Trepidatious traveller – camino blog | Camino de Santiago de Compostela – before, during and after

Unavoidably detained…….

Posted on 29/06/2014 by magwood

I’ve done it again! Bagged myself a bank of three seats, all to myself, on an otherwise full flight. This also happened recently when I took a Ryanair flight from Santiago de Compostela to Málaga after my camino, having booked my flight and checked in only two days before the flight.

I have always been a proponent of Ryanair – because their low cost flights allow me to visit my family regularly throughout the year. So long as you play by their rules the flights are hassle-free and almost always on time (largely due to the fact that they seem to add an extra 30 minutes to the actual flight times). Even when they didn’t allow any hand baggage in addition to the cabin bag, and seemed hell bent on catching people out with extra charges, they were consistently incredible value for money.

They have recently allowed one extra handbag of limited size (but don’t seem to be worrying too much about the actual size of this bag), and they have very sensibly instigated a rule allowing only a certain number of cabin bags onboard (90) and the rest are put into the hold free of charge. I am perfectly happy to have my case taken in this way, the luggage handling is so quick and efficient these days that my case is often meandering around the carousel before I even get there. And now, to add to all this efficiency, they have started to allocate seats, or you can pay to choose from those available. This new system means that there is no longer a scramble at the gate and on boarding and the whole procedure is so much more civilised and relaxed.

I have just been detained in the UK for three days longer than planned, due to the French air traffic control strike on 25 and 26 June. This was no great hardship as it meant that I had time to meet my brother for a leisurely pub lunch and I got to spend extra time with my daughter and grandson. The rebooking of my flight was reasonably pain-free and a phone call on their special (non-premium rate) cancellation phone line put my mind at rest that the additional sum I’d had to pay to secure my new flight would be repaid within 7-10 days. I didn’t check-in until the morning of my flight and lo and behold, I have once again been blessed with a bank of three seats to myself in the second row.

The flight took off from Bristol airport just after 6pm in bright sunlight and lots of white fluffy cloud. The scene from my window seat on take-off and banking was stunning, firstly with a view of the Weston super Mare area coastline and then over the beautiful mosaic of the Somerset countryside. And as we rose above the cloud line I was treated to a fairy tale view of white fluffy cotton wool clouds with the sun bouncing off them, giving the impression of an arctic snowscape. I fly this route very regularly between my home in Spain and my family in Bristol, but most often under the cover of dark night skies where the only view is the occasional twinkling of street lights far below. Today was a real treat.

In fact the whole stay has been an absolute treat. My bedroom at my daughter’s house faces east and the sun rises bright and early and pours wonderful daylight through the window. In Spain our house is on the western side of a mountain and the sun doesn’t rise above the peak until much later in the morning and doesn’t hit our house until around 10:30am (but we do see the most stunning sunsets). Soon after the sun wakes me, my grandson comes to join me in bed for an hour or so until it is time to get up and get on with the day. Mikey is growing from a beautiful baby into a charming child, now three and a half and full of chatter. I can’t think of a better way to start the day.

The day after my arrival for this visit my daughter, Mikey and I set off for the beach at Weston super Mare to see an air display, part of armed forces day. But the traffic was very congested so Rosie had the brilliant idea of parking up at the station and taking the train from nearby Worle. I love trains, so it was a another treat for Mikey and me, although not so much for Rosie as she catches the train to work. Weston was absolutely buzzing, the promenade and the deep sandy beach were teeming with day trippers and holiday makers, all with smiles on their faces in the fabulous sunshine.

I used to bring Rosie and her sister Ella to this beach and it brought back very fond memories. I bought myself a Cornish pasty for lunch (a must-have treat on a visit to the West Country) and then we went for a paddle in the sea, followed by the inevitable donkey ride and horse and carriage ride (Thomas the tank engine carriage!), all to the accompaniment of various aircraft displaying their agility skills above us and even a performance from the Red Arrows. I love to see public spaces being enjoyed by the public, and there was a lot of enjoyment being had this day!

I had a quick shower to wash the sand from my feet before setting off to meet my girl friends for supper. The four of us worked together over forty years ago, which seems ridiculous, and we try to meet up whenever I visit the UK. The five days of my stay were fast diminishing when I received an email from Ryanair telling me that my flight had been cancelled, giving me three more family days in the glorious sunshine. And I can’t imagine many places better to be than with your family in the beautiful green acres of the West Country during the sunniest week of the year.

Posted in A view of life, Expats in andalucia | Tagged Bristol Airport, donkey rides, ryanair, Weston super Mare | 8 Comments

Assessment of clothes and walking gear 2014

Posted on 28/06/2014 by magwood

I updated my packing list and review following my 2016 Camino del Norte which can be seen here

Meanwhile, here is my original post from 2014…

Firstly, apologies for the very long and detailed assessment below. I have been asked so many questions about clothes and gear that I thought I would be a bit thorough. My updated 2014 packing list (including all weights) can be seen here

As an overview, I have reported on the following items, and will make a separate post on technology.

1 Boots and insoles
2 Rain jacket
3 Hiking pants
4 Fleece
5 Visor and Buff
6 Gloves
7 T-shirts
8 Socks
9 Underwear
10 Relaxing / down time clothes
11 Backpack
12 Pack rain cover / cape
13 Walking poles
14 Hydration system
15 Bum bag / waist pack
16 Sleeping stuff

1 New boots – Merrell Moab ventilators.
My Mammut boots from last year felt like a great fit (although I had blisters), but the soles and heels wore down considerably during the camino Frances. The Merrells gave me no problems in training and were comfortable straight from the box, even though they feel a bit wide for my feet and I feel my feet slip about a bit in them. I purchased some replacement insoles from Decathlon, to give me a bit more padding under the balls of my feet.

The first few days were fine, but I picked up a blister during day 6, a 36 km day, which I believe was due to the ridges of padding on the insole being in the wrong place for my foot. I got an identical blister on the other foot towards the end of my walk. The only other foot problems I had were a small blister on the side of each heel, deep blisters which formed under the skin and are difficult to manage because the sack of fluid is below the surface and can’t be reached without some very uncomfortable deep prodding with a needle. I think these must be caused by compression rather than friction – from all the pounding on hard surfaces, but they weren’t big so I just left them alone until they started to cause considerable discomfort during the last couple of days when I applied compeed plasters which stayed in place until I returned home. All in all a much less painful blister experience than last year. I would use replacement insoles in future, but a style without separate areas of padding.

2 New rain jacket – Berghaus
Purely for cosmetic reasons. I was going through a turquoise phase last year and I couldn’t face another journey blending with the sky. My new jacket is a ‘Berghaus Arkleton Shell’ gortex and I love it. It is a very discrete cream colour, looks smart and washes beautifully. It hardly saw the light of day until I reached Porto and then I wore it for some part of every day and all day on a few occasions. It doesn’t have the long ‘pit zips’ that my North Face jacket has, but I discovered that if I pulled up the sleeves to above my elbows, so that my bare forearms were exposed, this regulated my body temperature and I didn’t overheat with my jacket on. I employed this trick most of the time, it didn’t matter if my arms got wet, it was rather refreshing.

I also made a slight adjustment to the jacket – by cutting a small hole in each pocket so that I could thread my backpack waist straps through to fasten inside my jacket, which, in conjunction with my adjusted backpack rain cover, meant that there were no areas of my jacket where pack straps were exposed to the rain. It is my theory that where straps sit on an otherwise waterproof jacket they will rub against the fabric and somehow allow the ingress of water, as was my experience last year.

3 New hiking pants
One of my two bargain basement pairs of trousers from last year is very practical but a bit heavy. The other pair was awful and has been relegated to gardening duties. This year I found a fab pair of Ex Officio zip off pants (BugsAway Convertible Ziwa Pant) that are really light weight with all pockets in the right places.

There was only one pair in the (outlet) shop so I did something I never do (ie buy trousers without trying them on) and ordered the same make, same size, but slightly different style over the phone. Unfortunately, as you may have guessed, they are not the same fit. They are a bit low waisted, and to be honest, a bit tight. And to make things worse, they have a press stud fastening. Now we all know that a tight fit and press studs are not happy bedfellows and as I didn’t want to be popping all the way along the camino, I left them behind. So just one pair of hiking pants this year, although I have brought a comfortable stretch skirt and a pair of cargo pants that I can also wear for walking if necessary. In my opinion the most important thing about hiking pants is the placement of pockets – wrist height side pockets are all I really use – one side for sunglasses when not in use, and the other side for my phone (before I smashed it). I used the waist pocket to keep a tissue, but thankfully I wasn’t blowing my nose every five minutes as I was last year.

These pants were great, they dried in no time and were washed fairly frequently for the first couple of weeks – before the rain. But I dont think I actually washed them at all once it started raining. Whenever they got a bit muddy around the ankles and I thought I would have to give them a scrub, they miraculously seemed to self clean by the time I arrived at my destination, so I didn’t bother. They also got drenched a few times in the rain, but seemed to dry instantly once the rain stopped.

4 Fleece
For a mid layer last year I took a ultra lightweight down body warmer and sleeves cut from a fleece that I tucked up into my t-shirt sleeves. The sleeves worked really well – I put them on most mornings and could remove them when the temperature rose without having to take off my pack. The body warmer was slightly less of a success. I didn’t wear it a great deal for walking because I don’t need much warmth on my torso, but on the occasions when I did wear it under my raincoat I found that duck down was not great, it did not wick moisture and quickly became damp or wet. But the system in general of separate sleeves and body warmer worked well for me.

So this year I searched the internet and finally sourced a lightweight fleece with zip off sleeves. It wasn’t quite perfect because I couldn’t manage to unzip the sleeves whilst I was wearing the garment, but this wasn’t really an issue because I hardly wore the complete garment whilst walking, I simply used the sleeves as I had last year, tucked into my t-shirt, and either with or without my raincoat, I could pull them off when the time was right and tuck them into the side pocket of my pack or hang them from my waist pack.

In the evenings I wore the complete garment many times and was very pleased with it, very cosy and lightweight. I purchased it over the internet after talking at length with the very helpful customer service staff who not only weighed the item for me, but tried the garment on to give me a good idea of the fit. This is a useful item that will get lots of wear.

5 Visor and Buff infinity
I used the same home made visor every step of the way, brilliant for keeping my hair off my face, shielding my eyes and face from the sun and mopping my brow.

I also used my ‘infinity’ buff to keep the sun off my neck. Last year I used the long buff to tuck under my backpack shoulder straps where they bruised my collar bones. This year I copied an idea I had seen and purchased a couple of bath sponges, popped them into the feet of a pair of tights, cut and tied the ends and pinned them under the straps to alleviate the pressure. It worked a treat – no bruises – hurrah!

