Greg's Wanderings

Category: Trail Blog

Once I arrive in Portugal, I hope to provide daily progress of my journey to Santiago de Compostela.

  • Day 22 – Tui rest day

    Day 22 – Tui rest day

    Oct 2

    Another night of leg pain.   I’ve applied “BioFrost” an icy-heat ointment and alternated with Ibuprfin topical cream, but the leg pain persists and is nearly debilitating.  

    Last night I decided that if it wasn’t feeling better by morning, I would see a doctor.  

    Morning came and the pain carries on.  I found a hospital in Tui about 2km away.  I summoned a cab and got a ride.  

    As I’m writing this, I’m seated in a waiting area.  Waiting for my number to appear on a video board indicating it’s time to be seen in consult room #209.  It’s hard to say how long the wait will be as numbers do not appear sequentially and the video monitor doesn’t yet show me in the queue.   

    I anticipated a long wait (what else do I have to do anyway) and brought my phone, ear buds and the back-up power supply, so I’ll be good for as long as it takes. 

    While I wait, I am thinking through contingencies.  I assume I either have shin splints or a stress fracture.  Either way, I’m guessing I’m not going to walk to Santiago any time soon.  

    If I learn that more walking isn’t going to cause more harm, I’ll walk as much as I can stand and then take a bus to Santiago.  I have a hotel booked there beginning October 6 and would like to be there to greet my friends as they arrive.  

    My room here in Tui is booked through tomorrow and I don’t think I’ll extend any longer.  The hotel location is isolated from other services and taxis are both expensive and hard to get.  My 2 kilometer ride today cost over €7 and I waited nearly an hour.  

    In less than an hour, I had been seen, sent downstairs for x-rays and called back into consult again.  

    There is no fracture and the doctor said as long as I could tolerate the pain, I could keep walking.  She prescribed some acetaminophen – which is not available over the counter and wished be well. 

    I waited nearly as long back downstairs to check out.  When I explained to the registrar that I had travel insurance and would need to pay them and then submit the claim for reimbursement, she tore up the papers and said “no charge.”

    Two consults with a doctor, two X-rays, a prescription and a cab ride for under €9 – and most of it was the taxi.

    I stopped by a farmacia to get my meds, then had a tasty lunch at a nearby juice bar. 

    Then, I walked a couple blocks to the Tui Cathedral to get my pilgrim credential stamped.  

    By this time, the meds had kicked in a little, so I decided to hike back up the hill to the hotel as a test. 

    The test proved that I can walk with only minimal discomfort, so now it’s back to planning the next few stages.  

    After resting the remainder of the day with my leg elevated, I celebrated the resumption of my walk with a nice dinner in the hotel dining room.  

    My slip for consultation at the hospital
    Hard to say when FF042 might be called, but it wasn’t long
    The line to turn in my paperwork to longer than waiting to see the doctor
    Signs supporting Palestine and condemning the genocide were everywhere. This one on a government building
    Inside the Tui Cathedral.
    Built more like a fort than a place of worship, it was said the style was to reinforce the power of the Bishop of Tui.
    My tosta lunch.
  • Day 21 – Valenca to Tui

    Day 21 – Valenca to Tui

    Oct 1

    My leg pain for worse overnight which sealed the deal on staying in the area.  I packed up my things and walked into Spain.  

    My hotel is a bit off the Camino, but is comfortable and cheap.  I plan to stay for at least two nights to give my leg a break.  

    When I took my shoes off at the end of yesterday’s walk, I discovered that the backing behind my heal had disintegrated. Time for new shoes.  Fortunately, Tui is one of the most popular starting points for the Camino and there are plenty of gear shops.   

    I ate lunch at my hotel and then walked back down the hill to the business district.  I bought a pair of Hoka trail runners and stopped by a pharmacy for some anti-inflammatory cream.  

    I had planned to grab an Uber from the short ride back up the hill, but discovered Uber doesn’t offer service here. I ordered a cab online, but after waiting nearly 30 minutes while it said it was  processing my request, I finally started walking back up the hill to the hotel.  When the hotel was in site, I finally got a phone call that a driver has been dispatched – I canceled the request. 

