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2025 Camino Portuguese
  • Marilyn Mosicki
  • Marilyn Mosicki

2025 Camino Portuguese

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  • Trip start
    August 30, 2025
    Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler

    Edmonton airport

    August 30, 2025 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    And it begins. My second Camino. I will walk from Lisbon, Portugal north crossing the border into Spain and completing my journey at Santiago.

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    Closest I could find to "Welcome to Lisbon"
    I walked up the hill to my little apartment room. Tired and luggage in tow.My tiny little studio apartment.Lisbon Cathedral. The first of many that I will see on this trek.I missed the Café con Leche. I looked forward to it every morning on the last Camino.Salt cod fritters. Not my favorite.Famous Portuguese tart.I agree with the sign! Expensive too. €15 (25 CAD) 😳Expensive, but very good!Felt good walking down, but not so much walking up. Especially being tired from travel.

    Lisbon

    August 31, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    I landed in Lisbon at 9:30 AM this morning. I sure was tired. I got to my room, dropped off my things, and went for a bit of a walk. Lisbon is beautiful and a very old city. It reminds me a lot of Greece with all the old buildings and cobblestone everywhere.
    I got a quick peek of the Lisbon Cathedral, but I’ll have a better tour tomorrow. I’m staying in the city centre area which is where the cathedral is also. And it’s very hilly. They call the area Seven Hills because that’s how many hills surround it.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    Camino office was in the oldest church in Lisbon
    Interesting story that includes the next picture. I saw this at the Cathedral.Such beauty, as always.The first arrow of the Camino. They said I couldn't miss it. I almost missed it.Café con Leche, of course. And chicken fingers.

    Lisbon day 2

    September 1, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Today was my second and last day in Lisbon. I really didn’t get to see a lot of it. I arrived yesterday and wandered around a bit, but then I spent hours trying to get my Europe eSIM card purchased, installed, and figured out.
    I’m starting on the trail tomorrow morning, and I’m looking forward to it. I’m learning that it’s not nearly as established as the Camino Frances because there’s so many fewer Pilgrims, so I will see how it goes. I believe I’m ready both mentally and physically. I visited the Camino office today and got a lot of information and my questions answered which felt really good and put me in a state of mind, ready to go. And physically I’m also ready….. especially after last night!! I had a good sleep after hardly any for the last week before leaving home. Then I woke up and, looked at my watch and freaked! I was horrified to see it was 11:47 AM. I have never slept that late since I was a teenager. Some people would think it’s a dream. Not me. I was almost traumatized. So I flew out of bed, and I had things organized, got dressed, make-up on, and I was out the door within an hour. The silver lining is that I caught up on rest and ready to walk.
    Later this afternoon, I took the full tour of the Lisbon Cathedral and lit a few candles. The tour included a portion of the cathedral which was like a museum and had religious artefacts dating back to 1300 and earlier. Interesting.
    So tomorrow, my first day on the trail, will only be about 10 km. I’m told there are very few arrows and what there is are very difficult to see, so I will have to put more trust in a map for many kilometres. “Just keep the river on your right” lol. It’s several blocks from my room to the main Cathedral, which is where I will “officially” start the Camino. It’s where the first yellow sign is.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    Of course!
    Much bigger than I expected when I ordered it! But delicious.My first day on the trail.

    Moving on in Lisbon

    September 2, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Today was not a good day, and I was wishing I was home 😥💔.
    I started on the trail today. I didn’t go too far, about 8 to 9 km. Half of it was uphill, and I am still within Lisbon. Tomorrow I will be out of the city.
    I have been anxious to meet up with other Pilgrims because we are all like-minded. But I think it won’t be for a while. There are so few people walking this Camino, that they really aren’t geared for it much. In fact, I never saw a single yellow arrow except for the first one at the Cathedral. I had to use a map and my phone GPS, which was a bit challenging. I hear as it gets closer to Porto in the north it gets better. I hope before then. There are no albergues (hostels for Pilgrims). That’s what I’m looking for because they cater to Pilgrims in so many ways, not the least of which is a Pilgrim meal each evening where we can meet so many people. But apparently that won’t be for several kilometers/miles out of Lisbon. Instead I’ve been surrounded by so many tourists for the past two days. Really missing the Camino Frances right about now.
    It has been an emotionally tough day.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    Goofy statue.Goofy statue's brother.