The buff was fabulous when it was very hot. I soaked it in water, wrapped it around my head to protect my scalp from the sun, and around the back of my neck to act as an instant cooling system. It gives an instant pick-me-up and puts the spring back in my step. Very highly recommended.

6 Gloves
I carried a thin pair of liner gloves and left the warmer fleece gloves at home. I used the gloves several times, in the early morning when it could be a bit chilly. I think it is useful to have a pair of lightweight gloves whatever time of year you are walking, especially if you use hiking poles and your hands are constantly exposed to the weather.

7 T-shirts
These have remained the same. Merino wool short sleeved x 2, and long sleeved x 1. At the last minute I decided to leave the long sleeve shirt at home, and didn’t regret it. I could have made good use of a sleeveless merino vest top during the hotter early days and will consider this if/when I walk again. Merino wool is brilliant – it can be worn for days without getting whiffy and dries surprisingly quickly. They did get washed regularly, but I knew that if drying was not an option I could wear one for several days without offending anyone!

8 Socks
Last year I followed advice and wore thin merino wool liners and thicker Merino hiking socks. I got blisters! I stopped wearing two pairs about half way through my walk and didn’t get any more blisters. Who knows! I think probably my feet had acclimatised by then and if I had continued to wear two pairs I would still have been blister-free. However I started this year’s training with just hiking socks and continued throughout the camino. I bought two new pairs of socks, 70% merino smartwool mini style, that just come to my ankle. I did not like the bulk of mid socks that I always turn down anyway.

I bought these new socks a size smaller and they are a comfortable but snug fit and I have not felt the ‘bunching’ under my toes that I felt last year. I did take a pair of liner socks, but didn’t use them, and also a pair of plain black ankle socks for evening wear if required.

9 Underwear
My trusty merino wool knickers kept me comfortable every day. Like all merino wool they wick away any sweat and remain odourless, no matter how hot or long the walk has been. I bought two pairs of these pants last year from a uk company, appropriately called Finisterre, and they were worn every day on the Frances, are called into service every time I ride my horse (3 or 4 times a week) and have now kept me comfortable along the camino Portuguese. There is little sign of wear, other than the waist elastic has stretched a bit, but I can see them lasting a whole lot longer. What I considered a complete extravagance when I bought them have turned out to be a sound investment.

I also bought new this year two ‘tri-action’ sports bras by Truimph. One black and one white. Two black would have been more useful (hand washing doesn’t keep whites very white!) They were very comfortable but didn’t dry very quickly. They will also get plenty of use throughout the year when I ride and walk locally.

10 Relaxing clothes
A new pair of black crocs, the same style as I wore last year. I hadn’t experienced crocs before I bought these last year – it was a revelation – so very comfortable, and this style is acceptable for every day wear, in fact I have worn them practically every day throughout the year. My original pair were multi coloured and quite pretty (I get lots of compliments about them), but they didn’t look quite so pretty when I had to wear them with socks because it was unexpectedly cold in the evenings. So this year I treated myself to a plain black pair which were just about acceptable if I had to don a pair of black socks.

Other downtime items consisted of
– lightweight 3/4 length cargo pants that I could have worn for walking if necessary.
– Ancient knee length skirt, very comfortable, and worn most evenings
– Vest tops x 2, one worn for sleeping. On a couple of occasions worn for hiking on hot days.
– Cardigan, very lightweight
– Knickers x 1 (next time I will take at least two pairs, they weigh virtually nothing and one pair just isn’t enough)
– Two pairs of short lightweight socks, little worn, as it was generally warm enough for bare feet in the evenings.
– Footless tights, worn just a couple of times with skirt for a little extra warmth, but could have been worn for sleeping or under hiking pants on cold days if necessary.
– Bag for evenings, extra lightweight, waterproof shoulder bag. Used for valuables in the evening, for shopping bag, for clothes and valuables when showering. Folds up into tiny pouch. Very useful.

Overall I was very pleased with my choice of down-time clothes, they were perfect for the weather, but could have been layered up for colder weather if necessary. It was very nice to get out of trousers and wear a skirt in the evenings.

11 Backpack
remains the same – osprey Altus 34 litre, but with the addition this year of the padding for my collar bones as described above. It works – it ain’t broke – so I didn’t fix it!

12 Backpack rain cover
Ok, so I have explained my theory that pack straps on waterproof jacket cause that area not to be waterproof. This theory was developed through personal experience of walking in the rain in a waterproof jacket and getting soaked inside the jacket. I had decided to take a poncho this year, although I hate the look and the thought of them. But they serve their purpose, they completely cover the backpack (straps included) and therefore you should stay dry inside, except that they are normally not very breathable and so a lot of humidity is caused through sweat and some people prefer to be wet through rain rather than through sweat.

I then began to think about making a mini poncho that I could attach to the backpack rain cover and extend over my shoulders to cover the straps and tuck in somewhere at the front. Meanwhile I purchased a rain cover because I had borrowed my daughter’s last year and had returned it to her. When I took the cover out of its integral stuff sack I could immediately see that it was way too big for my pack – I had mistakenly picked up a cover for an 80 litre pack rather than the 34 litre pack that I would be carrying. Brain cells began to activate 💡 and I thought that I could make something good out of this mistake rather than returning the cover to the shop.

I had a willing assistant because Ella was visiting at the time and between us we fashioned the ‘super-duper Maggie shoulder cape’. I was tempted to trial it at home when it poured with rain a week or so before I left for my camino, but nobody actually chooses to walk in the rain, and in the end I chose to trust to luck rather than take part in soggy research, so it wasn’t until I left Porto that I discovered I was on to a winner – my SDMSC functioned perfectly, and was put to good use many times during the last part of my camino Portuguese! (And I didn’t look quite so daft as the ‘full poncho pilgrims’ – unless you tell me differently, of course!)

13 Walking poles
I need say no more than ‘Pacer Poles‘. They are so comfortable to use. I don’t have experience of any other type, and don’t feel the need to try.

14 Hydration system
Last year, after researching, I purchased water bladder – a bag made from some sort of plastic/rubber material that sits in a special compartment of the backpack and has a tube that threads through and sits somewhere near your shoulder with a bite valve at the end of the tube through which you suck water as and when required. I don’t like this system for various reasons……
The extra weight in the backpack – one kilo per litre
The need to remove and undo the pack to refill
Not being able to see how much you have drunk and how much remains

But on the plus side the suction tube is good because it is convenient to use.

I much prefer to drink from a bottle and carry the weight from my waist pack, and so modified a ‘Raidlight’ bottle intended to be carried on the shoulder strap by substituting a longer suction tube that I could reach from a waist position.

This worked well. I could refill without removing my pack and carried an additional 750 ml bottle in the side pocket of my backpack. It only ceased to work well when it rained and I couldn’t fit the bottle inside my rain jacket along with my waist pack. So for the final stages from Porto when it rained every day I then carried the drinking bottle in the other side pocket of my back pack and could still reach the tube. On reflection I think carrying the bottle via the shoulder strap might be a good idea and will try it on my next camino.

15 Bumbag/waist pack
My faithful friend from the last couple of years has accompanied me on all my ryanair flights where, until recently, no handbag was allowed, and it could be hidden away under a coat or jumper. This leather bag has also been used when horse riding and local trekking to carry all the paraphernalia necessary to keep two animals and one human replenished and safe, ie dog biscuits, snacks, hoof pick, camera, phone, tissues, etc, etc.

Understandably, it was looking a bit sad and worn after so much use, so I treated myself to a new one. I looked long and hard to try to find the perfect combination of pockets and compartments, and finally realised that I already had it. So I ordered an identical replacement.

The sturdy webbing strap is strong enough to carry water bottles, and I sewed on an additional safety strap in case the buckle failed (which it didn’t, as it happens). The phone pocket is not large enough for the new iPhone, but this was not an issue – I used the pocket for tissues and lip salve. The small pocket at the front held my cash, the compartment behind was perfect for my camera, then a larger compartment housed a waterproof wallet for passport, credencial, bank cards and extra cash, with plenty of room left for painkillers, ear phones, hair band and clips, and my iPhone when it was raining and I didn’t want to keep it in my pants pocket. The last compartment at the back of the bag carried my external battery pack and charging leads. So everything I needed was completely accessible at all times.

During the second part of my trip when I was walking alone from Porto to Santiago, I wanted to also keep my iPad mini accessible, and I drilled some holes into the bag with my pen knife and attached two carabiners, from which I hung my ipad carry case (as I had done last year). To do this the case zip had to be open so I kept the ipad in a ziplock bag to keep it safe from moisture and I also carried my map and guide book pages tucked into the carry case, so another multi-tasking item. As mentioned above in the hydration section, I also hung my water bottle from the belt for most of my journey.

The bag was quite heavy, but I don’t seem to feel the weight hanging from my waist as I would do on my shoulders. It suits me very well.

16 Sleeping stuff
Sleeping bag is new. I swapped the synthetic mummy shaped bag weighing 850 grams for a super duper Mont Bell spiral down thermal sheet weighing 430 grams. The new bag completely unzips to be used as a quilt and packs down into a tiny compression sack. The fabric of the new bag is cut on the bias (hence the name ‘spiral’) and so allows for more movement and stretching than a traditional straight cut bag. It was my biggest single expense, I love it. Didn’t need it much during the first couple of weeks when we mostly stayed in hostels that provided bedding (including sheets and towels), but from Porto it was in use most nights and was wonderfully comfortable. Did I say ‘I love it’? I can imagine getting regular use from the bag as a comforter at home, as an extra layer on a cold night – so light weight, but so warm and cosy. I love it!

I also took my silk liner. One night I cut it open at the bottom seam so that my feet are not so restricted and was rewarded with instant freedom. Both items were treated with permethrin before leaving. I also took a pre-treated under sheet which I bought last year. If I was buying this item with the knowledge I now have, I would have purchased the double as opposed to the rather undersized single. It gives an extra layer of security against the dreaded bed bugs (which I have yet to see).

I bought an inflatable pillow for this camino. I only used it once. It wasn’t comfortable. Don’t bother!

Posted in Camino assessments and reflections, Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Camino Portuguese, Preparations | Tagged assessment, backpack, berghaus, buff, bum bag, Camino blog, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago., camino Portuguese, Clothes and gear, ex-Officio, hydration system, merrell Moab, mont bell, pacer poles, Portugal, Portuguese route, travel | 39 Comments

Woohoo – today I got Greenland!

Posted on 18/06/2014 by magwood

My first post since I walked into Santiago – three weeks ago. I have been working on an assessment of the clothes and gear that I used and will post this info soon, but meanwhile I wanted to share with you my delight in ‘getting Greenland’.

