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Camino Portuguese

September - October 2023
  • Mark McKinnon
A 28-day adventure by Mark Read more
  • Mark McKinnon

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  • Spain Spain
  • Portugal Portugal
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  • Mark McKinnonTravelerCamino Portuguese
    1

    Day 12, Walk to Barcelos

    September 22, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Supermercado dinner tonight. Just waiting for the beer to cool down 🍺.
    Another short day, only around 13km, leaves us with 18km tomorrow to Casa Fernanda.
    Got to Barcelos around 11 and had a slow look around. Very nice town. Had some lunch then made our way to the accommodation, which is a bit sterile. Would've preferred to go a bit further but then tomorrow would be a very short stage.
    Two things we've noticed is that every cafe/bar/restaurant has a TV on, with either crappy game shows or news/sport - 99% soccer. The other thing is nobody seems to know how to make a cup of tea. Obviously no one drinks it here.
    Short stage tomorrow.    Read more

  • Mark McKinnonTravelerCamino Portuguese
    2

    Day 13. Walk to Casa Fernanda

    September 23, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Started walking at 8 today, and it was a beautiful morning. Thought we'd get into the routine of walking for an hour or two, then stop at a cafe for breakfast. We didn't realise that cafes were few and far between, so all we had before getting to our albergue at 2 was a coffee and small cake. Apart from that it was a nice walk, with a few hills.
    The albergue, Casa Fernanda, is known as one of the best on the Portuguese Camino, and has been really nice. We all sat around on lounge chairs in the shade chatting for a while, then Fernanda brought out wine, then cooked some snacks. Dinner was ready at around 7 and was really good, heaps of food, more wine and port afterwards. We had a bit of a sing along with an old American bloke playing guitar. We sat near a Scottish fella and his son, who had turned up late with his other son. The albergue was full but they were allowed to pitch their tent in the yard, which they were very grateful for. They were nice fellas.
    So Casa Fernanda lived up to it's reputation and it was a really nice day and night 👍    Read more

  • Mark McKinnonTravelerCamino Portuguese

    Day 14. Walk to Pont de Lima

    September 24, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Had a pretty good sleep in the 10 bed albergue, although we were right next to the bathroom, with thin walls 😳. Had a nice breakfast then began walking at around 8. It was another beautiful day for walking, with hardly a cloud in the sky. It was also probably the nicest day walking so far, and we kept passing and chatting to people from the night before, so the morning went pretty quickly and we arrived at Pont de Lima at around 1pm, not realising that the albergue didn't open until 3. So we placed our packs in line against the wall and went back over the bridge into the old town.
    We had a look around and had lunch then headed back a bit before 3. I counted around 25 backpacks lined up by then. We were 4th and 5th in line so got beds 4 and 5. Unfortunately the room they filled up first was the worst of 3, the others having balconies and nice views, and ours more like a big loft. Lying in bed now and it's hot and stuffy, for some reason most Europeans don't seem to like sleeping with a door or window open.
    We went back into town and went to the 7 o'clock Mass, which was obviously in Portuguese, but the priest gave a very nice pilgrims' blessing afterwards. We then had dinner at a restaurant and chatted to a pommie fella Jules, who's in our dorm.
    Off to Rubiaes tomorrow.    Read more

  • Mark McKinnonTravelerCamino Portuguese
    11

    Walk to Rubiaes

    September 25, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Our last full day in Portugal and another hot, sunny day after a beautiful cool morning. Didn't have a great sleep in the hot, stuffy 5€ municipal albergue. Only walked about 18km but there was a steep 5k climb in the middle and we were glad to get to the albergue, which is the nicest one we've been in yet. Lynn was keen to book a private albergue and we were glad we did after the not so great night last night. Hopefully there's enough food for dinner because people keep walking in and pressuring the hospitalero to let them stay, even though it is full.
    As happens on a Camino, we keep bumping into the same people during the day and end up staying in the same place as some.
    Off to Valenca then over the Minho River into Spain tomorrow.    Read more

  • Mark McKinnonTravelerCamino Portuguese

    Adios Portugal, Hola Spain!

    September 26, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Rubiaes (Portugal) to Tui (Spain)
    Another short 18km stage today from Portugal into Spain. Had a nice communal meal last night and a good sleep in the Frida Kahlo room. Nice walk with a cool, foggy start, but it did warm up to the mid 20's and was fairly humid, so glad to get to across the bridge over the river Minho into Tui. In a nice albergue, but not a private room. 5 beds but only one other fella, a cyclist who is already asleep, so hopefully won't be a bad night.
    Had a walk around town, and as usual bumped into a few of the peregrinos we have been seeing for the last few days. Already noticed less pavers on the road and footpath, so hopefully be a bit smoother walking, although it hasn't been as bad as people make out.
    Looking like another warm, sunny day coming up.    Read more

