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Laurie Reynolds
Laurie Reynolds

Laurie Reynolds

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds

    The end.

    12. oktober 2022, Spania ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    I have spent two wonderful days with my dearest Spanish friends. They live just steps from trails that take us up into the Guadarrama mountains. It is always a wonderful way for me to transition from Camino mode to home mode. I am now on the flight to Chicago. All good things must end.Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds

    Back to Santiago

    9. oktober 2022, Spania ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    It seems that even if I’m not getting up to walk, I am incapable of sleeping in. The earliest bus back to Santiago on Sunday isn’t till 9:45, so I had plenty of time to take one last walk around the port and the old town.

    The bus, surprise surprise, went directly to Santiago. What a welcome development! No more 2 1/2 hours of meandering all along the coast.

    After all these years of coming to Santiago, I decided today was the day to visit the Museo do Pobo Galego, located inside an 18th century monastery. Really well worth a long visit. I loved seeing all the exhibits about the traditional professions. A completely in tact bagpipe-maker’s shop, a forge, a basket maker’s shop, etc. Lots about fishing, weaving, lace-making. And the spiral staircase that is actually three separate staircases twirling around each other was awesome.

    Since it was getting close to meal time, I went to two of my old favorites that were nearby. The Bodeguilla de San Roque and O Dezaseis. Both closed!!! Thankfully, Casa Felisa, with its pretty outside garden eating area, is still going strong.

    I had a 5 pm reservation to do the Cathedral roof tour, which seemed like a good finale to the whole trip. It was a bit precarious up there, but I didn’t fall off. In the museum, don’t miss the absolutely beautiful stone choir stalls that have been put back together after they were ripped out in the early 17th century.

    Back in my room for a zoom meeting of my homeowners’ association board to discuss an upcoming assessment for updates to the fire suppression system. Most people probably think being on an HOA board is something to be avoided, but I love it!    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    23

    Muxia to Finisterre (31km)

    8. oktober 2022, Spania ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    I have finished my last day walking. So many times during the day I thought “this is my last…” I of course know I that there is always a last day, but this year I was more keenly aware I think. Not sure why.

    I left at around 7:30 and ran into the only other two people I knew in Muxia. It was nice having company till the sun rose an hour later. When I got to approximately the halfway mark, the town of Lires, I took a detour out to the beach. Very little of this day’s walk is actually on the coast, even though we are walking from one coastal town to another. But this little detour, which swings back up to the Camino, was very nice, even though the café/ bar there was closed.

    When I got to Finisterre, I had a text from a good friend in Santiago that he, his girlfriend, and son were driving out to Finisterre for lunch. I was very surprised but happy to see them again. Then after lunch, they said they’d meet me up at the lighthouse. That struck me as very strange but off I went by myself. When I got up there, I saw that my friend had set up his camino pop-up photography studio. He has done this off and on for years. He sets up his “studio” on the Portugues and takes pilgrim pictures. I’ve seen a lot of the results and he’s very good. So let’s see what he can do with me! He took about 60 or 70 shots, so there must be at least one that’s not awful.

    I was up at the lighthouse for sunset and, truth be told, it was not a terrific sunset. Oh well, but the silver lining was that walking down back to Finisterre the moon came out. And it was a full moon and it was glorious.

    Now begins the journey home. Tomorrow I will get back to Santiago. Lots to sort out.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    111

    Dumbria to Muxia (23km)

    7. oktober 2022, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Short day, not too much elevation and the destination is 5*****. Another day of going through small hamlets, usually connected by dirt paths up and down and around the monte. I met an elderly señora waiting for the grocery store truck. She told me she would not be able to stay in the village if it weren’t for these wandering, honking trucks. And I talked for a while with a man cutting the “maleza” with a scythe. He gave me a few basic pointers, but I declined the chance to whack with it, especially when I saw how sharp it was.

    There’s a beautiful Romanesque church in Moraime, about 5 km before town. My favorite piece is the Last Supper depicted over a side doorway. I have never been able to get inside, but if I had been willing to stick around for about three hours, I could’ve gotten in today with the women coming to set up for a wedding tomorrow. Maybe next time.

    The entrance into Muxia is nice. Truth be told, it’s not a very picturesque place, except for the sanctuary at the tip on the rocks. Very good seafood restaurants, and a pretty lively atmosphere. Since my room in the hospital wasn’t ready when I arrived, I just dropped off my backpack and went out to the sanctuary. Sitting on those rocks and watching the waves crash is a really nice place to reflect on things. Even on a windy cloudy day.

    I will go back for sunset but it might be a washout.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Vilaserio to Dumbria (31km)

    6. oktober 2022, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Just yesterday I was thinking that this has been the first Camino I can remember with no falls. You guessed it. This morning, walking on asphalt, I somehow got my foot tangled up with one of my poles and down I went. It tore a good size hole in my pants and scraped my knee, but luckily I was able to stand up and keep walking. I think I will not reflect today on how I’ve been lucky to have avoided bed bugs this year.