    Day two walking on the trail

    September 4, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Today has been a bit easier. After the initial shock, there’s now a lower simmering grief. Impending death, especially of someone so close, is difficult to cope with. But knowing what’s to come doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to accept the final result. And for me, being alone and on the other side of the world and away from everyone is extra troubling at times.
    But enough about me. I can only imagine what my dearest friend and her family are going through. May God bless them forever! ❤️🙏

    Today was my second day of walking. I walked 24 km and I was so tired and felt beat up by the time I reached my destination. I haven’t walked that far since my last Camino three years ago! But I will adjust in time.

    I brag (in a way) for never having encountered bedbugs yet. Not once with all my traveling. And we all know you can get them from five star hotels or hostels. They’re not a sign of filth. Anyway, much to my dismay this morning I heard a man at the front desk complaining of his room having bedbugs 😳 (he was on 2nd floor, I was on first). I actually looked for them before going to bed last night, but apparently they’re not always visible. And not always in the bed! I hope and pray there was none in my room.
    So consequently, I was scratching all morning. Psychological? Gosh I hope so! An adventurous life is definitely an exciting life. But it is not without worries.

    I was proud of myself for walking every step of the Camino Frances….800 km. I never took a ride. Although it was really tempting at times. Well today re-ignited that temptation. 24 kms, second day out of the chute, is a lot. Especially without proper training. The last 4.5 km was the worst. I trudged on and on and then I would look at my GPS and saw that I had only gone about .1 or .2 km!! 😳 Geez! I remember that well, a few times on the last trail, where I felt so tired like I couldn’t take another step, only to look at the map and realize I had another 11 km to go!!! It was excruciating at those times. So that thought came slamming back today. Towards the end, it felt good to go downhill. I thought to myself…..yay, I’m gonna make it! But nooo! I overshot my turn-off. And not by a few feet. By a third of a kilometer!!! 🤬 That was the third time today! Where the *%#@ are the yellow arrows?! And of course to backtrack meant I had to go back UP that same damn hill I just enjoyed coming down! I did NOT want to go any farther. I just about set up camp in the middle of the street, right there and then. I’m not gonna lie, there was some colourful expletives passing through my mind.

    My first eight or so kilometres was through industrial areas, so not very pleasant and nothing to take pictures of. But walking along the water was worth the wait. And I took a short tram ride for the heck of it.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    2There it is. Right there!
    Some new type of terrain rather than city.I got a chuckle out of this from the AllTrails app. Who in the heck can follow that! Lol.

    Camino Day 3

    September 4, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    I have gone far enough to start feeling like the Camino!!
    I didn’t get on the road until 10:00 this morning. Pretty late. My back was so sore last night and this morning that I thought I might have to take the day off. But….. a little stretching and some drugs (Tylenol and Advil) and I was able to do it.
    20.25 kms today. I ran into the 1st 3 Pilgrims
    I have seen so far, and 1 was Canadian! I actually met and walked for a while with 2 of them!
    Another thing…the yellow arrows appeared before my eyes today!
    Oh ya, and lastly, I’m staying in a Albergue!Yay!
    Now, I don’t have a place to stay tomorrow night 😞(Friday). Don’t know what I’ll do, but have to figure it out.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    Yellow is for Camino de Santiago (Spain), Blue is for Camino Fatima.
    I would say that's pretty tough to see. No wonder I miss them sometimes.That is some pretty tall corn!