There are very interesting statistics available on my wordpress blog – well at any rate they are very interesting to me. I can see how many visitors I have received on a daily, weekly, monthly, annual or all time basis, with similar information for views (a visitor may only view one post, or may read several or many) I can see if they have come via a click on another blog or website, and if they have clicked any links on my blog to another site. And the information I find most fascinating – I can see what country the visitors have clicked from, with a world map showing the countries coloured according to how many views have come from each. I have to say, my geography is improving, which certainly can’t be a bad thing!

When I click on the button for ‘all time’ views the map is very colourful and there is not much of Europe that is left white, except that is, Greenland. For a country of 840,000 square miles it has a tiny population of under 60,000 and I expect they are all much too cold to sit around looking at their computers, but it caused me to have a huge white blob between Europe and North America and I so wanted to colour it in. Well, today is the day it turned from white to beige. There was one visitor who viewed just one post, but when I saw that colour on the map it made me whoop with joy (‘little things please little minds’ is a phrase of my father’s that comes to the fore, and I’m sure he would be saying it if he were reading this!)

So thank you, person from Greenland – you have made my day!

And here is said map with a lovely beige blob to the east of Canada, and a list of the ninety countries from whence I have received visitors.

Argentina	Hong Kong	Poland
Australia	Hungary	Portugal
Austria	Iceland	Puerto Rico
Azerbaijan	India	Qatar
Bahrain	Indonesia	Romania
Bangladesh	Iraq	Russian Federation
Belgium	Ireland	Saudi Arabia
Bolivia	Israel	Serbia
Brazil	Italy	Sierra Leone
Bulgaria	Japan	Singapore
Canada	Jersey	Slovakia
Chile	Jordan	Slovenia
Colombia	Korea, South	South Africa
Costa Rica	Latvia	Spain
Croatia	Lebanon	Sri Lanka
Cyprus	Lithuania	Sudan
Czech Republic	Luxenbourg	Sweden
Denmark	Malaysia	Switzerland
Dominican Republic	Malta	Taiwan
Egypt	Mauritius	Thailand
El Salvador	Mexico	Turkey
Estonia	Mongolia	Turks and Caicos Islands
Ethiopia	Namibia	Uganda
Finland	Nepal	Ukraine
France	Netherlands	United Arab Emirates
French Guiana	New Zealand	United Kingdom
Germany	Norway	United States
Greece	Pakistan	Uruguay
Greenland	Peru	Venezuela
Guatemala	Philippines	Zambia

Update……..since originally posting this piece, I have also received views from the following countries:
Panama, Virgin Islands, Brunei Darussalam, Bermuda, Cambodia, Macao, Kasakhstan, Belarus, Ecuador, Belize, Kyrgyzstan, Algeria, Morocco, Guernsey, Barbados, China, Dominica, Moldova, Isle of Man, Northern Mariana Islands, Nigeria, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Ghana, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kenya, Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), Oman, Honduras, Timor-Leste, Jamaica, Tanzania, Benin, Georgia, Fiji, Armenia, Aruba, Angola, Curaçao, Syria, Gabon, Åland Islands, Suriname, Faroe Islands, New Caledonia

Posted in A view of life, Camino de Santiago de Compostela | Tagged Camino blog, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago., Greenland, statistics, travel, wordpress, world map | 32 Comments

Just being there….

Posted on 29/05/2014 by magwood

29 May 2014

A lie-in was not on the cards for me this morning. I am wired to wake before 6 am, even if I have nowhere urgent to go. It was raining – hard. I have been so lucky on this trip with the weather. I had a few soakings, but never left in the morning to heavy rain. I felt sorry for the pilgrims continuing their journey today to Finisterre and/or Muxia. Ella and I walked this section in pouring rain last year and it almost ruined Ella’s whole camino experience.

I hung around at the albergue for a while, attempting to upload my video of the botafumeiro swing to youtube, but it took forever and I gave up at about 50%. I left my backpack in the luggage store and took my poles to the post office to send them home. But unfortunately the post office was closed because it is a national holiday today. I shall just have to hope that I can smuggle them through ryanair’s boarding gate police. The poles were in my pack on the way from Málaga to Lisbon so they obviously didn’t contravene the airport security code, so as long as they are well tucked away in my pack I don’t see a problem arising. The annoying thing is that I was at the post office yesterday to send my penknife home and didn’t think about my poles.

I then went to a posh cafe for a breakfast hot chocolate (that was mediocre and very expensive) and a bacon bocadillo (that was damn poor and extremely expensive – more than twice what I had paid for an excellent roll stuffed full of bacon and a hot drink in cafés along the way – oh well, that’s city life for you!)

As I was sitting in the cafe I heard and then saw the military band and parade pass by so I left the poor food on the plate and rushed out to admire my boys. They were lined up in Obradoiro square when I caught up with them all standing in the pouring rain awaiting presentation of their medals for taking part in yesterday’s exercise. I felt ridiculously proud of them and stood with them in the rain for quite a while, before making my way to the cathedral to await the pilgrims’ mass.

I arrived well before 11 am but already there were no seats available so found the base of a column to sit on – rather cold, and I can just hear my mother telling me I would get piles from sitting on a cold surface. I wonder if there is any truth in that old wife’s tale?

I am writing this as I sit on the column and can see that the soldiers have started to arrive and are sitting in the opposite transept.

As a non religious person, I was surprised to be so very moved by the pilgrims’ mass that I attended last year, and hope for the same experience today. There may even be another botafumeiro swing, being that it is a religious holiday and the military are in town. I saw three swings in my time in Santiago last year and would consider myself extremely lucky to see another one on this visit.

I haven’t taken any city photos of this visit to Santiago because, quite frankly, it is miserable weather and no photos would do the city justice. But if you would like to share my love affair with the city from last year, please click on the following links to see it at its sunniest best.

Life after the camino

Life after the camino 2

Life after the camino 3

I am so glad that I have seen Santiago in all its glory, so that I don’t feel cheated on this visit. Apart from the rain, the total facade of the main cathedral entrance is completely covered in scaffolding for maintenance work and in the beautiful enormous square at the back of the cathedral a huge tent is set up for a pop concert that was taking place last night, pretty much outside my bedroom window!

I did snap a couple of shots from the dormitory window last night. One of the cathedral clock tower with a big wheel in the distance where I guess there is a funfair in the park. Later on the wheel was lit up and I took a few more shots from the window.

The pilgrims’ mass was beautiful again. There was a choir singing instead of the nun, although she was there to conduct proceedings. The choir was enchanting and there was a reading by one of the soldiers. At the end of the service everyone turned to their neighbours to shake hands and wish them peace – such a lovely thing to do, and then those that wanted went to the altar for wafers. And then, to my delight, there was another botafumeiro swing. I was sitting quite close to the altar in the direction of the swing and once again had a wonderful view of proceedings. I just took a few pics at the beginning so that I could give my full concentration to the spectacle.

After the service I went back to the albergue to collect my pack and made my way to the airport for my 3:50 pm flight. I am currently sitting in a window seat on a jam-packed flight with two spare seats beside me. Ryanair are now allocating seats and I can only presume that there were only three seats available when I booked my flight a couple of days ago, and the other two remained unsold. And the walking poles made it through without question. I am making the most of my run of good luck whilst it lasts.

Posted in Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Camino Portuguese | Tagged Botafumeiro, Camino blog, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago., camino Portuguese, Portugal, Portuguese route, ryanair, travel | 39 Comments

Day 27, Padron to Santiago de Compostela, 25.4 km

Posted on 28/05/2014 by magwood

28 May 2014

Total distance walked 669.9 km

Average daily distance 24.81 km

After my shower yesterday, it was raining, so I went to the nearest wifi bar to write my post. Such generous complimentary tapas are served with drinks that it is often unnecessary to buy food. Last night was one of those occasions. I first ordered a hot chocolate that arrived with a fairy cake and a biscuit. The two following glasses of wine were served with a Russian salad and a bowl of crisps. By this time my blog was posted and I thought I would try to find somewhere to buy some fruit. But just as I got up to leave a Dutch pilgrim started to chat and I ended up sitting back down and drinking another couple of glasses of wine.

The Xunta albergue in Padron was very comfortable and either no-one snored all night or I was so fast asleep that I didn’t hear – I suspect the former.

When I left this morning I felt great, my feet weren’t hurting at all and I was carried along by a great energy. The walking was very varied and covered every surface that I have experienced throughout this camino.

The complete side wall of this house was covered in scallop shells, sadly discoloured by years of car and train fumes.

When I arrived in Padron yesterday afternoon I noticed a temporary army camp set up by the bridge into the town. So I wasn’t too surprised when after about 8-10 km I saw some guys in fatigues walking ahead of me. However I was exceptionally surprised (read here shocked and alarmed) to note that they were all carrying very serious looking rifles. They were shuffling along so I soon caught up with them. I spoke to one rather good looking young soldier and asked him why he was carrying a gun – he replied that it was his weapon and he had to carry it. I asked if he was expecting any pilgrims to be making trouble, but I’m not sure that my intended humour quite made it across the language divide. I went on to ask how far they had walked and he told me from Tui and on to Santiago, 125 km’s. I retorted that I had walked 650 km’s from Lisbon and that I had much more energy than he had and that he should get a move on, and with that I strode out and left them eating my dust!

I felt the need to share this very surreal experience and so phoned my daughter Ella, who I knew would understand why I thought it worthy of sharing. I forgot about the time difference and so woke her up at 7:30 am to tell her my tale, but she wasn’t at all put out, and told me that the guys were probably on manoeuvres and had most likely walked without any rest.

As I walked on I saw another group of guys in khakis who were straggling along the road, and I began to think that Ella was probably right on target. I eventually came across a couple of military police and quizzed them about what was going on and it was confirmed that indeed these guys had been walking without rest.

Another camp was set up further along the camino and they were happy for their photo to be taken. And I came across yet another check point some distance further and stopped to ask more questions. I was told that the various troops had set off yesterday morning at 7:00 am from Tui, and had only two separate hours of rest. Their journey had included swimming, running, climbing and shooting. The first troop had already reached Santiago in record time. Apparently there are troops from all over the world taking part in this military ‘iron man’ event and he was very pleased to tell me that the only troop that had given up enroute were from the United States.

I consequently felt that I was very glad that the soldier I had originally spoken to did not have a bayonet attached to his rifle, because I could imagine where he would have liked to stick it as I jauntily walked ahead of him.

The arrow marking was very good once again throughout the walk, that is, until I reached the outskirts of Santiago at which point they disappeared virtually altogether. I saw two arrows in about three km’s and had to ask passers by a few times if I was heading in the right direction for the cathedral.