  • Mark McKinnonTravelerCamino Portuguese

    Tui to Porrino

    September 27, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    First time we were up and out walking before sunrise, but it was still around 8 o'clock. Spain is 1 hour ahead of Portugal.
    It was nice walking through the old part of town while it was foggy and not yet light. It stayed foggy for a couple of hours and it was a nice walk mainly on dirt tracks through forests, crossing a few Roman bridges out in the middle of nowhere.
    Staying in a double room at the Pension Maracaibo, which is on the main shopping/restaurant street. Went for a walk down the street after dinner and bumped into the Scottish lads and a few of the other travelling circus of peregrinos we keep catching up with.    Read more

  • Mark McKinnonTravelerCamino Portuguese
    112111

    Porrino to Redondela

    September 28, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Got off to another early start for the 18k or so to Redondela. Nothing much out of the ordinary, a bit of groundhog day... get up early, start walking, stop for coffee and something to eat, walk a bit more, maybe stop for something else to eat, look for the albergue, check in, have a shower, then have a look around town, and usually have a chat to some of the people we have met. Spain seems to have more of a siesta than Portugal, and most shops close at 2:30 until 4:30, so you have to eat early or late. We noticed last night that a lot of people seem to have a big meal for lunch, and something smaller for dinner. So today we changed it up and decided to have the menu del day for lunch, which was entree, main, drink, coffee and bread for 12€. Then went to a couple of bars across the street from the albergue and had some wine and tapas for dinner. Seemed to work pretty well. People just sit around chatting having a wine, beer or coffee and something small to eat. Then at around 9:30 it all quietens down again.
    The Scottish lads are in our albergue tonight, so Lynn has been having a good chat with them.
    Tomorrow we're off to Pontevedra, where the two routes seperate, so it will be the last time we will see a lot of the people we have met.    Read more

  • Mark McKinnonTravelerCamino Portuguese
    11

    Redondela to Pontevedra

    September 29, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Took a couple of unnecessary dtours today so ended up being around 25km, rather than the advertised 19k. As yesterday, a bit of a groundhog day Early start, well, early-ish start, a bit after 8, but still darkish because sunrise isn't until around 8:30. Foggy morning again and a nice but hilly walk through towns and a lot through forests - once again a lot of Eucalyptus.
    I have picked up a bit of a foot injury, according to Dr Google it's an extensor tendon (on top of the foot and up towards the ankle) strain. Had it now for a bit over 2 days. Hurts a bit early on then it's not too bad. Lynn is still going strong 👍.
    Pontevedra has a nice centre with a big square and narrow streets going off in every direction. We had a look around and said g'day to the Scottish fellas and a few others, probably for the last time. Went to the pilgrims Mass at 7:30 then had some dinner. There was actually too much choice so it took a while to find somewhere.
    Start the Espiritual Variante tomorrow    Read more

  • Mark McKinnonTravelerCamino Portuguese

    Pontevedra to Armenteira - Variante Espi

    September 30, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Tough day today. Woke up with a stupid migraine, so it took a while to get going. Finally left around 10, still feeling a little off colour, but thought we'd take it easy and see how we went. Unfortunately it wasn't a good day to start late, with a long, hilly stage and 32C forecast.
    So we got going, and took it slowly and we took an alternative route called the Variante Espiritual which veers off to the East of the other route towards the coast. It takes 3 days as opposed to 2 on the traditional route and they meet up in Padron, 25km from Santiago.
    It was a hard slog, hot and not much shade and most of the day we seemed to be going uphill, and a lot of that very steeply. We finally made it to the village at around 5:45, had a drink then had another 500m to the albergue. Then had to walk there and back to the cafe for dinner! It was supposed to be a 21km day, but 25km were clocked up on the app.
    Most of the people we have met have taken the traditional route, but we met two of the couples, one American, one Danish, at dinner, and will probably bump into them the next couple of days.
    Supposed to be an easier day tomorrow, so looking forward to that.

    p.s. at an old church we stopped at a wedding was about to start so we stayed for about half an hour to see the bride arrive.    Read more

  • Mark McKinnonTravelerCamino Portuguese
    1

    Armenteira to Vilanova de Arousa

    October 1, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Another hot night in the albergue with all the windows closed as usual, although didn't have a bad sleep and woke up when the lights were turned on at 7:30.
    Got away just after sunrise at about 8:30 and it was a really nice walk alongside a stream in the shade, a lot like in the Blue Mountains, for the first few km's.
    It was a 25km walk, but not nearly as hard as yesterday and the temp was in the mid 20's, unlike yesterday's 30's.
    It's funny how the brain works. Yesterday with the headache, my foot didn't hurt at all. Today without the headache, my foot was sore again, although not as sore as the other day.
    Got to the hotel around 4, then went for a swim at a beach that reminded us of Shoal Bay.
    Up early tomorrow for the 30km boat trip to Padron ⛵    Read more

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