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El Camino Portugues

January - February 2024
You can't get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.
-The Sun Also Rises Read more
  • 44footprints
  • 4countries
  • 33days
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  • TravelerEl Camino Portugues
    Day 22

    Etapa 16: Agucadoura

    January 25 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    I walked for the first part of the day with Fran’s brother Alfonso who is about to starting training to be a Firefighter in Pamplona. We talked quite a bit about firefighting and there really are a lot of exams and training in Spain that’s required in order to start one’s career as a Bombero. I also realized that Alfonso had good English for talking but less good English for understanding what I was saying, so I was always trying to be mindful of how fast I talked and the words that I used.

    For lunch, Alfonso and I stopped at a restaurant that had outdoor seating next to a river and had the Menu del Dia which was fish. The waiter had apparently lived in California for a few years and we chatted a bit about American beers. I also had a cold pastry filled with cream that was truly excellent on a warm day. Just as we were finishing, we saw Fran crossing the river. The bridge was quite far so we were waving and motioning for him to join us. The waited saw what we were doing and joined in as well.

    In the afternoon we met an American woman who had just moved to Portugal from New Mexico and she gave us a small Camino Scallop shell charm. She seemed to walk her dog all the time because we talked to another Pilgrim who also met her but at a completely different time.

    We walked with Fran as well for the rest of the day and came to the Alburgue right after the sun had set. I cooked the 3 of us a Spanish dish that Fran and Alfonso recommended. I used no recipe book and Alfonso and Fran both explained it to me differently. I also forget the same of the dish. But essentially it is rice cooked with tomorrow sauce, any sugared vegetables you want, and then a fried egg and cheese on top. Was quite tasty! There was a girl from Taiwan and 2 guys from South Korea also in the Alburgue but none of them were super talkative.    Read more

  • TravelerEl Camino Portugues
    Day 23

    Garden of the Moors

    January 26 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Today’s walk to Porto was not too long and I walked it with much pleasure. I had a fantastic lunch at the Cafe Perestroika that had a huge plate of pork, fries, rice, a salad, bread, soup, a peach tea and an espresso for only €7!

    Right before I reached Porto, I heard music playing from a park and went over to check it out. There were hundreds of people waiting for the sun to set over the river. I chilled out there and rested for the day before heading to the Alburgue.    Read more

  • TravelerEl Camino Portugues
    Day 23

    Etapa 17: Marinhas

    January 26 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    The three of us got a bit of a late start in the morning, but we only had about 20km to walk for the day, so it didn’t really set us behind at all. The beginning of the day was all along the coast but then slowly turned inwards towards a very marshy area that was all boardwalk. Alfonso was telling me that he thought the EU paid for a lot of boardwalks along the Camino which must be a nice thing for Spain.

    We eventually got to a small village with a couple of restaurants. I’d been craving another Franchesinia since I had one in Porto so I had another. While we were in the restaurant, a woman doing the Camino entered and was seated at the table next to us. She was from Holland and we finished up our meal the same time as her, so the four of us all walked together for the rest of the day as we were heading to the same place.

    Just before we got to the Alburgue in the evening, we stopped at a grocery store to get supplies for dinner. I asked if anyone wanted to cook, and with no interested parties, I was more than happy to cook again and not do dishes. So we all bought different things for a pasta soup to share the cost.

    Saskia from Holland and I made dinner and I was hoping someone might join us because it really was a lot of food. Was a great little dinner together though!

    We were talking kind of loud at the table though, so after we finished eating (around 9:30) I suggested that we take our dessert (some ripe mangos) in the kitchen which was in the basement.