    The walk was pleasant, nothing spectacular. It’s really the destinations that make this so special, so apologies to those who say “ It’s the journey and not the destination.”

    I took a long shoes-off break at 20 km in the town of Olveiroa. This is where one of my favorite little stone house Casa rural/restaurant combination is. They have wonderful food, but unfortunately the timing for a meal was bad. But with my Fanta de Limon, I got several little plates of homemade tapas, which was all I needed to get me through the last 11 km. The split in the camino, left for Finisterre, right for Muxia, meant I had about 4 left.

    I am in an albergue, the one funded by the man who owns the Zara empire. I was told I could have the handicapped room (a single) because of my advanced age. 😀That’s very nice because there is a large group of Portuguese teens who are nothing if not exuberant.

    There will not be much of a dinner tonight. No restaurant, no functioning kitchen in the albergue, but at least there’s a small supermarket where I can buy something.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Santiago to Vilaserio (34.5 km)

    5. oktober 2022, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Harder day than I remembered. I have decided to walk the same stages as I did the last time I walked to the ocean, which must be at least 6 years ago. I think if I ever go this way again, I’ll add at least a day, but I really have to get going and get home!

    I started a little after 7 am. Sunrise in Santiago today was a little before 8:30. But I had my headlamp, and I knew there would be other people out there walking. I started walking with a group of nine, very lively and friendly. Four from the Canaries, two Basques, two from Alicante, and 1 Italian. They suggested that I join them and extend my walk by a few days so that I could go all the way back to Santiago, but I explained that I would not be welcome in Champaign if I kept walking any longer.

    It’s a very pretty day, goes through one of the most beautiful little villages in Spain, Ponte Maceira, and the medium sized town of Negreira. I always stop at the town’s statue of the emigrant. Galicia lost a huge portion of its male population to emigration after the Civil War, and the statue displays the sad reality in a very poignant way.

    The little hamlet where I am tonight has two albergues and one restaurant. I have stayed in both of the the Albergues. Two months ago one of them opened a little building with private rooms, so I took one of those. The albergue is full and I admit that albergue living has lost some of its glow for me. All of us will have dinner together in the restaurant, so really all I’m missing out on is the snoring and the shared bathrooms.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds

    Rest day in Santiago

    4. oktober 2022, Spania ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    The city is filled to the brim. So many pilgrims— you see the ones arriving, the ones who have arrived and are spending some time here, and the ones all packed up and on their way to train , bus, or plane. Occupancy rates are the highest they’ve been all year.

    This morning, I had to pack up my stuff and move from one hotel to another. It wasn’t a big deal, but it is amazing that I was unable to get two nights in a row in the same place, unless I wanted to spend €333 for a room in the Parador.

    I went through the holy door, which is only open during holy years and provides a plenary indulgence. A holy year is a year in which Saint James day falls on a Sunday, though the pope extended last year’s I also attended the Pilgrim Mass. and saw the botafumeiro swing. Though I got to the cathedral an hour before the mass, there were no seats left; I found a very comfortable perch at the base of an old stone column. It was a high mass, officiated by one Archbishop, two or three bishops, and about seven other priests. It felt a little weird that the celebration was in honor of international policing day. Some high-ranking officials from the national police made a few statements. And then one of the priests talked to us about how necessary police are and how we should be prepared to give up liberty to ensure tranquility. It was a bit jarring to someone used to the idea of separation of church and state. But then I have often been surprised by how many solemn Spanish religious celebrations include participation by the military, so I guess this is no different. After the mass I lit a bunch of candles and sat in the now almost empty cathedral. I remembered the day about 15 years ago when Dana and I walked into Santiago from the Camino del Norte and ran into my parents in the cathedral. We had known we were close but in those pre-iPhone days we were not in close contact. How I miss them.

    I got a ticket to visit the Portico de la Gloria, the original doorway to the cathedral before they added the current baroque facade. Thankfully, they left the Romanesque in tact. After about a decade of restoration (and 11 million euros), it’s once again open to the public. No pictures are allowed, so you’ll have to Google it if you want to see. I (and many who know a lot more than I do) think it’s one of the most beautiful examples of Romanesque in Spain. My favorites are the 24 elders in a circle around Christ, each one playing a different medieval instrument. And the smiling Prophet Daniel.

    The stars at home have aligned to allow me to enjoy the icing on the cake —walking to Muxia and then Finisterre. I haven’t been out to the ocean in years, and I am so grateful that I got the greenlight. I’ll be doing longer than usual days so as not to abuse their graciousness. This means four more days of walking and then a few days to get home.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    122

    A Estrada to Santiago (33 km)

    3. oktober 2022, Spania ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    The walk was good, I felt good, and so I pushed on to Santiago.

    It’s been years since I felt this good walking into Santiago. Last year, injury; year before, COVID; and several years before that it was just a flat feeling. But today, even though it was a long hot day, and even though I got really messed up coming into the city, when I walked into Obradoiro, I felt like things were soaring—gratitude, happiness to be alive, realizing how lucky I am to be physically able to walk the camino. I sat and watched as hundreds of other pilgrims came into the square, just sat and watched. I didn’t know any of them, yet I think we shared a bond.

