Lisbon to Alverca de Ribatejo
The guidebook said the traditional route for the first stage of the Camino is over 30 km. Then there was a footnote that a recent boardwalk had been installed along the Tagus river that cut about 7 km off of the journey.
The traditional route also started from the Lisbon cathedral, which was a 2 km uphill walk from my accommodations of the prior night. And given that I had explored the cathedral the day before and couldn’t find the marker for the starting point I saw a little point in returning there to begin my adventure.
Since I had read that much of the early part of the journey was through industrial lands, I decided that I would take the subeay to a point up the trail where it begins going through the site of the 1998 World’s Fair.
My plan was stymied when I discovered that the gates to the subway platform were locked. I returned upstairs asked an agent what was going on. I learned that the metro drivers were on strike. The agent suggested taking the #728 bus which would take me to the same location as Metro. I walked out of the station and saw a sardine-packed number 728 pulling away from the curb.
Not wanting to start my Camino journey waiting another 20 minutes for the next bus, I decided to start walking along the bus route and figured I would eventually get on one while making some forward progress in the meantime. About six stops up the line, the bus caught up with me and I hopped on board for another 16 stops.
I knew the direction I must head was to simply follow the river upstream, but the expo grounds were so expansive that I could not find any of the yellow arrows that mark the way to Santiago. Not to worry, I knew to simply follow the river and that I would be passing underneath the massive Vasco da Gama bridge.
When I reached the bridge, I still had not seen a Camino markers. At this point, the various parallel trails began to converge into a single track and within a couple hundred yards of passing under the bridge I saw my first Camino marker.
I took a photo and then looked at my watch to see how long I have been walking and writing without the guidance of the arrows. I noticed the coincidence that my first Camino marker was found at 9:11 AM on 9/11.
After passing through the expo grounds and crossing over a small tributary, I came to the split where the new boardwalk provided an alternative to the traditional route through town. The choice was not hard one: extra kilometers and cobblestones or fewer kilometers and wildlife.
My treat of the day came shortly thereafter when I noticed some tall birds eating from the ground along the banks of the river. As I grew closer, I realized they were flamingos! I was entertained by the way they walk, swinging their head from the side to side at ground level as they look for food.
The boardwalk stretched for over 6 km and by its end, I was getting hungry and ready for something to eat. I checked Google maps and found that there were several restaurants another 2 km up the trail. I stopped at a place right along the riverbank and had a delicious grilled tuna sandwich with chips and a beer for only €6.
After finishing my lunch, I checked the map and realized I had less than 2 km to go to reach my destination for the day. I was concerned that arriving just after 1 PM may result in me waiting for rooms to be ready but was pleased to discover that they had rooms available and I was able to check in right away.
I have a nice comfortable room with a shared bath next-door. Although I have yet to meet others, I have heard people in the hallway talking about being on the Camino so I am not alone in my journey.