    Camino Day 4 - To Valada

    September 5, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    There is an age-old saying on the trail that “the Camino provides”. And most Pilgrims believe it. If you’re down on your luck and struggling, you have only to believe that the Camino will provide.
    Last night I had no place to stay tonight. This morning when I woke up, I still had no place to stay tonight. For the life of me, I could not find accommodations anywhere. A lot of Pilgrims just show up in whichever destination they feel like going to that day and hope there’s accommodations. And most of the time there is. But I have a bag to send ahead so I have to book and know where I’m staying the next night so I know where to ship it to in the morning. So I was getting a little concerned. There may be fewer Pilgrims at this end all right, but there’s also less accommodations for them.
    I somehow found this Albergue in the guidebook that I didn’t see the night before. But I had little hope because they often won’t book ahead. Well not only did she agree to hold a room for me, she gave me a private room with two twin beds and a private bathroom. Yay!! So the Camino did indeed provide!!
    I walked 22.4 km today in searing heat with little shade and little wind. It was a tad difficult to say the least. The temperature was up to 29° today and no clouds. Little break from the heat.
    The Canadian I mentioned meeting a few days ago, well I ran into him again along the trail today, and met a German lady who was with him. He had planned to stay at that town while her and I moved on to the next town.
    Well something went wrong with his accommodations so he tried to catch up to us. He sent messages but we didn’t hear them. So he pushed hard to reach us. Big mistake in that heat! Especially for a 64-year-old. When he met up with us, he started retching and near vomiting. I quickly took him to the shade and wet his towel to wipe his face down and fanned him. Within some minutes he felt quite a bit better so we walked to the closest coffee shop which was nice and cool inside and there we sat for 30 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, the German lady took off long ago.
    At that point he took a taxi to his new hotel (same city as I was going), but I walked. Pretty scary how fast heat exhaustion can come on. Dangerous. And it can creep up on you no matter how much prevention. Case in point, the journalist Matthew Power who accompanied Levison Wood along the Nile (book named Walking the Nile) and died of severe heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Despite all their preventions. Very scary.
    Not a lot of pictures today. Focused on walking in the heat.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    Tomatoes as far as I could see, in all direction.

    Day 5 - To Valada

    September 6, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Today was another tough day of walking. It was 30°, again very little shade or wind, and I had to wear long pants and sleeves (lightweight albeit) to cover up my sunburned arms and legs. It was brutal! Then my left foot arch started bothering me and slowed me down! If I can stop fairly often and take my shoes off it seems to help. But there was no stopping for about 10km because there wasn’t even a place to sit down.
    I walked through farmland today for miles, mostly tomatoes. I snitched one from the side of the road and it was pretty delicious!
    I’m not looking forward to tomorrow! High 27 😡 sunny and no services for 16 km!!!!    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    Stayed at a place with horses last night.
    The German barista (unofficial).Coffee on the trail was impressive!Being goofy2Today's destination.First noticed yesterday snails that congregate on things. Disgusting.

    Day 6 - To Santarem

    September 7, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Today turned out to be a great day… surprisingly! I walked 20 km. I was worried about today, but everything worked out just fine!
    It was cooler today, 22° whereas it was supposed to be 27°. It was cloudy and we got sprinkled on for a while which also kept it cooler.
    I met two guys at the Albergue last night, a German and an Italian. And they were great fun!! They both liked to joke, as I do. So the 16 km part without services went well. I always say that walking with someone makes the kilometres go by faster. We met a group of pretty devout Catholics that were walking to Fatima with a crucifix on one pole and Our Lady of Fatima (Virgin Mary) on another pole. We met them at a spot dedicated to Pilgrims so we stopped to take our picture.
    A bit later the three of us stopped for a break, and the young fellow made coffee 😳 lol. It was amazing! He pulled out his little heater and boiled the water. We found a rock to sit on, so at least we didn’t have to sit on the ground. AND my foot barely bothered me today. It was a good day.
    We arrived at our destination as early as about 130. We all had a nice relaxing lunch and then went to our separate Albergues/hotels. I found a place to do laundry this afternoon. And then we went for dinner tonight. At lunch, we met a girl from Denmark, so she joined us for dinner. The two guys move on tomorrow and her and I will end up in the same place tomorrow night.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    Looks like butternut squash.Back in grape (wine) country.The place we stayed.First "Caminho de Santiago" sign I saw. In Portugal people say Bom Caminho ("may your path be good")I said to the lady at the albergue "I hope none get inside". She said they only stay outside"

