Tomar to Alvaiazere

17.2 km
I shaved off 8km by taking the taxi out of Tomar. It allowed me time to tour the Tomar Castle and the Convento de Cristo this morning. It was so worth it (see pictures). Today is the feast of Corpus Christi celebrating the Eucharist. The little town I am in had a procession through the square after mass. I am fairly certain 90%of the town participated.

I am staying in my first alburgue that has other pilgrims. Until now I have been all alone. It’s still lonely as none of them speak English. Before today, I have only seen one other person on the trail. About 4 hours in on day one a young woman walked into a cafe the same time as me and said hello. Otherwise, it’s just been me. I have had a few moments of fear that something bad could happen. I know the trail I am on is safe, but it’s hard to keep my mind off of the what if. Yesterday in the eucalyptus forest/ mountain, my mind was sure I would never get out of those woods alive! This is good for me to have to work through some of my irrational fears, but man it’s not fun. I know I will have walking companions once I get to Porto, but that is 8 days away!

As I pilgrim, I collect stamps as I go to document the distance travelled. I must get at least two per day. Once in Santiago, I will take my book to the Camino office and be issued a Compostela (certificate of completion). The alburgue I am in is famous for its special Camino stamp, complete with a key to the alburgue on it. The owner is sweet and takes great care to affix it to the book.

I feel better today. My watch stopped going off after dinner last night, so all is well. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes. I feel them!Read more