    I had stopped at a grocery store while in town and bought food for dinner.  I spent the rest of the day & night in bed Auth my leg elevated. 

    View of Tui from the Valenca side of the bridge.
    My left foot is in Spain, where it is 10:45 AM. My right foot is in Portugal where it is 9:45 AM.
    Welcome to Spain!
    My hotel room while I rest my leg
    Time for new shoes.
    Fortunately, there is a restaurant at the hotel
    The view as I walked to my hotel.
  • Day 20 – Labruja to Valenca

    Day 20 – Labruja to Valenca

    Sept 30

    Today’s walk started with a climb up and over Alto da Portela Grande de Labruja.  Even the name seemed intimidating.  It is the highest point on the entire Portuguese Camino. And a quick look at  the Route in Profile feature on the Buen Camino app reinforced this concern.  

    How to psych yourself out about an upcoming hill.

    And then I realized that in the photo above, the vertical scale was for 400 meters while the horizontal was 25 meters.  This discrepancy made the hill seem 60 times as steep as it actually was.  A little quick math and I realized the average grade over the first 3 kilometers would be about 6%.  

    I’m not saying there were not some steep stretches, but nothing to freak out about.  

    Photo gallery of the  climb 

    The hill started on cobblestone
    Then more of a dirt road
    The District of Labruja wished us well as we left
    Logging operations seemed to be removing the invasive and highly combustible eucalyptus to mitigate the wildfire risk for the native pines
    The trail became more of a rock gully
    A monument about halfway up. Lots of people left their own rocks here
    Onward and upward
    The view back down
    I left my own rock on a post at the top.
    An interesting piece of art at the summit

    Once on the other side and mostly to level ground, I came across a man who had turned his backyard into a bar for pilgrims.  I stopped and had a latte and an omlette (€6). 

    I was grateful for the stop, as services were again in short supply.  I did pass on one Cafe that I came upon a little too soon after my omlette.  Too bad because the next option was at the 16k mark.   At a taverna, I had a prosciutto sandwich and a coke (€3.60).

    I walk faster than most people and was the second to leave the hostile today. As a result, there have been few familiar faces on the trail.  Nuom & Ana reached the first bar just as I was leaving and Nina just passed the taverna as I sit here resting my feet and enjoying my cold coke.  

    After lunch, I wanted to split the remaining distance and take a break at about 20k.  As I topped a hill on a cobblestone track there was a food truck at the 19.95 mark.  The truck was run by a Belarusian woman selling homemade peroges.  She was quite the salesperson.  I bought a peroge for later and a beer for now.  

    I stopped to take a photo for two young women and I must have dropped my hat when I did.  I didn’t notice for another kilometer and by then there was no way I was going back for it.  I sent a message to one of my friends who was behind me and she looked, but did not find.  

    We are staying tonight inside the ancient fortress walls of Valenca. The Hostel Bulwark is really nice.  I’m staying in a 5 bunk/10 bed pod.  Dave & Tory are here too, along with some friends Heather & Frank who are starting from here.  Nuom is also in our pod along with a new lady, Stephanie from Nova Scotia, my upper bunkmate is Micky from Ireland.

    Also here are Ana, Ruth & Taya; and from my pre-Porto Camino family, Barney & Jenn.  

    Barney, who has been riding his bike is giving it to Ruth so that she can continue on  despite her injured knee. 

    Speaking of injuries, I can really begin to feel the  toll this is taking on my body.  My feet, heals, shins, knees and hips are all hurting.  Last night I mapped out my remaining days to Santiago and booked a hotel for my arrival.  Now I’m second-guessing myself and thinking I may need to take another rest day soon.  

    My omlette reward for crossing the mountain
    The foundation of this footbridge dates back to Roman times, but the upper parts are much newer: 12th century.
    This metal steel frame made this view picture perfect
    A cobblestone- free trail section
    Chestnuts are all over the ground.
    A Belarusian woman was selling homemade peroges from this truck
    Advertising for the hostel where I spent the night.
    Selfie by a Camino shell. Shortly after taking this, I discovered I had lost hat
    So close to Spain
    Entry into the fortress city of Valenca
    Another view of the fortress walls
    View of our bunk room.
    My replacement hat
  • Day 19 – Corgo to Labruja

    Day 19 – Corgo to Labruja

    Sept 29

    Almost exactly three weeks ago, I walked out my front door and started my Camino adventure. It’s hard to believe that my time here is over half over.