    Day 7 - To Casa das Laranjeiras

    September 8, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    Was a bit of a tough day because I only got two hours of sleep last night. Don’t know why. Because of that I got away late. The lovely young Danish girl I met yesterday named Lucky wanted a slow easy day so she hung around until I was ready to leave. We stopped at the train station for coffee then headed out. We walked 14 km and stayed at the same place. It was nice to walk with someone again. Went inside a no beautiful church.Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    I don't know what this is. Looks like a lemon with a skin texture of a peach.
    Lots of farmland again. Especially corn.Cutie pie!Going for an evening stroll.

    Day 8 - To Golega

    September 9, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    I’m can honestly say it sucked to be alone today, after walking with others for 2 days. I walked 24 1/2 kms. It was hot! But I had to wear long sleeves and pants anyway because of my sunburn. Lots of farming.Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    1Interesting looking flower!
    Old Templer castle. Huge. Must have been beautiful in it's day.1Eucalyptus.Eucalyptus trees as far as I could see.When there is no tree, pole or rock to guide the way, they improvise.Seen periodically. As pilgrims come along they add to it. Mine is the white/grey bottom middle.Blooming cactus.Bom Caminho (“May your path be good”). In Spain it's Buen Camino.

    Day 9 - To Tomar

    September 10, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    I walked 33 kms today. The most I have ever done. Circumstances favored walking (many stars need to align) so I kept going. Temp was about 23-24, but cloudy. You can imagine how tired I was in the end, but glad to be there.
    The trail had some sharp ascents and descents. I went through a eucalyptus forest which was so amazing! Smelled nice, but not strong.
    I bet that huge old Templer castle is exceptionally beautiful inside. Apparently a hotel bought it and making it into a 5-star hotel….in the middle if nowhere. 😳    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    Gualdim Pais, grand master of the Templar Knights.
    The Templar cross. Those poles were everywhere around the city.Templar castle. No one could go inside. Don't know whyTemplar castleConvent of Christ1Templar signs everywhere.The Templar signature attire.1A meal I had last night. It was sweet potatoes with cooked vegetables and a poached egg.

    Day 10 - Day in Tomar

    September 11, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Took a day off the trail to tour, but still walked 8.9 km. Toured the Templar Castle and the Convento de Cristo (Convent of Christ).
    - Briefly:
    During the time of the Crusades, the Templar Knights (1128 AD) began as military escorts for Christian pilgrims on their way to the holy land. They originated in France and they were wealthy. It is said that King Phillip IV of France owed them a lot of money, but instead of paying them back, he had them arrested on false charges of heresy, blasphemy, idolatry, homosexual practices and financial corruption. Serious stuff. Reports say he had them tortured into giving false confessions, and then burned many of them at the stake. With pressure from King Philip, Pope Clement V disbanded the order in 1312. King Dinis of Portugal then created the Order of Christ in 1319 which inherited the Templars assets in Portugal. Some believe it was the Templars under a different name, others believe it was a new order. The Order then continued until 1910 when it was dissolved……and on and on.
    The Templar signature attire was a white mantle with a red cross. Tomar seems to be quite proud of their history with Templar Knights. They display the Templar cross everywhere.
    - Convento de Cristo became the home of the Order of Christ.
    Tomar Castle and the Convent of Christ were headquarters for the religious and military orders of the Temple and of Christ.
    The site, including the Templar Castle and the Convent of the Knights of Christ, became a UNESCO World Heritage monument in 1983.
    (Info gleaned from many different internet sites)

    Meals are interesting. Egg is added to many dishes. And when you order a meal in a restaurant everything is priced separately, including pats of butter. They will often bring some things like bread and butter and olives, etc. to the table to snack on while waiting for your meal. But beware, if you agree to take it, you will pay for it. And each thing is charged individually. So one has the right to refuse if you don’t want to pay for it. But you can’t refuse to pay if you have indulged.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    The new sign I will be following for the next couple days.
    Very old aqueduct.Size perspective against vehicles.