    For some crazy reason, I went to the Pilgrim’s office to get my compostela. One more to put in the closet. There’s a new, much more automated system in the office, and I couldn’t help but compare back to my first compostela in 2000. No familiar faces there for the first time in years. Things change.

    This afternoon and evening were for spending time with good friends. And now I’m going to bed. Rest day in Santiago tomorrow.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    111

    Soutelo de Montes to A Estrada (33 km)

    2. oktober 2022, Spania ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Yesterday when I went into the grocery store I asked the woman at the fruit counter about the bagpiper statue. That was like turning on a switch. It turns out that Soutelo de Montes is home to many of Spain’s finest bagpipers, and their band world renowned — in fact, they had been invited to play in NYC’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade in 2020. You can guess what happened to that invitation. I learned that the woman herself really had never been very attracted to the traditional music, but she told me that when her adopted son (born in Siberia) was six or seven, he just got the bug. He is now 18 and a member of the band. She is now a huge fan and showed me lots of videos. And she said something like — it’s funny how it took someone born thousands of kilometers from here to make me feel connected to the place that is my home.

    When I got back to my hotel room I thought I should send a WhatsApp to confirm my reservation for today. I got a response from the owner of the Casa Rural saying that he was flying home tomorrow and would not be arriving until at least 5 PM, so that I would have to sit outside and wait for him. Well that was kind of a dealbreaker, so I decided to turn what was supposed to be a short 20 km day into a 33 km day. Since I arrived at my destination well before five, I figure it was time well spent.

    Whoever put this walk together today had an amazing ability to string little bits and pieces together. The Camino went from village to village on dirt paths, through little rocky green tunnels, through forested land and through wide-open fields. With a few short stretches on paved but on traveled roads. It was really very enjoyable.

    Not sure where tomorrow will take me, but I am getting close to Santiago.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds

    Feas to Soutelo de Montes (21 km)

    1. oktober 2022, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Another pretty short day with a fair amount of elevation (750 m by my GPS). Just a few small villages with most of the kms in pine forests or those Galician green tunnels with stone walls on either side. I’ve walked in countryside like this many times on this camino and others, but there are always breath-catching moments —like looking back down over Feas as the sun rose, or being in a green tunnel as bright sun dappled through.

    The only town on this stage is Beariz, where many pilgrims stay. Since it was only nine or 10 km from my starting point, I wanted to keep going. As I passed by the municipal building, I saw that the door was open. That was unusual for a Saturday, but I stuck my head in and said —hola? Turns out the mayor was in, catching up on work and being available to citizens who couldn’t come during the week. He was very happy to stamp my credential and to explain how important the Camino could be for his town. He has been mayor for 39 years, which is probably a record of some sort. He insisted on giving me a cultural review from the town, which I have carried with me and will look at this afternoon. But I don’t think it will come any further, because it weighs at least a pound.

    I am in a well-positioned but not very inspiring town for the night. There is a small hostel which is clean and right on the route.

    Three more days walking to Santiago. If the stars at home align right, I will continue to the ocean. But I am nothing if not flexible, and I may be home sooner.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds

    Ribadavia to Feas (29 km)

    30. september 2022, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    There was fog till about noon! It made things kind of ethereal. Today was almost all off-road, filled with rivers, vineyards, forests, and a killer ascent at the end. My GPS stopped recording, so I am not totally sure about the ascent, but the person whose tracks I followed recorded 900 m up and 500 down. That’s a lot for these old bones. But I’m still so grateful that even though I am definitely slowing down, I can still enjoy every day and relish the sensation that I’ve really given it my all.

    So many of these villages are in the process of depopulation. Most have some really nice fixed up houses, but those houses do not seem to be inhabited. I’m assuming they are summer homes, homes that once belonged to the great grandparents and that no one wants to live in year round. Then there are the totally falling down houses, and then there are some in between where the year-round residents live. Even in these tiny hamlets, the bread truck comes, the frozen food guy comes, the produce guy comes. Yesterday I coincided for about two hours with the Repsol truck. He was bringing those gas canisters. His horn blaring as he came through, people put out their empty canisters and he made the exchange. He was on the same route as I was apparently, so I had a honking horn symphony to listen to through four or five villages.

    I’m in a very nice Casa Rural, O Forno do Curro. There’s an old stone Forno/oven that was the place where all the villagers came to bake their bread. The only establishment with food is about a km down the road. I came in this afternoon on my way to the Casa Rural, just to confirm I would be eating dinner here. At that time about 30 men were at different tables, all playing dominoes. The bar owner, a woman, told me that the men come to play dominoes after lunch, while the wives were cleaning up and doing housework. But that the women would be in to play cards this evening. And sure enough they are here.

    Dinner is tomato and cheese salad, delicious seeded brown bread, eggs from the coop, and real french fries. Thankfulness overflowing.

    But as I was leaving the Night Shift dominoes guys arrived.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Afternoon in Ribadavia

    29. september 2022, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Though my favorite Ribadavia attraction was San Xes, the 9 C church I saw on my way in, the rest of the day was fun too.

