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 18 – Barcelos to Corgo

    Day 18 – Barcelos to Corgo

    Sept 28

    I stayed up late last and was rewarded with a double overtime win for my Ducks.  I turned off the radio at about 4:15 and tried to get some sleep.  At 6:30 the roosters started crowing. So much for sleeping in…

    I still got off to a slow start because I was only going 20 kilometers and my alberge didn’t open until 2 pm. 

    I finally left my hotel about 9 am and walked back through town with a woman named Sue from the UK.  As we neared the center of Barcelos, there was loud music coming from some event going on.  As I got close, I discovered a big bike race getting ready to start with hundreds of cyclists in a shoot getting ready to start.  

    Barcelos is a fairly large city, but the way out of town was mainly on residential streets and being Sunday, traffic was not an issue. 

    Portugal is a country where the  vast majority of people are Catholic, but on Sundays there seem to be many more people at soccer fields or on bike excursions.  I passed many churches and chapels, but only  saw one  with a service going on. 

    My Alberge tonight is Casa da Fernanda.   It is rated as one of the  best Alberges in this Camino. For 35€, you get bed, dinner and breakfast.  And all the wine you can drink.  

    The only familiar face here is Noum, the girl from Isreal.  Our congregation tonight includes individual travelers from Oregon, Washington & California, Australia, Croatia, Isreal and Norway. There are couples from Boston and Paris, a mother-daughter pair from Vancouver BC and two best friends  from St. Louis.  

    In the “it’s a small world” department, Taya, the  daughter from BC, used to date a guy who went to the same high school as Noum in a suburb of Jerusalem.  What are the odds?

    While we wait for our communal meal, Fernanda whipped up a large batch of cod fritters and keeps bringing our pitchers of chilled vino Blanca.  

    Dinner was served at a giant table in their kitchen. Pumpkin soup (from the garden), bread, rice, beans (from the neighbor’s garden), potatoes, beef and salad (from the garden). And lots more wine.

    When the plates, our host brought out a guitar and a songbook. Both Dave & Ruth could play, so they took turns while we all sang.

    A bike race about to start in Barcekos
    See the hill in the distance? When you see a hill on the Camino, chances are you are going over it. Yup.
    This cute little pup was hanging out at a Cafe I stopped at this morning
    Ferns creating an uncover from the eucalyptus
    Follow the yellow brick road
    Swimming hole where 50+ bicyclists stopped
    The most significant impact of last nights rain
    Hanging out at the Alberge
    Fernanda in her kitchen
    Dave leading us on song
    Nuom, Guy, Marie, Brenda, Michael, Dave, Tory, Taya, Greg, Ruth, Marie, Ana, Gina, Laura, Stephan

  • Day 17 – Vilarinho to Barcelos

    Day 17 – Vilarinho to Barcelos

    Sept 27

    After I posted last night’s entry, our host brought out a tray with Port wine and some cakes from a local  bakery.   We learned that she and her husband just opened a second alberge on the Coastal route and so they are each managing one by themselves.  

    We were joined by six people staying in a second building across the street.  At our end of the table was Jeff from Massachusetts and Johan from Munich.  At the other end were four Spaniards from Seville.  

    After the wine, Lena, Ana, Roum and I went down the street to the only cafe open past 7 pm.  The man greeted us and apologized that his wife – the usual cook – had surgery that day and he only knew how to prepare one dish.  We all ordered the beef with French fries.   He did a great job and the meal included a fried egg and a salad.  

    Saturday Morning:

    After a brief stint walking out of town along a paved road, I came to the nicest stretch of the Camino so far.  Pastoral scenes of corn fields in various stages of harvest. The path, a mixture of cobblestone roads, dirt service tracks and some gravel.  For more than 10km just peaceful beauty and two ancient Romanesque bridges. The first dates back to at least 1185 when it is first mentioned in written history.  

    The sky has been overcast and a little ominous.  Tropical storm Gabrielle is spinning offshore, but it’s course is to our south and the forecast here is for rain overnight of less than an inch.  