    Day 11 - To Fungalvaz

    September 12, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Started my Camino Fatima today. It’s over 30kms so I am breaking it up into 2 days. Walked 12.5 km. I stayed in an albergue with a French Canadian couple and an American guy. Nice group. We all seemed to enjoy visiting.
    Pretty uneventful day.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    A lot of this (pics never show the truth).
    I made it!! Fatima! Too tired for anything else today.

    Day 12 - To Fatima

    September 13, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Today I travelled 20 km and the route was absolutely treacherous! Rocks and boulders as well as a lot of very narrow paths. I was literally mountain climbing…and not the slight bit impressed 🤨Sometimes on my hands and knees to manipulate the big boulders! What kind of trail was that 😡 I took some snapshots early on in the trail, but I wish I would have taken some of the boulders. That wasn’t a path. It was huge rocks/boulders that was near impossible to pass.
    I started out in the morning with the Canadian couple, but I sent them ahead immediately because I go slower up the hills. So I did the entire torture alone.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    Our Lady of Fatima (Virgin Mary).
    Lucia on the left, Francisco and JacintaMain ChapelMain chapelInside main chapelStatue in the SanctuaryThe Chapel of ApparitionsLucia's and Jocinta's tombsFrederico's tombMain chapel with the processionPrayer candles thrown in fireMass at The Chapel of ApparitionsPath that some follow on their knees. If you zoom in you can see someone on their knees.ProcessionProcessionEnd of procession

    Day 13 - Day in Fatima

    September 14, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    I had a wonderful day in Fatima! It is so beautiful! It is a religious town/place famous for the apparitions of the Virgin Mary near Fatima (and so she is named “Our lady of Fatima”) in 1917 to 3 young children Lucia (10), and her cousins, siblings Francisco (9), and Jacinta (7). She first appeared to them on May 15th, and she told the them that she would appear on the 15th of every month for six months, October being the final time. “She asked for prayers, sacrifices, and reparation for the sins of humanity, urging them to pray the Rosary daily to bring peace to the world. The message was particularly connected to bringing an end to World War I and achieving world peace.”
    In 1930 the Catholic Church confirmed the apparitions to be legitimate, and so it is celebrated.
    Fransico died of the Spanish flu at age 10, and Jacinta also of Spanish flu at age 9. Lucia became a Carmelite Nun and lived until 2005, dying of old age at 97.
    The place is absolutely wonderful! There is the gorgeous main cathedral with beautiful church bells ringing every hour. Can often hear singing and preaching around the clock.
    There is also The Chapel of the Apparitions, the site where the apparitions took place 100+ yrs ago. That is where the rosary and one of the masses I attended took place. The other mass was at the sanctuary (courtyard) outside the main chapel. It was all in Portuguese so I understood none if it. But at least I went.

    After one mass there was a “procession” which I took part in, well…just because. It involved the main priest and other priests carrying circling the sanctuary and many people following.
    One thing I didn’t have time for was the Stations of the Cross. But that can be done anywhere.
    There are a couple of practices that happen. People will buy candles representing a prayer for someone or something and then throw it into the fire. Once a week there is a candlelight procession where hundreds of people have lit candles, follow the priests around the sanctuary and then throw them into the fire. The other practice is people following the path surrounding The Chapel of Apparitions on their knees. I’m sure it’s very difficult! It’s done as a form of sacrifice for prayers, and many of them are weeping.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    Alcobaca
    AlcobacaAlcobacaAlcobacaAlcobacaAlcobacaAlcobacaAlcobacaAlcobacaBatalhaBatalhaBatalhaBatalhaBatalhaBatahlaBatalhaBatalhaBatalha