    First a good lunch — scallops and a goat cheese salad. Kind of a foodie place but it didn’t break the bank.

    Then a couple of hours wandering around. The judería (inhabited from 12C-16C) is nicely preserved. I assume the House of the Inquisition down the block had something to do with its demise, though. There are two Romanesque churches— both closed of course. The castle is only open in the morning, but it’s nice from the outside. Very fun time in the Plaza Mayor talking to one abuela whose 3 yo grandson was zooming around on a balance bike, and two dads helping their 10 yo daughters learn to roller skate. LOVE the plaza mayor in almost any Spanish place (except maybe Leon).

    One quick trip to a frutería— the first dried figs of the season arrived today so I got a few hundred grams. Batteries for my headlamp and chores are done.

    Early to bed for this peregrina.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    11

    Cortegada - San Xes - Ribadavia (19 km)

    29. september 2022, Spania ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    I woke up at about 6 am to a heavy rain. I decided to sleep a little more, but by 8:00, I had had breakfast and was putting on my rain gear. I kept repeating one of Joe’s favorite bits of advice — “A mal tiempo, buena cara.” Within about 10 minutes, the rain had turned into a little drizzle, and within 25 minutes it had stopped. No more rain except for a 20 minute downpour somewhere along the Minho River. Call me lucky.

    It was another walk with pleasant surprises. Wikiloc showed a steep descent down to the Minho, but it wasn’t steep at all. And, even with all the rain, the tracks were totally fine. No rocky paths turning into water channels. Once down at the river I had a really nice walk along the banks, and it lasted most of the way to Ribadavia, actually. A few petos de anima (alms box for the souls in purgatory), some pretty churches, and a lot of Minho River views.

    Ribadavia is well known for its preserved judería (Jewish quarter). But I had learned that there was also a pre-romanesque church, San Xes, just a few kilometers out of town. Since I got to the town early, I decided to walk out and visit the church before finding a place to stay. It wasn’t raining and I thought it made sense to take advantage. What a beautiful little church. Ninth century, some carvings on both sides of the door that look like the flight to Egypt (thanks AJ!!!), and a stone lattice window that was beautiful. I couldn’t get inside even after asking a couple of neighbors. But I was happy enough to sit outside and eat my snack and enjoy.

    I found a little Pension in the center of town, right in the plaza mayor actually. Turns out I was lucky to get the last room, which involves a three flight walk up.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Castro Laboreiro to Cortegada (30 km)

    28. september 2022, Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    When I saw that there were 1300 m of descent on today’s stage I have to admit I groaned. That’s so hard on the knees. But off I went.

    It had been raining over night, so there were “water amenities“ every time the camino took me off road to those narrow rocky paths surrounded by rock walls. Sometimes it was deep mud, and sometimes it was standing water. Finding the best way over was not always easy. Even without pools of water or mud, going down on slippery rocks made for a very slow going. In fact this was probably my longest walking day yet. I just had to take my time.

    When I got to the Spanish border, I emerged onto a totally deserted but paved road. Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t have been so thrilled, but to have a large chunk of descent on a road with no rocks and no mud to navigate was really great.

    The highlight of the day for me was walking through pine forests, especially when I was close to the Deva River,

    I wouldn’t say it was a five star day, but it was pleasant enough. The only real downer for me was that one of my hiking poles collapsed. I am getting some advice on how to fix it but I guess I’ll be fine with just one. People on the Camino forum are tremendously helpful, and are sending me YouTube videos of how to fix the problem. One Spanish friend suggested I take it to a car repair shop, on the theory that they will certainly have some thing to fix it with. Since the solution seems to lie with some strong adhesive, that does sound like a good suggestion, and I will probably try it tomorrow.

    I am in the town of Cortegada, which is probably the saddest town I’ve been in so far. Nothing going on, 80% of the houses seem to be falling down, but there is a beautifully restored balneario down on the river. I was surprised that it was built in 1937, as the Civil War was in full swing.

    Thankfully, Cortegada has the Casa de Conde, a small guesthouse that gives pilgrims a good price. No restaurants, but I can use their kitchen, so I am fine. Onward tomorrow!    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    1
    11211

    Lobios to Castro Laboreiro (21 km)

    27. september 2022, Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Short in kilometers maybe, but the 800 m of elevation gain took me some time. It was a day full of surprises for me, because I really had no idea what to expect. Some friends wrote a day by day account when they walked about a year ago, but I only read their posts after I’ve done my walk. So it’s really one surprise after the next.

    I left around sunrise, and the first 10 or 11 km went from village to village on a mixture of roads and nice off-road trails, but then after a little place called A Pereira I emerged from one of those green tunnels (trees all around and moss-covered stone walls on both sides) and I was in a totally different landscape. I was on a big flat plain with rocky peaks on three sides. Amazing.

    Then back to walking by rivers, through some scrub forests, and then —surprise— a beautiful Roman bridge. It was there I took off my shoes, ate a cheese sandwich, and just wondered what this place was like when the Romans were here.