As I got closer to the centre of town I suddenly recognised where I was and quickened my pace towards the cathedral. I walked straight to Obradoiro square, where I found the main entrance to the cathedral covered in scaffolding and blocked for entry. I continued to the side entrance not at all sure that I would be allowed in wearing my backpack, but the security man made room for me to squeeze into the packed church and I stood on the steps just inside the door. The midday pilgrims’ mass was just coming to an end and no more than a few minutes after my arrival the botafumeiro began to swing. What an amazing climax to my journey, I was really overcome with emotion and could hardly believe my luck! I was in an excellent position to film the whole event and will upload the video if I can work out how.

The cathedral was full of soldiers and I tried to put my guilty conscience to rest by congratulating as many of them as I could. These guys made my last day even more special than I could have expected. I was told that there will be a special military ceremony tomorrow, and I hope it takes place before I leave.

After leaving the cathedral I went to the pilgrims’ office to collect my Compostela. The queue extended to the street and it took about 45 minute to reach the front. I also requested the new certificate of distance (charge 3 euros) which was duly filled out and I noticed that the amigo filled in a distance of 575 km. Now I was expecting it to be 615 km, the distance that John Brierly states, whereas in fact I have actually walked 670 km. I told her that the figure she included was totally wrong, but didn’t expect her to be able to do anything about it. But perhaps this should be reassessed by the powers that be.

The standard issue Compostela

The new distance Compostela – 3 euro charge (and wrong distance stated)

I then went to source accommodation and enquired at the private albergue where I had stayed last year ‘El Ultimo Sello’ (the last stamp). Luckily they had a bed available and I am looking forward to the crisp bed linen provided when I finally fall into a strange bed for the last time for a while. The cost has risen from 15 euros last year to 18 euros this year.

After showering the next most important items on my agenda were a cup of the delicious real hot chocolate quickly followed by a glass of cool white wine and both were drunk with relish.

2014 marks the 800 year anniversary of the Pilgrimage of St. Francis of Assisi to Santiago de Compostela. And because it is a centenary year the cathedral of San Francisco is granting a special certificate in celebration of pilgrims walking the camino de Santiago. So I visited the San Franciscan cathedral and received a very special certificate, making a total of three in one day. Quite a fitting conclusion to a wonderful camino experience.

The San Franciscan centenary compostela

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to follow the blog
by signing up at the top of the sidebar, or follow
Trepidatious Traveller on Facebook or Twitter.

Posted in Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Camino Portuguese | Tagged Camino blog, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago., camino Portuguese, Military manoeuvres, Padron, Portugal, Portuguese route, Santiago de Compostela, St Francis of Assisi, travel | 56 Comments

What a finale

Posted on 28/05/2014 by magwood

Just a quick post – full write up later.

I wanted to share that I reached Santiago today at 12:44. I walked straight into the cathedral and was enexpectdly allowed in with my backpack. The pilgrims’ mass was coming to an end as I entered and then the botafumeiro was swung. And I was in the very best position to witness it. I was very emotional and very happy.

More later……

day 25, Redondela to Portela, 33.6 km

Posted on 26/05/2014 by magwood

26 May 2014

Total distance walked 610.5 km
Average daily distance 24.42 km

The albergue in Redondela is packed. The guide says there are 42 beds but I am sure they have squeezed a few more in since Brierly visited and I should think they were all occupied. They are pushed absolutely together in pairs. I choose well and am next to a young woman who was asleep when I arrived and I don’t think she moved or uttered a sound before I left this morning. And a guy took the bunk above me, but he kept still during the night so no great creaking or jolting. Assuming half were women, there are only two loos and two showers, but at least the showers have doors. And also the receptionist was rather more welcoming than the dragon at Tui.

I was awake very early and got up to use the facilities before the rush, got dressed and then lay back down on the bed until it became light enough to see where I was going. The clocks changed on crossing the border from Portugal and it is now an hour darker in the morning.

The direction signs are very poor on leaving the albergue and I was very grateful once again that I had Laurie’s detailed instructions of the route to take – otherwise I might still be wandering around Redondela right now!

Once out of the town the signs have been absolutely excellent all day, although I am feeling a bit fatigued today and not paying sufficient attention to where I am going. However no mistakes are made and I am soon walking through the suburbs and out into the country. I see a very imaginative living crop circle which really takes my fancy.

Since entering Spain there have been milestones (or to be more correct, kilometer stones) and I was pleased to see the number of km’s drop to under eighty this morning.

After almost 4 km it is necessary to cross the N550 where it is very wide and busy. I hate these crossings – they are so dangerous, and it is so difficult to move quickly with a backpack, but I choose my moment and cross as quickly as possible. After a while on quiet roads I am back into woodland track and am rather taken aback when I suddenly have a view of a huge expanse of water that my guide book tells me is the Rio de Vigo and its a very pretty sight.

I eventually encounter the busy N550 again and am directed by the arrows to cross to the other side. Again I choose my time and take my life in my hands. I hate it. I am then diverted off the road and make a loop through some pretty back streets, only to emerge a back onto the highway just a few meters further along and am then directed to cross back over, this time on a zebra crossing. But I am a bit cross that pilgrims are directed to cross this road unnecessarily just for a short diversion. I appreciate that the camino organisers try to take us ‘off road’ as much as possible, but this just seems a dangerous waste of time.

I then pass through the town of Arcade, which nestles on the banks of the Rio de Vigo and it reminds me of a Cornish seaside town, very pretty. And up on the hill I saw a very familiar sight which brought a smile to my face.

According to my gps the distance between the albergues in Redondela and Pontevedra is 20 km.

I’m feeling really tired today and my feet are hurting a bit. I have reached Pontevedra and am unsure whether I will stick with my original plan and plough on another 12 km or stay here. It promises to be a lovely town. I have stopped at a bar for a beer and some reflection. On a whim I thought I might treat myself to a night in the parador, so phoned to find if they had a special price for a pilgrim. It sounded promising, the guy on the phone did calculations, we established that I wouldn’t want breakfast and he came up with the bargain price of 110 euros!!! Well that news gave me a bit of strength and I may carry on as planned, or I may find a more reasonable hostel in the old quarter. Although the municipal albergue in Redondela was ok and I had a reasonable night’s sleep, I don’t really fancy another crowded situation.

I don’t like to be surrounded by lots of people, I find it very unsociable, I am much more comfortable in smaller groups and that is when I have enjoyed myself most. I think I am ready for this adventure to end now and have planned to be in Santiago by Wednesday, giving me two 30+ km days and one of 25. Then I can get a flight to Málaga on Thursday. I don’t want to push myself too hard and end up exhausted, which in truth is how I am feeling right now.

Those last two paragraphs were written when I was sitting in a bar in Pontevedra and feeling rather down and totally knackered. But I picked myself up and dusted myself down and decided to walk on to the small albergue in Portela, midway through the next stage. The supercilious git on the end of the parador phone who cut me off the instant I said I couldn’t afford to pay 110 euros, gave me the determination to carry on – so I have something to thank him for!

I cross the Rio Lerez via a pretty stone bridge decorated with scallop shells and once I have left the town behind there are some quiet roads and a lot of woodland to walk through. The surface isn’t very kind to poorly feet but I call on the power of Shania to get me through the discomfort barrier and would even have taken my first pain killer if it hadn’t meant that I had to remove my pack to get to it. I was popping painkillers for a passtime last year on the Frances route.

I finally find myself in the village of San Amaro where there is obviously a cafe war going on. My guide only mentions one cafe here, but I am approached by a young woman at the entrance to the village who encourages me to go to the mentioned establishment, Meson Pulpo, but as I walk on I see that there is another bar immediately on entering the village, that I presume must be taking the lion’s share of the business. I duly enter Meson Pulpo and am greeted by a charming bar girl who is very chatty and says that if I want she will collect me from the albergue and transport me to the cafe for diner (she says 1.5 km but I felt it might be slightly less).

The albergue Portela, 0034 655952805, is just over one km off camino and I reach it after 33.6 long km’s. But I am so glad that I made the effort. The municipal albergue is housed in a converted school, has 22 beds and offers dinner for 7 euros. There is a pretty garden, no rules are spouted by the very pleasant hospitalero. It is delightful. There are four others when I arrive but it has been filling up since then. Oh, and just to put the icing on the cake – it has wifi and beer – I am in albergue heaven.

Posted in Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Camino Portuguese | Tagged Albergue Portela, Arcade, Camino blog, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago., camino Portuguese, crop circle, Pontevedra, Portugal, Portuguese route, Redondela, travel | 25 Comments

day 24, Tui to Redondela 36.4 km

Posted on 25/05/2014 by magwood

25 May 2014

Total distance walked 576.9 km
Average daily distance 24.04 km

I just want to revive yeaterday’s rant. The Tui municipal albergue is a fantastic facility. A beautifully renovated ancient building, no expense spared on high quality materials, but it is the most unfriendly place I have stayed in on this camino. I bought myself some salad ingredients for a change, but when I went to the kitchen (rule number 1 – strictly no eating in the dormitory) to prepare my healthy feast I found not one single utensil. I used my fabulous penknife to cut up an avocado, a nectarine, a tomato and some blue cheese, but then had to chuck it into the bag of watercress because there was no plate to eat it from. By the time I realised the mean-ness of the albergue I had completely lost my appetite (ok, that might have had something to do with all the tapas I was so generously given in the bars). They are obviously fulfilling a duty without putting an ounce of enthusiasm into running the albergue. I hate to be negative, but there is absolutely no engendering of a community spirit here. A spanish guy that I met enroute and his friend have been very friendly, but others staying in the room are totally in their own tiny space. Most un-pilgrim-like. I would welcome any insights or comments to the contrary.

I guess it might seem a bit different if I were travelling with someone and we could have a laugh about the situation.

A forward / backward view from the albergue terrace – from the sublime to the ridiculous

That said, Tui is a very pretty town (population 15,000). When I finally lifted my head from my iPad yesterday, I looked up to this beautiful scene.

Although I am not a religious person, I called into the cathedral last evening. There was a service taking place, something to do with the many young people who were in attendance in their very inappropriate finery (as in hot pants and high heels). There was much milling about of children and adults so I didn’t feel out of place taking a look around. I found the cathedral most beautiful in its simplicity, none of the glitz of other places of worship, little gilt, just massive stone columns and braces (sorry Elly, I don’t know the architectural terms) and some beautiful wooden sculptures hanging from the domed ceiling. Very charming and unpretentious.

Sleep didn’t come easy last night, what with several snorers and the Saturday night/Sunday morning revellers who were shouting all night and were still on the street when I left this morning!

The arrows out of Tui are rather discrete and in several instances I followed the Fatima arrows where I couldn’t see a camino arrow. But it was a very short walk out of the city, which seemed more like a village in certain areas with charming stone cottages. In no time at all I was walking on a country path through woodland – natural woodland now, with oaks and pine trees and very few eucalyptus.