    The hike continued to be pleasant with very little along busy roads.  In part that was because I chose to take two variants.  I assume the historical Camino in some areas grew up and highways eventually replaced the original routes.  These variants got us off the noisy roads and into more countryside.  

    Tonight, I’m staying in a private room a bit off the Camino.  My Oregon Ducks have a night game against Penn State that starts at 12:30 am Sunday.  I’m going to try to get a few hours rest before my alarm goes off at midnight and will finish my sleep after the game. 

    This gate is all that’s left of what once must have been an estate
    Bridge over river Arcos. Dating back to the 12th Century
    Signs advertising hostels & alberges ahead
    Typical scenery for the day
    Pilgrim rest stop: a bench, fruit, water. A tile sign says “home of a pilgrim “
    My second Romanesque bridge of the day. With the rain forecast for tonight, I’ll bet where I stood for this photo will be under water Sunday.
    In this district, the walls are made of shale. Over the decades, these stones must come up as the fields are plowed
    Is it a milestone if you are measuring kilometers? The first of these I saw, but then every Km today has been so marked.
    In the middle of a forest, I came across this cute park specifically for pilgrims. I took a video as well that I will try to post.
    The service roads were follow are generally quiet. But with harvest in full swing, sometimes things get a little crowded.
    One of the variants I took today went through a forest where eucalyptus were being harvested.
    View from the top of the variant looking down at Barcelos
    A sanctuary at the top of the variant can now be reached road. But at one time, this staircase was the only way.
    Third old bridge of the day. This one entering Barcelos passing over the Rio Cavado.
  • Day 16 – Porto to Vilarinho

    Day 16 – Porto to Vilarinho

    Sept 26

    I didn’t want to get going this morning.  Not sure if it was because of the long walk out of a large city or that I didn’t know when (or if) I would see my Camino family again.  

    I decided to eliminate the first issue by taking a metro part of way out of the city.  

    After my failed attempt at riding the metro in Lisbon, I decided to face the challenge. No problem.  The ticket machine instructions were clear and available in many languages.  For €2.20 a bought a reloadable transit card and a 3-zone fare to get me to Custio.  

    Despite waiting until 9:00, the train was pretty packed, but I was able to find a seat.  

    Getting off at Custio, the road the Camino was following was literally the overpass of the train stop.  After another 5k of walking, I felt like the city was finally being left behind. 

    I’m writing now during my 10k rest at a little cafe.  So far, I’ve seen no familiar faces. I did pass two pilgrims in another cafe speaking French and two girls stopped into the cafe for a pilgrim stamp.  Leslie was from Canada (BC) and had just started today from Porto.  Kelsey was from Dallas, Texas and began in Coimbra last week. 

    I reached my Alberge for the night at 1:40.  They open at 2.  There was one other pilgrim waiting when I arrived and then my friend Lena arrived before the host opened the building. 

    The hostel is nondescript from the outside – a basic rectangle of concrete.  But inside is a nice courtyard and large yard with both sunny and shady areas. 

    I’m in a 3-bunkbed room.  My roommates are Lena; Noam from Israel and Ana from Spain.  I’ve been in co-ed bunk rooms before but this is the first time I’ve been the only guy. 

    Shower taken. Laundry done. Blog almost finished.  Life is good.  

    My train pulling away after getting off in Custio
    13k from Porto and finally some quiet country roads
    We’ll be seeing more cyclists now, as you must ride at least 200km to get your Credential. Porto is 227km, so a logical starting point.
    A quiet natural area as I approach Vilarinho
    Chilling out in the backyard of the hostel
  • Day 15 – Porto

    Day 15 – Porto

    Sept 24-25

    Wednesday

    I walked across the Dom Louis bridge and into Porto shortly after 2 PM yesterday. I had a little bit over a kilometer to go and a 3 o’clock appointment with my apartment host Florebela. I decided to get as close as possible and then just wait outside until she arrived to let me in.

    Turning a corner onto a wide street with sidewalk cafés I saw Dan, Marcia and Eda enjoying a beer in the shade. They invited me to join them and before I could even reply, Dan had requested two cervejas from the server. 