    The last 5K were a pretty steep ascent on a road in the sun. Guaranteed to wipe you out. But as always, a shower works a miracle. Around four, I decided to follow the path up to the castle. I’ve been to a lot of castles, I’ve climbed around a lot of castles, and this one was pretty much in ruins, but its position was one of the most spectacular I’ve ever seen. The views were pretty amazing. Built in the 10th century, it went back and forth between Spanish and Portuguese hands until finally Portugal won the last battle.

    This little town has three hotels, and there are lots of groups of walkers and “ramblers.” I’ve talked to some British and French people, quite the international crowd. Tomorrow back to Spain!    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    3
    1

    Campo de Geres to Lobios (25 km)

    26. september 2022, Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Every Camino should have a day like this — no towns, no cars, and plenty of mountains, forests and rivers. These are the days that I find most conducive to just thinking things through. No distractions with beautiful scenery as the backdrop.

    Since it’s a stage with moderate distance and elevation, I decided I’d wait till after sunrise to leave. I knew that soon after leaving town I would come to the Reservoir and I wanted to see it in daylight. What I had forgotten to figure out, though, was when the sun would get above the mountains. I sat there for a while watching as the sunshine started to essentially fall down over the mountain. Total quiet.

    From the reservoir the path entered a forest in trail along side the river. The sound of the water was almost constant, and it was really beautiful. Past lots of Roman mile posts, in fact in one spot there were more than 20! After a couple of hours I emerged from the forest to see the Spain-Portugal border with the closed immigration checkpoints.

    The scenery changed dramatically, descending steeply through what was essentially a scrub forrest, nothing majestic like I had been walking through in Portugal. And then once again I was back in a nice forest walking through pines and oaks. I took a long break at a little sitting area next to an old Mill and an old bridge. Again, total quiet.

    So here I am back in Spain, and tomorrow I will sleep again in Portugal !    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    1121

    Caldelas to Campo de Geres (30 km)

    25. september 2022, Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    I am in the swing of the Camino. And I’m feeling so lucky to be here.

    The first 6 or 7 km were on asphalt but very untraveled roads. In one of the little hamlets, I met a woman who was walking to mass in the church that I had passed maybe 15 minutes earlier. She told me it takes her a half an hour to get there and I wasn’t certain if she was asking me to come to mass with her or telling me that she was going to meet someone there.

    After the asphalt ended and the actual Geira (Roman road) began, I was surprised by three things. First there was a fair number of eucalyptus trees, in some places outnumbering the pines and oaks. And second, there was a lot less of the actual Roman Road visible than I was expecting. That’s not actually a complaint, however, because a Roman road that has been buckling and readjusting and subject to all sorts of weather for so many centuries is no longer a flat surface by any stretch. It’s usually very hard walking, but to see bits that are still in tact almost 2000 years after it was built is pretty special. Third, the grade was rarely steep, which was very welcome. Based on my calculations, there were several hundred meters of ascent on the Roman Road and it was barely perceptible.

    In some of the spots there were several milestones, and I remember reading that this was common because frequently a new emperor would come to put his own stamp on a particular road.

    The weather was perfect today — cool and sunny with an occasional breeze. I couldn’t ask for anything better.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Braga to Caldelas (20 km)

    24. september 2022, Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Today I started a new camino. Leaving Braga there are several choices. The first one is to head north west to Ponte De Lima (one of my favorite towns in Portugal) and join the central Portuguese camino. I’ve walked that caminho, so I am trying something new.

    The Caminho I’ve chosen is called the Geira e dos Arrieiros, Geira refers to the Roman road that linked Braga to Astorga. Arrieiros refers to the men in the Middle Ages who transported Ribeiro wine to the north of the peninsula, where it was highly regarded. This caminho takes you on some of their old paths. There is a very active and passionate Association promoting the route. There are also two other routes, the Miñota y Ribeiro and the Camino São Bento. Arrows all over the place in different directions.

    I slept in and sauntered down for breakfast at 7:30, which is very late for a peregrina. The day started by walking back down to the Visigothic chapel I visited yesterday, And on the way down I reminded myself that my Camino buddies Nick and Wendy had warned me to pay careful attention and be sure to get on the right Camino. Well right at the chapel, I met Bruno, a Portuguese pilgrim heading for the central route. We chatted about the different routes, and then about his trips to Chicago and San Francisco, and then about my town in Illinois, and then about gun violence in the United States (not my choice of topic), and then it occurred to me to look at my GPS. And guess what, I was on the wrong route. With my stellar GPS skills, I was able to get myself over to the right route without totally backtracking, but I added about 3 km to my total. Bruno insisted on walking me back, since he felt like it was partially his fault, which is of course nonsense.

    The rest of the way was all on pavement with a few brief sections on dirt paths. I had a snack and a rest at the Monastery of Santo Antonio de Rentufe. No way to get inside, though I saw some pictures that looked interesting.