After the woods there was quite a long stretch on the road, but it was very safe with a marked path and barrier and a pleasure to walk on. When walking the camino Frances last year all the pilgrims hated the asphalt, but I bet they would think differently about it after walking the Portuguese route – no painful cobbles to push into and twist your feet.

And then it was back to the woods, where I stopped after 11 km when I spotted a suitable rock to sit on, and checked out a new blister and applied tape. At this point I saw the first pilgrim of the day as he passed me and then another. But once I started off again there was sufficient distance between us that I didn’t see them again, or anyone else.

I reached a very welcome cafe at Cruzeiro Esmoleiro after 13.7 km and discovered that the route I have been following is entirely different to that shown in the Brierly guide. There is a new diversion that leads away from the ugly and monotonous industrial area on the approach to Porriño. The new route is undoubtedly longer but much more beautiful than the original slog. The very helpful and kind cafe owners showed me a map of the new route and provided me with an excellent bacon buttie – my first proper breakfast since I left home.

After the cafe break there is a section of road walking where the cars whizz by even faster than they did in Portugal, and skim me even closer. I am so taken aback that I shout out at one particularly close call – I expect I scared him as much as he scared me!!

As I walk on I can hear a lot of engine sounds, and see that I am passing a velodrome where go-karting is taking place. There is a huge empty parking area alongside and suddenly a car coming towards me swerves, not away from me, but towards me. You can imagine what I am getting ready to shout at this one, when he slows down and stops, obviously wanting to communicate. He gets out of his car and tells me, in very good English that he is working with the ‘Asociación Galega Amigos do Camino de Santiago’. He shows me the map of the new route that I have seen back at the cafe and tells me that there is a war of the arrows going on between the association who are promoting the new, very pretty route, and the business owners who are missing out on trade. He gave me a map and told me that I must turn left immediately after passing under the railway bridge, for a walk on a path that follows the river all the way to the albergue in Porriño. The traders keep painting out the new arrows and the guy tells me he goes out every day to repaint them. That’s dedication to the cause! He shows me his paint roller, full of yellow paint ready to go to war!

See here for info on the new route.

It is quite the most delightful walk I have taken on this camino. The only distraction from the birdsong and the babbling river are the electricity pilons, one of which spans the track. Hugging the pretty river, the path is well used by locals for strolling, jogging and cycling. And each and every person I pass wishes me buenos dias, with a smile. Just like I am used to at home. There are many benches to sit on and watch the world go by, and I take advantage of one for just a few minutes.

When I reach the Porriño albergue the distance from the Tui albergue is 18.6 km, as opposed to Brierly’s stated 15.2 km for the original route. It is definitely worth going the extra mile (or so!)

The walk from Porriño isn’t quite so lovely – the trail is along a fast road, but with a wide shoulder that feels safe. There is a diversion that I didn’t take, but wish I had, along a roman road. I eventually link back to the diversion but I could have saved myself some fast road walking. And then the camino follows country roads through villages. The modern houses in the area and those in Portugal are all very big – I guess there is no shortage of money for some.

Typical (not very attractive) new built properties

Next stop at Concello de Mos at 25.3 km, where there is an albergue and a nice cafe opposite with wifi. I have tried three other places today – none with wifi. Perhaps it is just portugal that is so well served. This is a very pretty small village and the cafe owner is charming. She tells me I have another 10 km to go to my destination of Redondela and I am already feeling quite weary.

Back onto a mixture of tracks and quiet roads. I thought this boundary wall was the best use for cobbles that I have seen so far. And we have also seen these thin cut standing stones used as boundaries throughout Portugal and now in Spain. It is an area rich in granite.

For most of the day the sky has been bright blue with strong sunshine but as I near the end of my day’s walk dark clouds gather and the threatened rain arrives when I have about 5km to go. Feeling rather weary I plug in some energising music and stride out for the last hour.

The municipal albergue in Redondela is fine, if a little crowded, two rooms with bunk beds squashed together, each pair of beds touching and only a very narrow aisle between each pair. I am in time for a bottom bunk, although there are already a lot of people here, most have just walked from Porriño. The showers have doors! I bump into Julie, with whom we shared the the church albergue, way back in Alvorge, and Claudia, who is a forum member and we have coincided at various stages.

Redondela is buzzing with a festival, there is a live band of folk type music (Spanish bagpipes, fiddle, drums, and other percussion instruments) playing outside the albergue and the main square is alive with local families enjoying their town.

It is good, after all, to be back in Spain. They have the best bread, the warmest greetings, I have seen horses being ridden for the first time on this journey, and best of all – no cobbles!

Post script…..since writing this post I have discovered this video showing the new route to Porriño – you can see what a pleasure it was

Posted in Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Camino Portuguese | Tagged Camino blog, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago., camino Portuguese, Porriño, Portugal, Portuguese route, Redondela, travel, Tui, war of arrows | 27 Comments

Day 23, Rubiães to Tui, 22 km

Posted on 24/05/2014 by magwood

24 May 2014

Total distance walked 540.5 km
Average daily distance 23.50 km

I’m quite afronted as I write this, but I shall explain why later.

I slept a very comfortable night at albergue Ninho in Rubiães. I felt a little negative about the place last night because the wifi wasn’t working, the owner tried to rectify the problem by calling someone in, but alas it wasn’t to be. This means that I have to get the blog uploaded in a bar or restaurant. Almost all bars and cafés now seem to have wifi, even the ones you would least imagine to have it. But uploading all the photos is quite time consuming, and I don’t get a chance to answer comments if my time is limited. So apologies for all the typos in yesterday’s post. I just didn’t have time to proof read thoroughly.

I suspect I shall encounter a lot more pilgrims today. The Aussies stopped off at the municipal albergue first yesterday and didn’t stay because the only beds available were two top bunks – the place was packed, as was the restaurant last night. This town is an end of stage in the Brierly book, and lots of people keep to the prescribed stages. I think I shall plough on today and walk over the spanish border and halway across the next stage to avoid the crowds.

The first picture shows the maize stored in an horreo.

The walking environment has been good again today, but hard under foot with yet more cobbles and stoney paths.

Another pile of pilgrim torture waiting to be laid

The village gardens continue to be an absolute delight. The Portuguese in this area seem to be very fond of topiary, and bushes that have not yet been trimmed to a very precise shape are just waiting to be big enough to follow in their garden-fellow footsteps. There are also many ‘cloud’ trees in evidence – mostly olives. Quite beautiful.

There has been an abundance of wisteria all along the route, which unfortunately had already finished flowering by the time I passed through. It must have been an amazing sight six weeks ago. And it is also an area filled with hydrangeas, not many in flower yet, but those I have seen in colour are a beautiful lavender blue or creamy white. So I am between seasons for two of my favourite cultivated plants, but bang on time for the wonderful roses that tumble over every garden wall. I just love the Portuguese gardens, both the flower and vegetable variety.

And I want to voice gratitude for the humble fox glove, that has been my constant companion practically every day of my walk, even when every other wild flower deserted me, the digitalis was ever present and always reminds me of my cottage garden in England.

I stopped at 15 km for a boots off break. I can feel a possible hotspot on my heel and want to investigate. This is the first dry day since arriving in Porto and it is difficult to take breaks when it is damp, unless there is a strategically placed bar.

Entry into Valença (population 14,000) was not unpleasant, the suburbs are not a chore to walk through and I soon enter the city and walk through pedestrian shopping streets to the castle wall where there is a lovely view of the surrounding countryside. The arrows direct me through a long and very dark tunnel to the other side of the wall and then on a magical mystery tour through the outer grounds.

Then I am walking over a long expanse of bridge high above the Minho / Miño river. A pedestrian walkway runs alongside the vehicle access with a train line running above. Then bridge is such a vast length that I feel a bit disorientated crossing it. I can see a view of the cathedral in Tui through the criss-cross of the structure and below the clouds are reflected in the wide waters of the river.

And then I walk off the other end of the bridge and I am in Spain. It feels very peculiar and a bit of an anti-climax. I didn’t really want to leave Portugal but the arrows have led me across the border.

I had thought I would walk another 16+ km’s to Porriño but after a couple of 30+ days I am feeling quite tired today and decide to stop in Tui.

I call into the information office for a stamp in my credencial and am given directions to the municipal albergue, which I manage to completely miss and have to retrace my steps back to the cathedral, where I eventually find the albergue discretely tucked away. It feels a bit like what I imagine checking into a detention centre would be. I am issued with a disposable sheet and pillow case, am read the riot act about closing time and directed to read the rules of the house. I am one of the early arrivals luckily and am allocated a bottom bunk. The place is a newly converted ancient building, very nicely presented and very clean. My shock comes when I go to take a shower in the ladies’ only bathroom and find that the showers are totally communal, no division between the four shower heads and not even a curtain between the shower area and the toilet facilities. I am fortunate that no-one else wants to use the shower whilst I am in it. I find this treatment totally disrespectful. I can’t imagine that anyone of any age wants to be seen taking a shower. I think it is outrageous and shall certainly enquire about facilities in other municipal albergues before committing to them. It makes private albergues seem cheap at twice the 6 euro price for the municipal.

Rant of the day over

I managed to wash and dry one set of t-shirt, pants and socks yesterday. (Pants, for those non English readers means knickers. I know a lot of you call knickers panties, but that word has rather risqué connotations for me, and believe me there is absolutely nothing risqué about my merino wool walking knickers!)

My clothes were threatening to carry on walking on their own as it had been a few days since I had been able to do any washing with even a chance of it getting dry. I have to say that merino wool is very forgiving, and can actually go for days of wear without getting any tell-tale signs. But enough is enough and I took the chance yesterday afternoon and was rewarded with fresh clothing today. I have washed the other set today. But I don’t dare wash my trousers as I only have one pair. I shall have to wait until there are drying facilities of the electrical kind.

I am now sitting an the Museu Cafe, where the charming barman keeps up a lively conversation in a mixture of spanish and English (although he is French) and he provides me with some delicious tapas on the house.

This is the third plate of goodies that this lovely man has served me. What a star he is.

I finally left the bar and popped into a supermarket to buy some healthy salad ingredients for supper. I just hope that the albergue bye-laws allow me to eat it. And having bar-hopped to a sunny cafe I shall now commit my post to the blogosphere.