    Day 14 - To Alcobaca, Batalha & Tomar

    September 15, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Off to Alcobaca and Batalha today to see 2 reportedly beautiful and amazing cathedrals. I took the bus, and while waiting for it I met a couple from Ottawa who promptly warned me that they had picked up a bad case of bedbugs between Porto and Santiago 😳
    The first 9 pictures are from the Alcobaca Cathedral; I thought it was beautiful.
    The remaining ones were taken at Batahla which was mind-boggling. Building started in 1386 and completed in 1517, Gothic style.
    Today was a day of Cathedrals and buses and 25°. Oh yeah, and lost once plus a taxi ride (lousy bus driver dropped me off at the wrong town 😡), and a near miss of bus connection back to Tomar.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    So many of the cities have cobblestone, and I thought this looked particularly beautiful.
    Lol, cutie pie! She was curious about me.My digs for the night

    Day 15 - To Alvaiazere

    September 16, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Today was a difficult day. I only walked 12.6 kms, but in 31-32 degree heat.
    After taking the last two days off to tour Fatima, then Alcobaca and Batalha, it was nice to get on the trail this morning. But it didn’t take long to change my mind.

    Once I got out of Tomar, I was on nice well worn paths through the forest.
    I wanted to get an early start today because it was forecast to be 34°, but couldn’t get away until 845 because my stupid bag that I send ahead messed me up, and I was still dealing with it as I was walking on the trail!
    I didn’t know how on earth I was going to walk in this 34° heat.

    It was sweltering hot. Not a great day, but finished off ok. My albergue was beautiful and actually had a hot tub in it, although I didn’t indulge. I met a pilgrim from Australia, who was nice. There was nowhere else to eat, so we had to walk about a kilometre to a restaurant. And it was OK.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    Pretty low lying clouds in the distanceSome really old buildings and villageFigs. Later I picked a ripe one and why was it ever good!A tiny church along the highway and the path.Inside the little churchMakes me think of someone who was walking to find peace after losing their little girl 😥

    Day 16 - To Alvorge

    September 17, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    I average about 20-22 km per day so far, maybe a bit more.

    Believe me when I say it takes a LOT of mental, physical and emotional strength working together to undertake this. If one of those is missing, it makes for a bad day. If all three are missing, it’s a game-changer! And that’s how I felt yesterday. I was tired, it was hot, I couldn’t keep cool, and I didn’t have any strength to carry me on. I felt just lousy in every way. I wanted to go home.
    Thank goodness for my husband, who talks me up, tells me “it’s OK to jump ahead by taxi if I need to”, and that “there is no shame in quitting and coming home”. It was very tempting. We had another friend close to our family who passed away last week, and everything just makes me homesick.

    I walked 24.5 km in 30 degrees. It’s always brutal, but today there was a bit more shade than usual which helped.

    Today I feel a little better, so I carry on… at least until the next meltdown.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    Our Lady of FatimaSite dedicated to Pilgrims, created by volunteers1Even prepared to wash the feet of Pilgrims391 kms to go! Fatima is the opposite direction as Santiago. So yellow arrow one way, blue the otherImagine somebody living in these old buildings once upon a time. Note the yellow arrow.1Multinational guests. L>R>L Aussie, NZ, Denmark, Jersey (UK), France, me, Estonia

    Day 17 - To Conimbriga

    September 18, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    22km today, and 26 to 27°. Sunny in the morning and cloudy in the afternoon, but still pretty hot.
    Came across a very interesting, very religious site dedicated to Pilgrims, supplying coffee, tea, and snacks for donativo (donation). And a few other interesting things.Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    Walked past this beautifully decorated yard
    3-D decorations on the houseCoimbra. So many hills within the city.They even had ducks