    As I arrived in Caldelas, I came by a little hotel with a nice outdoor garden. The albergue is only another few hundred meters, but I just decided to give this place a try. I am sure the albergue is very nice but I tell myself I have surely filled my albergue quota by now.

    My afternoon entertainment consisted in checking out the spa. Waters for intestinal problems. Another spout had water for liver, kidney, and one other organ I didn’t understand. Medical prescription required.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    1
    1

    Guimarães to Braga (19 km)

    23. september 2022, Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    When I started out this morning, I saw that the tracks would take me back up to the castle. Since I had gone up there twice yesterday, I didn’t see the need to do it again, so I just took the straight shot out of town. Call me a cheater.

    Almost all of the day was through the suburbs of the town I was leaving or suburbs of the town I was entering, with one hard up and down through a eucalyptus forest over Roman Road in between the two ends.

    There were some stretches with terrible traffic on extremely narrow roads with stone walls on either side. That was a challenge, especially since by about 8, the morning rush-hour began in earnest. I took it very slow and held my walking stick out a bit so that the cars would get the idea.

    I came across a stretch of road that was being repaired. I could hear it before I saw it, that clink clink clink that you’ve heard if you’ve been in Portugal. I had never known the name of those tiles, which they use both in streets and on sidewalks. They’re not really cobblestones, but they’re not tiles either. I learned today that they are called Paralelos.

    The path up and down the monte/serra was rough. Some of it looks like it was intact Roman Road, some of it was torn to pieces Roman Road, and some of it was just loose rocks with falling eucalyptus branches all over it. Not fun. It wasn’t much more than 300 m up, but that was plenty.

    I decided to go for a nice hotel today, and I found one that has a good breakfast starting at seven. I have a short day tomorrow, only 16 km, and can sleep in a bit and enjoy breakfast!

    After the wash and shower routine, I added 6 km to my day by walking out to see a seventh century chapel, São Frutuoso. It’s attached to a 17 century baroque church, and I learned that in 1966, the Cathedral of Santiago returned Saint Frutuoso’s relics to the place where they had been stolen by a very important bishop from Santiago in the 12th century. They are now displayed prominently in the baroque church.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    11

    Felgueiras to Guimarães (20? Km)

    22. september 2022, Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    When I got to my hotel the room wasn’t ready so I did some touring and forgot to turn off my GPS till I checked in. That means that my tracks also include going up to the castle, the Duques de Bragança palace and the museum.

    When I left town this morning it was very foggy, and the fog didn’t lift until about 1 km outside of my destination. It wasn’t unpleasant, but the walk itself was nothing too special. There was a short stretch of Roman road leading up to a Roman bridge, which was nice. And for whatever reason there were very few people out and about this morning so I couldn’t chat them up and practice my Portuguese! There were a couple of towns that seemed totally hemmed in by elevated Autovías on both sides of them. Living so close to huge highways would not be very pleasant. Walking into town I went by a strange looking set of tanks with some kind of a mechanized wheel next to them. The people who were there trying to figure out what it was concluded that it must’ve been some thing used to soften up animal skins. At least that’s what I think they were saying.

    This is the first town I’ve been in that feels overrun by tourists. Not even Salamanca felt so mobbed. There were at least seven huge groups in the main squares when I was walking around there at noon time.Two or three were from the US, one was French, one was German, and the other was some Slavic language. I was really surprised. The guy in the hotel says that things will clear out in the late afternoon so I’m planning to go back in a little while.

    The Guimarães castle is a postcard perfect castle. 10th century no less. I wonder if it has been used as a movie set very often. I believe that this town is regarded as the cradle of the Portuguese language, and it was the country’s first capital city in the 12th century. The central area is really charming. All in all, it’s a very nice place to spend an afternoon. And now that I’m showered and have on clean clothes and no backpack, I’m good to go!    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    411

    A visit to the Mosteiro de Pombeiro

    21. september 2022, Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    As I was reading the Romanesque literature I had picked up in the fancy hotel, I read about the monastery of Pombeiro. The caminho goes right by it, but it would be totally closed up early in the morning.

    So I hopped in a cab, had a very interesting visit, and then walked the 5 km back.

    There was no one there except me, the security guard, and a woman cleaning the church. At first the guard seemed kind of uninterested and brusque. But as he took me around he really got into it and showed me all kinds of little details I would otherwise never have seen.

    Unfortunately most of the Romanesque is gone, except for the outside doorway. Baroque is what predominates in the church. But he showed me a 12C carved stone in one of the walls that said— “Here are the relics of (I think) Peter, Paul, Santiago, and Tomás.”No one knows whether there really were relics or what happened to them.

    The cloisters (there had been three) have all been destroyed and the pieces spirited away. The French are not surprisingly blamed. The wing where the monks lived has been turned into a social center of sorts, and there was a little chapel and a library.

    But the best part of the visit was the organ. It was fascinating. I had no idea that in the days before electricity, you needed some strong people to activate the bellows to provide the air. Three of them. Then he showed me all the knobs on either side of the organ itself. Each one performs a special function. But two of the ones on the left are not functional. He explained that they put them there purely for symmetry. While all the other knobs have some explanatory information, the two fake knobs have “I am mute“ in French and “I don’t speak“ in Italian.