Posted in Camino assessments and reflections, Camino Portuguese | Tagged Camino blog, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago., camino Portuguese, municipal albergue, Porriño, Portugal, Portuguese route, Rubiães, travel, Tui, Valença | 32 Comments

day 22, Lugar do Corgo to Rubiães, 35.6 km

Posted on 23/05/2014 by magwood

23 May 2014

Total distance walked 518.5 km
Average daily distance 23.57 km

I forgot to put in yesterday’s post that Fernanda first took in a German pilgrim who was in dire need of help and had been turned way by all she approached. After first also saying no, Fernanda had a chnge of heart and took the woman in, which became the start of her hospitality to pilgrims from all over the world. She thinks that in the intervening years she has put up somewhere between 25,000 and 30,000 pilgrims.

It was good to see the American family again yesterday. But if I keep up my distances I don’t suppose I shall see them again. Leah, Sharon and Anil, it was great to know you. I wish you a truly great camino with no more unexpected diversions!

I set off before breakfast was served this morning and was met by a brightening sky, dry weather and a slight chill in the air. I even put my gloves on for half an hour. It was a fabulous morning and I walked along through woodland and farmland to a chorus from blackbirds, a cuckoo and a woodpecker. I love to see the vines growing on frames that pass right over the roads – it looks so pretty.

I came across these very odd structures for hanging hay from – I saw a few along the way.

For a while the trail took the form of every pilgrim’s dream – compacted sand – so nice to walk on after all the cobbles. And all the way to Ponte de Lima the track meandered between woodland and villages – progress wasn’t very fast because I was stopping every few minutes (or seconds sometimes!) to take pics. I didn’t meet a soul during 15 km – apart from a few farmers – it was bliss. You will have to let me know if you are bored with raindrop photos, sorry but I just can’t resist them.

I also couldn’t resist these scallop shells that were hanging by a thread, high above the track, outside the walls of a Quinta.

I was passed by several groups of cyclists today. There seem to be a better class of cyclist on the Portuguese route, they are all extremely polite, give good warning of their approach and and always greet me with a bom dia and bom caminho (not at all like the ruffians on the Frances route!)

This little chap posed for a couple of photos on the outskirts of Ponte de Lima – who can possibly resist the charms of a robin?

The approach into Ponte de Lima is most attractive along a beautifully cobbled avenue of towering lime trees – very majestic, but just as I reached the far end it started to rain quite hard, so I quickly dived into a cafe for a mid morning break.

Once I left the town the track became very muddy and quite difficult to negotiate, with deep puddles running the full width of the path and for many meters.

After a while I came to a long stretch where some kind person had put a layer of sand along the way and soon enough I could thank him for myself.

I came across a pile of mini cobbles, either just taken up or waiting to be laid. These very small cobbles, just a couple of inches across, are perfectly comfortable to walk on. It is the bigger ones that hurt so much.

I’ve noticed that all the cemeteries I have passed all have real flowers on the graves, always fresh and beautiful. No long-lasting plastic ones here.

Once the other side of Ponte de Lima there is a huge climb to be tackled. I thought (once again) that a big fuss was being made of nothing much. The very steep paths were interspersed with a section of flat track and were quite comfortable to negotiate. However once again I was wrong – the actual climb hadn’t started yet, and when it did, there were no flat areas, just 5 km of extreme assent. However it was a stunningly beautiful walk and I plugged into some music to give my legs a little encouragement.

Deep into the woods there were countless pines that had been tapped for sap, but here the sap is collected in polythene bags. When I first saw one, I thought it was a pag of pee that someone had left propped against a tree – although I can’t imagine for a moment why anyone would pee into a bag in the woods. However it soon became apparent what was happening, there were so many of them. I gave one of the bags a poke and it was totally liquid, not at all viscous, which surprised me. They were all full, so I expect someone will come to collect them soon. Do they empty them I to a container or do they seal the bags? So many questions, and I don’t expect I shall get to know the answer.

There were several stone crosses where people had left stones and mementos, and I added a couple of stones, one for my parents and one for Charles.

As I neared the peak at Alto da Portela Grande I came across a flat-ish platform of land from where there was a stunning view down into the Lima Valley. As I removed my earplugs I could hear machinery and then heard a tree coming down. As I walked around a bend I was confronted with my second dumper of the day, pulling the felled trees into place and I had to wait for him to move off the camino path.

The descent was not so steep, but certainly steep enough, on slippery stones and rock. It was good to get to the bottom, whereupon I met with my third camino machine which was hauling huge stones for the builders of another new and beautiful stone wall.

Once again, I was entirely alone – as I have been all day. I rather like it. Although walking through the woods I thought this tree was giving me the evil eye.

A little further on I came across one of the Australian guys from a couple of nights previously and he and another of their party are staying in the same accommodation with me tonight, which was recommended to me by a couple of guys from Fernanda’s last night. They had met on the camino Frances and didn’t want to stop when they reached Santiago so continued to walk the Portuguese route in reverse. This is quite easy because there are arrows all the way beyond Porto that point towards Fatima.

The accommodation tonight is fairly new and called Ninho. It is a little further on from the municipal albergue. There are 9 or 10 beds, some bunks, some singles, a bathroom with two showers and two loos and a nice kitchen lounge area. Breakfast is included and I was invited to eat when I arrived. The cost is 15 euros, which is a bit expensive I think. Linen and towels are included and the owner is very attentive.

I’m glad the Aussies have turned up. The only other person here when I arrived was a sickly German guy who has been suffering with food poisoning he thinks and was not great company.

This has been my second quite long day, but my feet are holding up well, even with all the cobbles and rocks I encounterd today. I am enjoying the longer distances – I like to get going early in the morning and don’t like to stop too early in the day.

Posted in Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Camino Portuguese | Tagged Alto da Portela Grande, Camino blog, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago., camino Portuguese, Casa de fernanda, Lugar do corgo, Ponte de Lima, Portugal, Portuguese route, Raindrops, Rubiães, travel | 25 Comments

day 21, Pedra Furada to Lugar do Corgo, 33.8 km

Posted on 22/05/2014 by magwood

22 May 2014

Right now I feel as though I am waiting for a prison term to end – although I am free to leave my room, when I step out into the garden I will be confronted by the oversized Alsatian guard dog. He didn’t look very menacing inside his run, but I won’t take the chance of invading his space whilst he is on duty. He is due to be locked back up for the day at 7am, so I am just biding my time for the next fifteen minutes.

I can’t hear any rain so I might take the big climb up to Monte Franqueira where I am told there are fabulous views over the ocean. It will depend on the sky when I can see it, if there is a lot of cloud, which is most likely considering we have been promised more rain all day, then I won’t make the effort and the extra 2.5 km to get there. Vamos a ver!

When I sneak out the dog is barking furiously, but from the other side of his cage. I can see a bit of blue sky peeping through the clouds to the west so decide to go for it and tackle the climb to Monte Franqueira. It’s a lovely walk, entirely on my own, not another soul to be seen, on an asphalt road winding ever upwards through pine and eucalyptus forest and the aroma after all the rain is fabulous and fresh. I continue to be hopeful as I climb that the view at the top will be worth the effort, and I am not disappointed.

A very telling forward/backward duo

As I round the pretty church at the very top of the hill and approach the mirador, I am greeted with a wide expanse of Atlantic Ocean in the distance. It was definitely worth the effort and I am glad that I made it.

As I descend through the woodland I catch more raindrop pics.

I rejoin the camino after 7.5 km and the path remains on village roads although almost entirely on the dreaded cobbles.

I reach the large and pretty town of Barcelos at about 9:45 after walking 13.5 km and after admiring the beautiful church and withdrawing more funds at a cash machine, I find a cafe to rest my cobble-worn feet and partake of a pasteis de nata.

It’s lovely walking again today and it soon turns sunny and warm. There is very little walking on fast roads, but many hobbles on the cobbles and a lot of woodland and farmland track.

I stop at a restaurant in Portela after about 22 km. Having walked through the rain for a while it feels like time to stop for a bite to eat and I order a bowl of vegetable soup with bread, accompanied by a glass of vinho verde. This wine is so refreshing, with just a light sparkle to it – it really hits the spot!

I’m not sure if it’s the effect of the wine, but I began to feel quite tired during the last third of my day’s walk. I also got a thorough soaking in a very heavy storm and was a bit concerned that my boots would get wet, but luckily no water seeped through, although I had to wring my trousers out. But my hiking pants are so thin that they dry very quickly. My pack cape worked well again and I didn’t get wet inside my jacket at all.

I discovered a new trick today. I didn’t want to take my rain coat off between showers because it is a drag to have to remove my pack each time, but I was getting too warm every time the sun peeped out. Then I remembered that my arms act as a thermostat for the rest of my body and I pulled up the sleeves and adjusted the Velcro fastening to keep them in place above my elbows and I was instantly cooled. I didn’t even bother to pull them down in the heavy rain – it was nice to feel the rain on my skin.

These chairs might have seemed inviting to a tired pilgrim, but actually there is a lot of fly tipping in the woodland areas, with all sorts of rubbish dumped amongst the trees. Not very nice.

I’ve seen a bit more livestock today, these fabulous cows with their amazing horns and a couple of other herds of cows and sheep. I’ve yet to see a pig, although I think I heard one squealing one day. For a country that uses a great deal of pork, I wonder where all the pigs are kept?

And here’s one for Elly. Elly is an architect and bemoans the fact that we seem to have lost the art of creating beautiful environments. Well, here is a beautiful stone wall being built in the old style (although I’m not sure they would have used cement to hold the insides together in days gone by, as they have in this wall – but the outward effect is very pleasing!

I was beginning to think that I had missed my accommodation for the night because the distance indicated on the Brierly map was way out of proportion to the actual distance. Eventually I came across Casa Fernanda (+351 914 589 521) after almost 34 km. There is a wooden chalet with ten single beds and she can put a few more people up in her house. The chalet has two bathrooms.

I met up with the lovely American family from Casa Laura during the day and they are also staying here, as is the Australian guy I walked with briefly yesterday.

The pilgrims at Casa Fernanda number around twenty tonight and we have all been treated to a wonderful dinner and more wine and port than we could possibly drink. Fernanda and her husband Jacinto have entertained us with Portuguese songs and encouraged their guests to sing some national songs. It has all been very great fun. I have met with my first English, from London, there are Germans, Belgians, a Slovakian, Americans, an Australian and possibly Swiss. Thank you Fernanda and Jacinto.

Posted in Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Camino Portuguese | Tagged Barcelos, Camino blog, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago., camino Portuguese, Fernanda and Jacinto, Lugar do corgo, Monte Franqueira, Pedra Furada, Portugal, travel | 23 Comments

Day 20, Vilarinho to Pedra Furada, 23.5 km

Posted on 21/05/2014 by magwood

21 May 2014

This morning I resisted the urge to get up on waking – not too hard as I could hear the rain belting down outside. The Australians James and Fitz, were up first and left about 6 am.