    When I first decided to walk the Camino, I thought I would try to average 15 miles (23km) per day and with 3 rest days approximately a week apart, I would arrive in Santiago in one month from Sept 11 when I stated. Now, after less than 20 days of walking I am a few days ahead of schedule and am contemplating my options.

    My options include diverting and taking the Spiritual Variant; an extended stay in Santiago; continuing my walk to Finisterra (the end of the world according to the Roman’s); more days exploring Lisbon and taking a short flight across to Morocco. I have time to do more than one option, but not enough to do all. As accommodations in Santiago can be challenging, I need to finalize when I plan to arrive in the next day or two.

    I’m currently sitting in a pastry shop about 16km from my end point for the day in Labruja. The hostel for the night doesn’t open until 4 pm, so I’m killing time – and getting a charge on my watch the didn’t set properly on the battery pack last night. I am afraid I’m getting addicted to a morning espresso and a sweet pastry.

    Last night surpassed the night in the donotivo as the most fun so far. Topping off a wonderful dinner with singing songs was really special. It sounds like at least six of us from last night have booked to the same hostel for tonight, so a new Camino family is forming.

    The hike today started late, as Fernanda’s husband Jacinto made everyone breakfast.

    The first 8k has mostly been they a rural landscape punctuated by passing tractors and roadside livestock.

    As I sit here waiting for my watch to charge, various familiar faces have come in. First, Taya & Nuom, the 20-somethings whom have bonded and are walking together since Taya’s mom is having knee problems and is currently traveling by Uber.

    Dave & Tory have just come in, accompanied by Sue, the British woman I walked out of Barcela with yesterday.

    After I left the bakery I passed more countryside and a few villages, all lacking in pilgrim services (cafes, mercados or snack bars).

    I then came to the city of Ponte de Lima, which most guidebooks listed as the destination for the prior stage. Just as I was coming into town, I started having pain in both my right knee and hip. I found a park bench along the Rio Loma and have my legs a long rest.

    By this time, it was past 1 pm and I was getting hungry for lunch. But all the restaurants along the river were fancy and overpriced for this pilgrim. I figured there would be a Cafe down the way soon.

    ‘Soon’ turned out to be two hours later, as the way was devoid of any towns with services. After following the lovely Rio Labruja for about a kilometer, I found an open Cafe with riverside seating.

    My hostel tonight has many familiar faces: Stefan, Ana & I are sharing one room with a new guy, Richard from Belgium. Richard retired from the Army two years ago. He and Ana have a connection in that he served three tours with the UN Peacekeeping forces in Croatia.

    Dave, Tory and Nuom are in the next room with Nina from Germany. Ruth & Taya have a shared double room. Nina may join our Camino family, but Richard is averaging over 55k a day, so he’ll be past us tomorrow.

    Our host Cecile made us a tasty, but simple dinner and a really yummy flan dessert.

    Welcome to Casa da Fernanda
    The courtyard at Fernanda’s
    One of four house dogs at Casa da Fernandas
    Friendly pigs
    Grazing geese
    Sheep in a corner
    Classic Camino countryside
    Chapel of St Benedict. Credited with ridding Portugal of the plague
    Statue of the pilgrim
    Each municipality has its own design for signs
    I am becoming addicted to pastry
    Taya & Nuom walking together
    Our roadside competition
    Rio Lima entering Ponte de Lima
    Huge parkway entering Ponte de Lima
    When it’s not raining, you can walk in the soft ground of the stream bed. If it rains, there is an elevated rock path.
    Rio Labruja had some beautiful waterfalls
    House dog at tonight’s hostel
    This cat loved to store the dog from the rooftop.
    Valley view from the hostel. Tomorrow we cross that hill.