    That means that it took at least three people in addition to the organist to play. Two doing the knobs, and at least one on the bellows.

    And then this guy sat down to play. Here’s where the story gets fascinating. Four years ago a tuner came to the monastery and had the guard push the keys one at a time so that he could do the tuning. From there the guard started teaching himself how to play. I’m no judge of organists, but it was pretty beautiful. He told me that one visitor offered to pay his tuition to send him to music school, but he couldn’t afford to give up his job. He can’t read music, he just listens at home and then comes in to work and plays around till he gets it. There was even an article in a Portuguese magazine called Evasões talking about him, Bruno Ramos, the auto-didactico. I will have to hunt for it on line.

    I feel so lucky to have had this wonderful experience. Getting these little glimpses into other peoples’ lives just makes it all more obvious that we’re just one big pot of humanity, each one of us unique, but also connected.

    I never dreamed when I started walking this morning that my day would be like this!    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Amarante to Felgueiras (22 km)

    21. september 2022, Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    It was a very short day, so I knew that I wouldn’t have to hurry at all. I like leaving around seven, and even with a lot of stops to chitchat with villagers, I was in my hotel by noon.

    The scenery was not spectacular, the terrain was definitely not my favorite (all pavement except for a few short detours on dirt), but I really enjoyed the walk. because the trail went through so many villages, there were lots of opportunities to chat.

    About 4 km out of Amarante, I met a couple who were working to cut up logs for firewood. They told me it was eucalyptus. I asked if they ever used pine, and they told me that pine is inferior for burning because it burns much more quickly. We didn’t get into any discussion of the other aspects of the eucalyptus vs. pine debate.

    I knew that there was a Romanesque church somewhere near the Caminho. Comparing my Wikiloc track with Google Maps, I saw what I thought was a good spot to get off the Caminho and head up to see the church. The women who lived right at that spot assured me that if I stayed on the caminho I would miss the church, and that the only way to see it was to take the road up. Well it turns out they were wrong, and it also turns out that the bar where the person with the keys usually is was closed, and it also turns out that the exterior of the church did not have much Romanesque to enjoy. But oh well.

    I passed an entrance to a four-star hotel, Monverde, inside the grounds of a winery, Since I had plenty of time, I decided to go in and take a look. I would not say they welcomed me with open arms, but they did let me walk around and also told me to take all of the literature on the Rota do Románico. All of the hotel buildings are new, there is no nice old solar. More than 40 rooms and there were plenty of cars in the parking lot, so I’m guessing it’s nice.

    Much more fun was the talk I had with the woman working in the fields at a vineyard outside Vila da Lixa. She told me that she enjoys working the harvest, picking grapes by hand, but that she was also happy when it was done!

    So here I am in Felgueiras, a very big town, maybe even a city. It’s not especially attractive but people are friendly and it was a good way to break up what would otherwise have been a 38 km day into Guimarães. Those days are behind me now.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    11211

    Mesao Frio to Amarante (29 km)

    20. september 2022, Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    It wasn’t so much the good amount of ascent that got me, it was the 900 m of descent that had my left knee feeling it by the time I arrived. The heat (over 90) and the tremendous amount of asphalt didn’t help either. The ascent started as soon as I left Mesao Frio and by about Km 12 I was on top of the monte with its several wind turbines. That meant that the next 17 km were basically all descent, sometimes steep, sometimes gentle, but always going down.

    Today’s walk quickly left the vineyards behind, and the scenery was not as pleasant. Scattered pines and some scrub. But I went through lots of little villages, which gave me a chance to struggle in Portuguese with some friendly residents. My longest conversation was with two women with a wheelbarrow and some sort of farm tool. I asked them if they were going to work in the fields (it was about 9 am) and they told me no way, that they were done working in the field and now they were going home to work at home. Wash clothes, clean the house, get the main meal ready. They shook their heads and said there was always too much to do. And there I was just sauntering across their country. They told me to make sure I was careful with the heat, took lots of rest, and drank lots of water, just like they do in the fields.

    There were some slightly dangerous kilometers alongside a national highway. It wasn’t tremendously busy, because there is a super highway paralleling it, but there was a lot of local traffic. I found myself pulling off to the side and just stopping while the cars or trucks passed.

    So by the time I got here I was kind of struggling. But a shower always does wonders.This is a beautiful little town (actually it’s a pretty big place, but its historic center is compact and charming.) I remember the pastry shop where Joe and I had a coffee looking out over the river. I popped my head in but it didn’t look like they had anything that was less than 90% sugar, so I passed. Only an hour till dinner!

    Riddle of the day. When is a Peregrina delighted to see asphalt? Answer (in the last picture) — when she’s been walking on those Portuguese tiles/cobblestones for an hour.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    12

    Lamego to Mesao Frio (30 km)

    19. september 2022, Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Today was a 5-star day. Down to the Douro from Lamego, always on untraveled roads or dirt paths (though I bet at least 80% of today was on asphalt). When I got to Peso da Regua, which is a busy commercial town right on the river, I had a few kms along the water till the start of some tough ascents. The views were gorgeous, even though the Douro was out of view till the last few kms. It was a hard steep ascent and I was lucky that a woman in a village was out feeding her birds, so that I could ask her for water. She was very sweet and said she’d pray for me.