    After a quick beer and learning that those in town, we’re going to get together that evening for dinner, I headed up the hill to check into my apartment.  

    Florebela was an effervescent lady. Maybe 4 foot 10, wearing bright colored clothes and speaking very loudly. We walked up four flights of stairs to my apartment and showed me around. I have a lovely view of the city, but mostly of the five story parking garage adjacent to the apartment. It will be nice having a private bath, a kitchen, a living room with a TV and a soft comfy bed for the next two nights.

    I took a shower and then washed every piece of clothes I’ve worn so far on the trail. This meant I was only left with running leggings and a long sleeve wool shirt to wear while my clothes dried on the balcony. Fortunately, the sun was bright and with the light breeze, my clothes were dry within a couple of hours.

    I decided to venture down the street and check out the neighborhood. I’m in a very vibrant district of many shops. I found a mini market and bought a can of shaving cream and made a failed attempt at shaving off the beard that’s grown over the last two weeks . I think more blood was shed than hairs were cut.

    I got a text from Barney that the group was meeting by river for dinner. I arrived to find Aldo, Dan, Marcia, Eda, Jennifer, Barney, and Mijla already there. 

    From left: Aldo (France ), Dan (NZ), Marcia (Croatia), Eda (Denmark), Jennifer US), Barney (Australia), Milja (Finland)

    To this point, I haven’t tried any of the seafood that Portugal is famous for, so I decided to have calamari for dinner. It was quite good.

    As we were completing our meal, we were joined by young guy named Elliott from Connecticut that Jen and Barney had met earlier in the day. He’s been hiking around Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa for several months. He had been camping in the forest on the other side of the river. 

    Thursday

    I woke up and was extremely slow getting out of bed. Eventually, I remembered the bakery around the corner and decided it was a must for breakfast. I bought a chocolate croissant for breakfast and a beautiful roll to go with the ham and cheese I purchased last night at the mini market 2 doors down from my apartment .

    After enjoying my breakfast, I did a little research and plotted my next few days of walking and made reservations. 

    I walked down the hill with a rough idea of where the Porto Cathedral was, found it without issue and got my pilgrim stamp for the day.

    I then continued down dozens of more steps to the river level and crossed over the Dom Louis Bridge to where all of the port warehouses are located.  This area just screams tourist trap to me and I am making do with the purchase of a Pepsi while I decide whether or not to take one of the river cruises along the Douro river. 

    Decision made, I spent €18 for a one hour cruise crossing under the six bridges of Porto. The cruise gave a nice perspective of the city from water level.  I met a nice couple from Montreal who were sitting near me. 

    River cruise photos:

    Mosterio da Serra do Pilar
    Staircase from the river level to the upper city. 296 steps – I counted them
    Part of the old city wall. At one time, it was 3,000 paces in length
    The old and new railroad bridges
    Maria Pia railway bridge. Designed by Gustave Eiffel
    Underside of the railway bridge
    Riverwalk
    One of the many tour boats on the water
    One of the churches visible from the river
    Old battlements protecting the city
    Ponte da Arribida bridge. When built, it was the largest concrete arch in the world
    One of six river cruise ships in Porto today.
    The old shipworks.

    After the cruise, I decided to get some lunch and walked up the row of restaurants until I saw a picture of bolinhos de bacalhau (codfish fritters) – a local specialty and something I had been meaning to try. I also ordered a tasting flight of Ports. Both the fritters and wine were delicious. 

    After five decent sized tastings I needed to go slow.  A few paces down the way, a three piece musical group from Brazil was playing an REM cover.  I stopped to listen and ended up staying for their full concert.  

    Time to head home for a shower, nap and phone recharge.  

    A tribute to Sardines
    A church one block from my apartment and adjacent to the mertro
    The Cathedral of Porto
    If you don’t want to take the funicular for €4 you can walk up the 296 steps.
    Port bottles aged 10-50 years
    My port flight (white, sweet white, rose, tawny & ruby) and Cod Fritters
    Street band playing great music
    Lower deck of the Dom Luis bridge crowded with pedestrians
    Tasty sandwich from the shop on my block
    Sunset from my balcony