    While there, a couple of middle aged Spaniards joined us. We recognized that they had also been in the restaurant that day. Everyone except for Saskia and I was speaking in very rapid Spanish. Their names were Josè and Olraleigh. I mentioned that my city was called Raleigh and asked how he spelled his name. He said it was a traditional Catalan name that came from the importer Marcus Aurelius. I wonder if that’s also the root of Sir Walter Raleigh’s name?? Also the Spanish really was guard for me to follow, so I ended up going to bed before everyone else.    Read more

  • TravelerEl Camino Portugues
    Day 24

    Etapa 14: Porto

    January 27 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    In Porto, I stayed at the Alburgue de Peregrinos all 3 nights. There were 5-7 pilgrims arriving night.

    The first two nights I was there, Lee cooked a dinner from South Korea. After Lee had left, I wanted to take up the mantle of making dinner because food is such a good way to connect with people. I made chicken n dumplings with the help of a French guy who was quite hesitant at first about putting dough in a soup, but who ended up really enjoying the meal. I also taught everyone who joined for the meal how to play the spoons!

    Some people I met:

    Two women from the Czech Republic who had never met before but who showed up on the same day and joined Lee (from Korea) for dinner.

    A French guy named Sasha who worked as a mason and is traveling with almost no technology. He is quite good a percussion and we talked about different places that he has been busking.

    Three American women from Massachusetts who all worked on the same organic farm.

    A Belgian who was doing the Camino by bicycle. Very Belgian of him.

    A Ukrainian who was walking the French Camino when the war started and who then walked to Porto. She stayed at this Alburgue as a volunteer and now is full time and runs the place.

    Juan Pablo, who is Fran’s brother. He walked with Fran for 4 days and is now going to Santiago, but the Santiago in Chile to work for a Utility Scale Solar Company. We talked a lot about the energy industry,

    A Belgian named Anna who has spent the last year traveling and who is a volunteer. She plays guitar. She, Juan Pablo and I played some songs together with me playing harmonica and Juan Pablo sometimes on the spoons. We played some songs in Spanish that I didn’t know and also ‘Country Roads’ that everyone knows.

    A German from Konstanz. I’d been to his city before and he was very familiar with St, Gallen and was surprised that I knew so much about the area where he was from.

    Two Hungarians who didn’t speak any English but who made some pumpkin in the over and offered it to Lee and I. I’m still confused as to why they did this. They didn’t eat any and also but no salt or spices on the roasted pumpkin which was roasted for an incredibly long time. Lee and I each had one piece.    Read more

  • TravelerEl Camino Portugues
    Day 24

    More Porto

    January 27 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Porto is an incredibly beautiful city! It’s very important to Portuguese History and Culture.

    Supposedly the name Portugal comes from the combination of Porto and the city next to it called Gaia.

    I spent 3 days here exploring the city both by myself and with people I meet at the Alburgue.

    Some highlights:

    -A free walking tour on a beautiful and sunny day! Everyone who was on the tour was traveling by themselves also, so we all had lunch together afterwards.
    -A very length brunch at a super chill cafe on Sunday where I read the book of James.
    -Visiting the ‘most beautiful bookstore in the world’ and purchasing a pocket version of Fernando Passoa’s only novel.
    -Some inexpensive but very tasty port wine.
    -A trip to the beach where I put my feet into the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

    At least in the old part of the city, it felt like there was always something else around the next corner, either a beautiful old church, some street art, a busker, or statue.    Read more

  • TravelerEl Camino Portugues
    1
    Day 24

    Etapa 18: Viana do Castelo

    January 27 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today we stopped quite a few times to get stamps in our Credentials. The first was a small cafe where we had a coffee and spoke to a local man that kept wanting to shake everyone’s hand multiple times. The second was a small pizza restaurant whose stamp had their name, address, email, website, phone number, and coordinates. Every possible piece of information haha

    Along the way, we also saw a gate with lots of Camino stickers on it and so we called hit a buzzer. We were told we could come onto the property and walked down a super steep driveway towards a small cabin with a sizable vegetable garden. We were greeted by 2 chill dogs, a Brazilian student and a retired Frenchmen who had served in the military for 22 years. We got stamps and they offered us wine, but we declined and headed back to the path.