I was next up and just as I was ready to leave, Claus the Dane was rising. The others seemed still to be in the land of Nod. There had been a gentle symphony of snoring during the night, but nothing too hard to cope with. For all I know I could have been part of the chorus!

I come across the Aussies along the way, and ask James to take a photo of my rain cover in use. Last year on the camino Frances I found that a considerable amount of rain leaked through my quality rain jacket. My theory is that the rain gets in where the straps of the backpack are tight against the fabric of the raincoat. The solution is to wear a poncho which covers the hiker and the backpack in one go. Although I think they look ridiculous, I had decided to buy a poncho for this camino, after being soaked through for several days on the Frances. But I had also thought about making a cover for my shoulders that would attach to a pack raincover and somehow tuck in around the sternum strap.

Meanwhile I purchased a pack cover (I had borrowed one from Ella last year) but when I got it home I realised that it was intended for an 80 litre pack whereas my pack is 35 litres. And then my brain started ticking over. Luckily Ella was visiting me in Spain at this time, so I had someone practical-minded to help me make the ‘Magnificent Maggie Shoulder Cape’. In reality I cut through the excess fabric of the cover and sewed some Velcro to the edges that fasten under my chin, and some anchor points to my pack. Here is the result, which I think works very well. I have walked through some pretty heavy rain and have not suffered any leakage. Perhaps I should apply for a patent!

I made another adjustment to my rainwear today and cut a small hole in my rain jacket pockets so that I can thread through the waist straps of my pack to fasten inside the jacket. This causes still less friction between straps and waterproof fabric.

By the time I stop for a break after 9 km I have been walking in gentle rain on a mixture of surfaces, very little so far on fast roads, mostly through very pretty villages and farmland with some tracks.

As I walk into the cafe it is very dull but the rain has stopped for the time being. I order a savoury pastry and hot water and as I am writing this the rain has started to come down again quite hard. I’m in no rush so will sit it out in the cafe for a while. I am only travelling about 20 km today. This is purely so that I can stay at Casa Fernanda in Lugar do Corgo tomorrow night. This place is reported to be one of the highlights of the camino Portuguese. And in order to make the km’s work out right, today will be a short stage with a stop at the albergue of Antonio in Pedra Furada, another place recommended for its hospitality and the excellent restaurant that he also runs.

How about this for good timing? As I am sitting in the cafe the heavens open up, first firing a barrage of hailstones, and following through with a torrential downpour – lucky I’m not in a rush!

Once the rain lightens up I set off again, and am soon walking on tracks through farmland and then through woodland, when briefly the rain stops and the sun breaks through for long enough for me to get busy with my macro lens.

It seems that every Portuguese home has a dog, which are almost without exception chained up and like to give the impression that they would rather like to take a chunk out of the backside of every passing pilgrim. Today I came across the exception and I could tell from a distance that he just wanted to be friends and receive some fuss. I duly obliged and was rewarded for my efforts with much wagging of tail and appreciative nudges.

I am loving the way they grow grape vines in this area. They are grown around the perimeter of a crop field, on long trunks of two meters or more, trained onto frames projecting towards the centre of the field. Often the ground below the vines is used to grow vegetables whilst a grain crop is grown in the field. Excellent use of space!

When passing through the town of São Pedro de Rates I came across this sign indicating the remaining distance to Santiago as 200 km, so another eight days to go.

I have met my first English pilgrim today, although one that lives in the US. I also spent half an hour walking with another Australian, until I reached my destination at Antonio’s bar in Pedra Furada. I have to say that the excellent reputation of this small albergue is well deserved. There is one room with two bunks and another under-bed mattress for emergency use. This room has an amazing bathroom, that anyone would be proud to have in their home. There is also a twin room with ensuite next door. All for 10 euros per bed, and including fresh linen and towels. I have hardly had to use my sleeping bag on this journey. There is loads of info and reviews on the web if you search ‘restaurant Pedra Furada’, tel 00351 252 951 144

I am made very welcome and after a wonderful shower I wander into the cafe and sample the pilgrim’s menu, soup followed by pork with potatoes and salad. Excellent!

Oh, I forgot to mention my disaster yesterday. I was looking for a dry place to put my iPhone when I dropped it screen-side down on the granite cobbles. The screen is smashed to smithereens. Luckily James the Aussie kindly donated his screen protector to help hold it together for the rest of the journey. Thanks James – I really appreciated this act of kindness.

I really enjoyed the walking today, even when the rain was pouring. So far I am on my own at Antonio’s – hopefully others will arrive – he says he has been full for the last few days.

Well, the place is now full. The twin room has three people (not sure how that works) of unknown nationality, European it think. I have been joined in my room by a Canadian couple who are just walking a few days of the camino, and a young German woman who has been walking the coastal route from Porto. Not the party atmosphere of last night, but I can’t expect such a great crowd of people every night.

Posted in Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Camino Portuguese | Tagged Camino blog, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago., camino Portuguese, Pedra Furada, Portugal, Portuguese route, restaurant Pedra Furada, travel, Vilarinho | 32 Comments

day 19, Porto to Vilarinho, 28 km

Posted on 21/05/2014 by magwood

I was awake early so quietly got myself ready and crept out of the room, leaving Elly asleep. As forecast, I could hear that it was raining so fitted my home made (well, not exactly home-made, but home ‘adjusted’) backpack raincover. As I was doing this in the hallway, Elly came to say goodbye and I was out of the door by 6am

It was still a bit dark and it was difficult to see the arrows. They are often on lamp posts, but can also be on walls or on kerb stones, so it is necessary to be really vigilant and pay attention at all times. It was a bit intimidating walking the city streets at this hour, but as it got lighter there were plenty of signs to show the way through the unattractive suburbs.

The rain stopped after about half an hour and I began to get a bit hot so as soon as I could find a place where I felt comfortable to stop, I took off my fleece and just wore my thin rain jacket.

My iPhone gps app has the option for a voice to announce the distance travelled at every km, giving time taken and split times. Mine has a woman’s voice and I have christened her Penelope Pocket (because that is where she lives). I’m sure some people would find her very annoying piping up every 10-12 minutes, but I find her quite reassuring – I like to know how far I have travelled and therefore have some idea of how far I still have to go. But I felt a bit anxious about her talking to me from my pocket this morning and turned her voice right down, so as not to attract any unwelcome attention.

It was easy but not nice walking. Nobody makes eye contact to say hello here, like they do at home in Spain. The spanish (in my area at least) are very polite and friendly and always acknowledge everyone they pass, and when entering a waiting room, or cafe will say a general hello to everyone, and everyone responds.

The exception was one old lady at a bus stop who asked if I was going to Santiago and wished me bom viaje. That was nice!

I was beginning to think about stopping for a hot drink but the only cafés I passed were dark blokey places. Then I noticed a scallop shell tile across the street and crossed the road to find a cafe which was bright and clean with a couple of female customers, so I nipped straight in, having walked 9.5 km. I ordered a buttered roll and hot water. I shan’t be influenced by Elly’s preference for sweet pastries now and shall try to cut down my sugar intake.

Thus far the rain has varied from fairly constant light fall to occasional brief spells of no rain and now and then a bit of a downpour.

The walking continued through depressing km’s of industrial area and eventually peeled off onto fairly quiet country roads. Don’t mistake the description of quiet for slow moving traffic. It seems the less traffic there is on the road, the faster the cars and lorries hurtle past. And for many km’s now I have been walking on cobbled roads. When I read of people complaining about how hard cobbles are on the feet I thought they were making a bit of a fuss. I hadn’t found them too bad until the last few days. But you can be sure that if you have any tender areas on your feet the cobbles will seek them out and press into those parts particularly hard.

After 19.75 km’s, sore footed and rather damp, I found a cafe in Mosteiró where I saw a basket of fresh eggs behind the counter and asked the elderly cafe lady if she would cook me an egg. Bless her, she went to fetch a frying pan and mimed breaking an egg into it. I confirmed that this was exactly what I wanted, and she disappeared, probably into her family kitchen and returned a while later with a perfectly cooked fried egg in a lovely fresh roll. Perfection. I followed it up with a pasteis de nata and was served hot water without any fuss, and was charged the princely sum of 1.50 euros.

As of today I am carrying my ipad hanging from my bum bag. I had to use my new pen knife to drill holes through the leather, which involved a few cuts to my fingers. Now I have to organise my own travel plans rather than rely on Elly who has planned our progress thus far, so I need to access the directions that I have downloaded to the ipad. So now I can also listen to my music or catch up on podcasts, and can write my blog as I go, right now whilst eating my egg roll and drinking hot water. I carried my ipad this way last year on the Frances route when I was using it as a camera and it worked well. I am glad to have it back at my fingertips, which, I have to admit, is where I like it to be at almost all times!

This was the most difficult day’s walking with cars and lorries whizzing by on narrow roads. Most pilgrims set off from Porto and this will be their first day’s walk, what a baptism of fire!

I was very glad when it was over and I arrived at my destination of Vilarinho after 28 km at 12:15 and wondered what on earth to do with myself for the rest of the day. I bagged the best bed of the seven on offer at Casa Laura, offering three bunks and a single bed, with only one shower room shared with another double bedroom, which was soon taken by a couple of guys. Then gradually the albergue filled up, first with a couple of Australian guys, then a family of three from the States and finally a Danish guy.

The afternoon soon turned into evening, with lots of very interesting chat, and progressed to dinner at a nearby cafe hosted by a Portuguese family who had lived in South Africa for many years and who had excellent English. All in all a very pleasant first day out on my own (other than the actual walking!)

Casa Laura is a very comfortable and welcoming private albergue, with lovely garden, which couldn’t really be appreciated in the rain. 10 euros for bed and basic breakfast, with bed linen and towels included. Laura also stocks her fridge with beer and wine for which there is a very resonable charge. Beware albergues that offer alcohol – unless you are strong willed – all the inmates were of a similar disposition yesterday, and between us we drank Laura dry.

When we returned from the cafe later in the evening, the lovely Laura had set out a bottle of liquor with sufficient glasses to go round, and left a tin of delicious home made fairy cakes for us to sample. A very thoughtful and much appreciated gesture.

It is still pouring with rain. Hopefully, the more that comes down tonight, the less will be left for tomorrow. I am planning a short-ish day of 20 km tomorrow, so I shall try not to get up too early in the morning.

No photos today, except for the accommodation, including a before and after photo of the room (with the permission of all involved).

Posted in Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Camino Portuguese | Tagged Camino blog, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago., camino Portuguese, Portugal, Portuguese route, travel | 33 Comments

Day 18, Grijó to Porto, 17 km

Posted on 19/05/2014 by magwood

19 May 2014

This morning began just as strangely as last night ended. I had mentioned to the young woman carer that we would like to leave between 6:30-7:00 am and she said she would tell her colleague to open the gate for us.