    Day 18 - To Coimbra

    September 19, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Today was difficult. Although it was only 16 km, it was 30° and sunny and hot!! Not much shade. I swear I went uphill from the time I got on the trail in the morning until I arrived in Coimbra. I was so tired by the time I got there that .8 km from my hotel I had to stop and rest a while. When I got up to go the rest of the way I couldn’t walk on my right foot!! Very worrisome! I literally couldn’t walk. That has never happened to me before. I guess I sprained it. But how on earth am I going to carry on now with a sprained foot! It’s not like I only go 1 or 2 km/day. I walk 20+ each day 😫 I had to stop and rest it again, and somehow managed to hobble that .8 km up the hills, on cobblestone and finally arrived at my hotel.
    I heard about Coimbra as a place to tour some interesting sites, long before I left home. So I had planned long ago to spend an extra day here. Good timing in that aspect. Hopefully I can rest my foot.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    From my hotel stepThe Cathedral to the left.The cloisterLit a couple candlesSuch a tall building and narrow streetsWas laying in bed and just had to take a picture of the ceiling in my room

    Day 19 - Day in Coimbra

    September 20, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Today was an interesting day, and most of it was good.
    I didn’t get a chance to tour a lot of the city, but I did get to rest my foot a bit.
    The picture of the huge Cathedral called “The Old Cathedral”(because apparently there’s a new one), was right outside my door. I was literally standing on my front step and took the pictures. Amazing; incredibly beautiful! And of course, the inside was gorgeous. After viewing it I caught an Uber to the Decathlon store. It’s a sporting/hiking type store and I wanted to get a new backpack. Mine was both too small and too heavy. I was lucky enough to find a very lightweight one and
    a lot bigger than mine so I bought it and was happy. I emptied out my old backpack and they bought it from me because it was in such good shape. I promptly got another Uber and headed back to my hotel area.
    I walked around a little bit and had supper and went back to my hotel. About 7:45 in the evening I was organizing and rearranging my things when I noticed my jewellery was missing!It’s not that I brought much at all for jewelry, but there were a few gold items and silver, plus one of my Apple AirPods, and a pocket knife that my father-in-law gave me many years ago. So mainly sentimental value. Then all of a sudden it hit me… I had them all in a secret compartment of my old backpack. So secret that I didn’t even notice it when I checked every pocket three times. Oh my goodness! So I panicked and caught an Uber back to Decathlon. Luckily it was open till 10 o’clock!!! I was leaving the next morning.
    I got there and the girl that I had dealt with, of course, was gone for the day and the two fellas at customer service had no idea what I was talking about. Finally, they looked in the back and low and behold, came out with it. I practically shrieked. I opened that secret compartment and there it all was. Whew!! What a relief!. And then I went on to beat myself up for being so stupid.
    I loved Coimbra, the little I got to see. I would like to go back one day.    Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    Beautiful view leaving Coimbra
    Graffiti artists can be pretty talentedAnother church on the way to my next stay1Now that's a big peregrino signI love this tree. I wish I could ID itIt felt quite soft

    Day 20 - To Mealhada

    September 21, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Today I walked 27.5 km. It was 21°, sunny and windy, so conditions were good. Surprisingly my foot didn’t hurt at all. So happy about that because it’s a tall order for a sprained foot. It was a good day to walk.Read more

  • Marilyn Mosicki2025 Camino PortugueseTraveler
    On the edge of the trail, and not afraid lol
    Signs of Camino and a pilgrim. Beside the pilgrim is a self-stampSo beautifully decorated. Not sure if it was for an occasion or just always like that

    Day 21 - To Agueda

    September 22, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    Actually on the trail by 750 this morning. Nice! But then I had a long way to go again. It was 8° and clear sky when I left, so a tad chilly. Walked 30kms. I was a little worried about my lower back which was sore today, but made it through. Felt my right ankle slightly this morning but it improved as the day went on. So 57.5 kms in 2 days and my foot held up. Surprised me, pleasantly.
    The picture with the stamp is for our “credential”. It is an official document for stamps from any business, church, albergue, cafe, etc. It is for proof that we walk the entire way in order to earn a “compostella”…..a certificate of completion received at the end, in Santiago.    Read more

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