilgrim poles and the birds in the trees. All we had to do was eat and breathe. This is why we walk. Life is simplified down to eating, sleeping, and walking. Love it. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. Day Two of the Portuguese Coastal/Littoral Complete! We were intending to walk 19 km but “accidentally” completed 24.2 km. I’ll get to that, but first, let’s flashback to Day One. We’ve been told there are fewer pilgrims on the Camino Portuguese, so we headed off early to the Porto Cathedral with no real expectations. As we rounded the corner to the pillary we were swept into a small gathering by an eager Peregrino. “Come, Come…the priest is giving a pilgrims' blessing”, he said. We joined the circle, were properly blessed and added another stamp to our pilgrim passport. About forty pilgrims, some walkers and some bikers, some headed for Fatima and some for Santiago, left in good spirits. Of course, the kind greetings of the locals wishing us bom caminho always brighten the day. The walk is incredible. We chose the right path. We have been walking by the water for two days and the crashing of the waves never gets old. It is the weekend so there are plenty of surfers and families enjoying the beaches. The perfect weather means the cafes are filled with both locals and pilgrims sipping drinks and gobbling up pastries. Last night we had a place with a broad veranda that overlooked the ocean. We had a bit of trouble finding it because there were no signs—it was an upstairs room in an old house. A local offered to take us there if Ray gave him a Euro to buy a cigarette. We were tired—we caved. The older gentleman that owns the home was one of the kindest souls. When I gestured, with my hand on my heart, that I loved the view he blew me kisses. And even though we were only paying for the room, he let us use his kitchen to make our meals. Today we had to take a detour because part of our path was washed out. An extra 5 km wasn’t exactly what we planned. Toward the end we were feeling a bit done…then we spotted it….gelato! Ray had Snickers gelato. Seemed appropriate. Didn’t Snickers have a hangry advertising campaign? Now, you are probably thinking we should have spent our money on extra water, right? Well, the ice cream guy noticed our water bottles were empty. He pulled out google translate and offered to fill them for us. We have experienced so many kindnesses. Tonight we are at the Sardines and Friends Hostel in Póvoa de Varzim. It’s going to take the last of our energy for one of us to crawl up into that top bunk. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom.
Porto is located on the Duro River and is predominately known for its port wine. However, when I think back to our day in Porto I’m going to remember an infinite amount of blue and white tiles and McDonalds.
The blue and white azulejo tiles are a Portuguese classic. The tradition of glazed blue ceramic tiles began around the 14th century and they are everywhere! We saw them in restaurants, the cathedral and even the train station. It is a good thing I love them or it would be tile overload. And why McDonalds? Well, check out Ray’s video (below), but the McDonalds in Porto is the fanciest I have ever seen. And they sell vegetable soup. Our walking tour guide said that Portugal is the only country where they sell soup, but apparently, that is not completely true—it’s a good story though. We are walking for the next sixteen days starting at the Porto Cathedral. More on that to come. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. We travelled to the shrine at Fatima a few days ago. However, it has taken me time to think through the experience to blog in the most respectful way. Full disclosure, we are not Catholic so we apologize in advance if our post doesn’t convey the full significance of Fatima.
In 1917 three young children from Fatima were visited by an apparition for the first time. “A lady more brilliant than the sun,” told them to “pray much”. This happened numerous times and at some point, the apparition implied she was “the lady of the Rosary”, which would be Mary the mother of Jesus. The location Mary first appeared became a shrine for the Catholic Church which is now visited by more than 80 million people per year. Several of our friends (who happen to be Catholic) encouraged us to visit while we were in Portugal. Almost every night in the square the Rosary is recited in several languages and then those in attendance walk around the square behind an illuminated cross carrying candles and singing. They indicated that the experience was phenomenal. I will admit that I was up to experiencing it but was a bit cynical that it would be another version of religious tourism. I’ve been to Israel and have been previously disappointed to see faith experiences reduced to tourist traps. However, Fatima was in every way genuine and not tourist kitsch. It was a Wednesday evening and there were easily over 500 people in attendance. We were standing a ways back to be respectful and ended up corralled into the queue by security. Ok, now we were part of this by the end evening Ray was singing the Avé Maria response—and Ray doesn’t easily choose to sing. In reflection, I think what brought us into the moment was the sincerity of a large group of faithful united in one action—following the illuminated cross. (See the video below) An unforgettable experience. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom.
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