Everything was still and quiet as we left the room and we wondered who would be round to unlock for us, but as we opened the front door, so the automatic gate started to creak open to let us out onto the street……very eerie.

I am very grateful to the kindness shown to us over the last couple of days, but I am so very glad I had company, it would all have been too weird to cope with on my own.

We were soon back on the camino and had probably saved ourselves a couple of km’s by getting a lift to the children’s home.

It was very warm with no wind, although there was a lot of cloud cover and the threat of rain.

The first half of the day’s journey was a lovely walk through interesting towns and villages and a fabulous track through forest. I saw my first pavement sign for the camino before commencing a fairly smart climb into the woods. As usual I was striding ahead of Elly and I came to a point where there was a fork in the path and no sign to indicate the route. I decided I had missed a sign, and retraced my steps and sure enough I found an arrow that I had missed previously showing a right turn.

All too soon we came to the long approach into Porto, through the suburbs where the Monday morning rush hour was taking place, and on and on into the city. As we got closer the modern buildings began to soar, right alongside beautifully proportioned period properties.

We finally reached the bridge high above the river Douro and the cityscape that opened up to us across the river was incredible, even on a dull and increasingly cold day. We were overlooking the port wine lodges and could see some familiar trade marks.

We walked across the bridge alongside the metro line and found our way to the cathedral to get our credentials stamped. As we were leaving I took a photo of the imposing main door of the cathedral and turned around to see this view of a line of washing hanging out to dry, exactly opposite the church steps. A great forward and backward pair of pics.

We found our accommodation just as the rain started at the Poet’s Hostel In the heart of the city for a cost of 45 euros for a very spacious and stylish twin room with shared facilities. There are plenty of loos and showers and the whole place is very comfortable, with excellent lounging and kitchen areas.

The rain became torrential so we were in no rush to leave the comfort of the hostel and I could finally post yesterday’s blog. When the weather eased, we followed the recommendation of the receptionist and had an excellent lunch at a nearby restaurant, our first proper meal in three days, and then did some sightseeing, including the fabulous Livraria Lello book shop, with the most incredible decoration and central staircase. One book made me smile, entitled ‘Wedding Knits’ – can’t imagine knitting a wedding dress! Photographs were not allowed in the shop, although that did not stop many people from ignoring the rule and taking them anyway, but I followed instructions so I have taken these pics from the internet.

We weren’t hungry in the evening after such a good lunch, so just went out for a farewell drink. Elly has decided to take an extra day in Porto, and I am walking on. I came on this adventure to see how I would cope walking on my own. I met Elly through the forum and when we hit it off in Lisbon, we just naturally stuck together, enjoying each other’s company. Hopefully we will get together in Santiago, if not before. I have to admit to being a bit trepidatious about setting off on my own tomorrow, but that is really what this trip was about, so it’s about time I got on with it. Elly has been a great friend for the best part of three weeks and I really appreciate the time we have spent together.

Posted in Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Camino Portuguese | Tagged Camino blog, Camino de Santiago blog, Camino de Santiago., camino Portuguese, Grijó, Livraria Lello, poet's hostel, Port wine lodges, Porto, Portugal, Portuguese route, travel | 38 Comments

day 17, Oliveira de Azeméis to Grijó, 32.25 km

Posted on 19/05/2014 by magwood

After posting my blog yesterday I continued to wander the streets of Oliveira de Azeméis. It was a lovely afternoon and evening. All the savoury food available involved pork, either spit roasted or braised in oil. There were also many cake and fruit stands, and various craft stalls. I bought myself a pork roll for next day’s brunch and went back to our bombeiros lodgings. Here are a few more photos of the festivities.

The town was very clean and tidy when we left this morning, just this rather charming sign of what had gone on the night before. Not like the carnage those rowdy students left in Coimbra.

I have to say, it was one of the strangest nights I have ever spent. It seems that the place is not entirely disused by the bombeiros and there was a lot of coming and going throughout the night of people (men and women) who I presume called in to use the toilet facilities. I also presume they were fire personnel, although I have no way of knowing. Access to the building is by way of a bit of string threaded through a keyhole and attached to a sliding bolt on the other side. Pull the string and push the door and you are in – as easy as that! So there was much pulling and pushing and as I was sleeping on the other side of a curtain, not many yards away from the door, I have to admit to feeling a bit vulnerable, particularly when someone actually pulled the curtain aside at some point during the night. I didn’t speak out and whoever it was didn’t come in, and that was that. However, as you can imagine it was another night of poor sleep and I was up at 5:30 am, not long before a cockerel started crowing – which was somewhere in the building! The whole event was totally surreal and we set off on today’s walk before 6:15 am.

The first third of the walk was very pleasant, through quiet villages and a couple of forest tracks. For the last few days there have been very few wild flowers alongside the roads and tracks. Virtually none really. It is strange because we are still walking through forests of eucalyptus where there were previously masses of flowers in all directions, and now none at all – maybe a change of soil? Whatever the reason, I really miss them. I did find these few today.

I also took this photo a couple of days ago, of a woman ploughing a field with a hand tool. Such a contrast to the mechanised ploughing of the vast fields we passed by at the beginning of our walk.

We set foot on some Roman roads today. Those Romans have a lot to answer for – their roads are most uncomfortable to walk on. I would have expected them to have taken more care in the construction so that their roads would have stood the test of time!

Also included in this medley is an horreo, a railway crossing – we have zig-zagged over the rails many times in the last few days, and a rather interesting sculptor’s workshop that we passed this morning.

Lots of elevation on this stage. We passed through São João da Madeira after 10 km, a large city with a population of 21,000, and stopped for a hot drink and a pastry. The signage through this city was virtually non existent and it was fortunate that we had the notes that Laurie Reynolds has written to guide us through. I recommend anyone contemplating this camino to download her guide which is very detailed where necessary. It is published via the Confraternity of St James website and a donation can be made to this organisation for the download if you wish. Lisbon to Porto, I can’t find the link for the route from Porto to Santiago de Compostela but I am sure you can track it down if you want it.

It is strange that when I become unsure that I am on the correct route because I haven’t seen any arrows for a long stretch, I subconsciously slow my pace right down. And when I eventually see the longed for sign, I speed up again.

The second two thirds was very uninspiring, through larger towns with busy roads, even on a Sunday. The extreme low point of this walk was when I could see from a distance that a dog sitting in the gutter of a busy road was in trouble and my heart sunk. As we got closer I could see that it had been hit by a vehicle and it’s entire hind quarters were paralysed. It looked as if it was sitting on its haunches, but when it moved it was pulling the rear part of its body along the road with its front legs. We asked a couple of people to phone the police to come and sort it out, but both refused, even when I offered to use my phone. A lady tried to help and got bitten for her trouble, but would not phone for help. We were making the poor thing more anxious and all we could do was make sure it had some water within reach and walk away. It broke my heart, imagining how confused the poor thing was, not understanding what had happened to it. And it took me back to the agonies I felt on discovering my beautiful black cat Tibber had been torn to pieces by my neighbour’s dogs a couple of years ago. At the time I kept imagining what was going through his mind as he was being ripped apart. I can only hope that the dog pulled itself back into the road and was killed, rather than suffer a slow death from pain and dehydration in the gutter. (Please, no comments about the dog – I would rather not be reminded of it.)

After I had composed myself I started to look for somewhere to sit in the shade to eat my roll and take my boots off, but it took another six km’s before an opportunity arose. There’s not much shade to be found at mid-day and not many places on such a stark route that would entice you to stop.

We caught sight of the ocean about half way through the day

I still have not come across any English pilgrims on this journey. Yesterday I met a couple from Lithuania, and an Italian guy. Today I spoke to a couple of pilgrims who spoke perfect English when saying good morning, but they are from Malta. And a couple of guys that we have seen on and off for a few days but never spoken to, and assumed they were French, have turned out to be Brazilian. We are getting quite a roll call of nationalities.

Anyway, after 32 km we arrived at our destination of Grijó. We didn’t see any sign of the albergue we were looking for so phoned the number given in the guide, to be told that it was closed for works. After some discussion the man I was talking to – we were both using spanish and there was a lot of room for misinterpretation – told me to wait were we were, outside the cemetery gates, and he would come and meet us in ten minutes. Within just a couple of minutes a guy pulled up alongside us, got out of his car and started to communicate with us. He said the albergue will be open on 1 June, but in the meantime there were no other alternatives in the town. He said he had to wait for his wife and then he would take us to some accommodation back along the way we had come. His wife duly appeared, our rucksacks were stowed in his boot and we all piled into his car, he turned around and started driving in the opposite direction, and kept on driving for what seemed like an alarmingly long way. I really didn’t want to have to walk all that way back in the morning.

We eventually pulled up outside a Residencial when my phone rang and a voice on the other demanded ‘where are you?’ I just passed my phone to our friendly driver and a long conversation ensued during which realisation dawned that this man was just a guy trying to be friendly and helpful, not the original man I had spoken to on the phone. Luckily we all saw the funny side of the situation and we all piled back in his car and we returned from whence we had come, where we were met by a woman who spoke good English. She explained that because the albergue was closed, we could stay at the priest’s house in the neighbouring village of Sermonde, and she would lead the way in her car and we would follow with the kind man who had somehow got involved in the kerfuffle. Why we didn’t just get into,the woman’s car I really don’t know, but our lovely chap and his wife were keen to take us themselves. Only problem was that the woman leading us didn’t really know the way and we drove round in circles for a while before finally finding the right place, where we were welcomed and shown to a guests’ room with ensuite shower room, and told we could join them for dinner at 7:30 pm.

Our poor guy only went to collect his wife from the cemetery where I presume she was visiting the grave of a loved one, and they ended up getting involved with carting us around the countryside for more than half an hour. More kindness from strangers.

The place where we are staying is huge and is some sort of children’s home. It is surrounded by lovely gardens, a vegetable garden and swimming pool. It is all rather odd, but we have been made welcome and the young woman we are dealing with is most kind. Not necessarily a good idea to invite unknown adults into a children’ home for the night…..

I think this might be a very sober night, and I doubt if I will be able to send this post because I can’t detect any wifi signal here.

We were treated to a supper of soup and hamburger, which reminded me why I don’t eat hamburgers. And then there was nothing to do except bring in our still wet washing and hang it around our room and then have a very early night. We had to share a double bed and so Elly and I both steadfastly kept to the very outer edges to avoid any accidental contcact. But meanwhile some of the boys living here decided to congregate outside our window and surreptitiously glance in from time to time, there being no curtains and as the shutters only partially closed, there was no obstruction to their view. But if they were hoping to see any woman on woman shenanigans, they were sorely disappointed.