    We then walked most of the afternoon in a really beautiful forest that had a number a streams and a bridge going over a river.

    Later we also stopped for a late lunch ‘La Comida’ at a cafe and got the fourth stamp of the day there and I had a huge omelette.

    When we arrived to Viana do Castelo, we found that the Alburgue was part of an old Convent. It was a real maze to get to our rooms. It also had some very thought provoking art on the walls. When we’d settled in a bit we found that Saskia from Holland was also staying there so we all decided to go to a Portuguese Seafood restaurant together. The food was fantastic, especially the octopus! There was also a group of like 20 people that walked in to the restaurant with instruments and sang some Portuguese songs. They sounded very traditional and like I was expected to know all of the words    Read more

  • TravelerEl Camino Portugues
    Day 26

    Etapa 20: Viladesuso

    January 29 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We stayed at an Alburgue that was right by the ocean. You could buy a beer from the fridge for only €1 so I ended my day on the front porch with a typical Galician beer and una siestita!

    We all went to the only restaurant in town and had some sandwiches for dinner.Read more

  • TravelerEl Camino Portugues
    Day 26

    Etapa 19: Caminha

    January 29 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    The convent Alburgue required that everyone leave by 8:30, which was a bit earlier than usual for the Spanish brothers. But, we did get out in time and went to a nearby bakery for a breakfast and stamp.

    Fran’s brother wanted to walk by himself today, so Fran and I spent most of the day together. The first of the day was along the the coastal boardwalk, and then we went up some truly challenging hills.

    We had plans to meet up with Fran’s brother for lunch. As we approached the town, we met an older Portuguese man who we talked for a bit. He said that he worked as a photographer for a while and offered to take our picture above the town.

    At the restaurant, we split several tapas among the 3 of us. As we were finishing up, Josè and Olraleigh met us and joined our table, and after that Frans other Brother Juan Pablo arrived as well from Madrid! So after dinner the 6 of us went to the Alburgue which had some really cool hand built bunk beds. They were also selling beers for €1 so I ended my evening on the porch with an Estrella Galicia and a sunset!    Read more

  • TravelerEl Camino Portugues
    Day 27

    Etapa 20: Nigrán

    January 30 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Today I walked with the group of Spaniards I am traveling and also by myself for a bit. It was a mix between walking beside the ocean and also above the ocean beside some towns. A really beautiful walk and I’m super grateful that every day has had such incredible weather! We all had lunch together at a local restaurant that is supposedly very typical for the area. The wine and coffee were both served in bowls.

    I had oreja de Ceredo (pig ears) and and also a pork elbow joint with fries. I was not a huge fan of the Orejas by themselves. Think crunchy and fatty. But, with some crusty bread they were actually really really tasty. It’s apparently a very popular dish in Galicia (the region that we are in).

    In the evening we stayed at a hotel because the nearest Alburgue was closed. It was still an okay price. I think this area is much more popular in the summer than the winter because it seemed no one else besides us was staying at the hotel.    Read more

  • TravelerEl Camino Portugues
    Day 28

    Etapa 21: Vigo

    January 31 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Today we traveled along the coast for almost the entire day. We passed people who were crabbing in an area that looked quite dangerous with rocks and large waves. Eventually, we made our way to the much calmer calmer waters of the bay of Vigo.

    Vigo is the most important city in the region and there is quite a lot of industry based there. In the middle of the bay, are lots of platforms that apparently have ropes going into the water to grow mussels. Also, at the very top of the city, is an old stone Castillo used throughout history including as a defensive structure during the Spanish civil war.

    We went to the top of the Castillo to watch the sunset set over the Atlantic. Truly stunning.

    Most everyone left for dinner at 9:30, however after having joined the Spanish for several late and long dinners already, I decided to eat the rest of the food I had in my backpack and turn in early to be rested for the rest of the way to Santiago!    Read more

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