    The vineyards are still bright green, and white houses with orange tile roofs are sprinkled throughout. The hills extend in all directions and at all angles. Most are planted with grapes, but there are a few patches of olive trees and even - gasp - a few eucalyptus. The last four or 5 km into Mesao Frio were on a very untraveled road with spectacular views of the river up and down. I have been to the Douro four or five times as a tourist, but I have to say I have never felt as overwhelmed by the beauty of it all as I did while walking in it all day

    The contrasts are so stark. There are huge modern wineries with gleaming stainless steel vats. There is an elevated highway that seems to fly over the hills. There are lots of high voltage transmission lines. Peso da Regua is busy noisy city with a lot of business going on. But almost all day, I was walking through tiny villages where most of the houses are boarded up or in ruins, or on narrow paths between stone walls, or through a few beautifully restored estates offering wine tasting. And in at least six or seven of the vineyards I passed, there were crowds of people picking grapes by hand. I didn’t see any machinery at all, just people stooped over picking or carrying buckets of grapes on their heads.

    Lucky for me, the rain that was forecast never fell. Tomorrow we’ll see. Right now I’m sitting out on my balcony with a view down over the river and all is right with the world.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds
    1

    Beira Valente to Lamego (27 kms)

    18. september 2022, Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Since I was expecting this to be about 20 km, I did find myself mentally dragging at the end. But it was a good day. The Camino has been rerouted to take us past the monastery of St. Anthony in Ferreirim. And I think I lost the camino somewhere near the hamlet of Britiande. As did the guy whose tracks I was following. By the time I realized I hadn’t seen an arrow in a while I just decided to forge ahead since I was on a main road going into Lamego. But whatever the reason, 20 km was actually 27. And 630 m is more ascent than I was expecting too. Well, I guess it’s just good warm-up for tomorrow’s stage, which is a little harder than today’s.

    There was more asphalt on this stage than any other, most of it concentrated in the last third. But there were still plenty of stretches through vineyards, apple orchards and pine forests. I saw my first statue of our Lady of Fatima, which is kind of surprising since she is definitely a very popular figure in Portugal. I walked over an unusual medieval fortified bridge, and I had a long rest with shoes off outside the Ferreirim convent. There was a mass going on and I could hear a lot of singing. A lot prettier than the baroque altar, IMHO.

    I got to my residencial, which is right around the corner from the cathedral and was recommended by several friends, at about 2:30. I’ve got my routine pretty much down to a science —shower and wash dirty clothes, put on clean clothes, and then head out to see the sights.

    I didn’t really like the cathedral, but at least it was close by. Next I walked up to the castle, or what’s left of it, for some good views and a visit to the medieval cistern. Then up to the sanctuary of Nossa Senhora dos Remedios, which I am told has 686 steps. Without a backpack it was a breeze! More baroque but this one seemed less drippingly over the top. And the stairs up are pretty, with tiled scenes of the Virgin’s life — the design is just like Bom Jesus outside Braga.

    Sunday night restaurant pickings are usually quite slim. But there seem to be a fair number of tourists so I should find something.    Les mer

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  • Laurie ReynoldsCamino 2022 , Torres and GeiraLaurie Reynolds

    The albergue in Beira Valente

    17. september 2022, Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Just so you know that I did in fact get into the Albergue, I thought I’d write a quick follow up with a few pictures. I got a phone call from the hospitalero Paulo. It turns out he was in the Algarve but wanted to tell me where to get the key. It was a totally hilarious conversation – my bad Portuguese, a generally bad connection, but one very patient man. I did finally get the keys which were on a hook in a very cleverly hidden place. Can’t tell you where, though. 😀

     The next step was to get inside, and there were two different doors to be opened. More conversations in my broken Portuguese. Finally once inside, the last task was for me to turn on the gas to heat up the water for the shower. Being a dumb American who never turns gas on or off, I had a hard time following his instructions again. But I am happy to report that it all worked.

    Next topic was my dinner. He had told me in a WhatsApp that I could get dinner at the restaurant Paulo Ferreira. I told him that I had walked through town and hadn’t seen a restaurant, so I was wondering how far away it was. Thankfully after about eight or nine tries, I understood that what I was hearing as Tay-K was actually “take away.” I didn’t really understand what he was saying, but I knew it was something about 8 PM..

    And at 8 pm, an association member showed up outside the albergue and drove me to a Restaurant that had take away. I got some pulpo salad and chicken on the rotisserie. No vegetables anywhere in sight.

    I have to confess that I would not have even thought to stay in this Albergue had it not been for the fact that all of the accommodations in the town 3 km earlier were full. This is because it’s their harvest festival weekend.

    This is a beautiful Albergue in the old school house. Such undeserved kindness.    Les mer

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