Day 4 - Esposende to Viana do Castelo

As I was watching the sunset last night I looked ahead at today's schedule. I had planned to walk up the coast but I realized that in doing so I would be walking without support - meaning I wouldn't have any rest stops on my longest day so far. It isn't that there aren't restaurants and cafes along that 16 or so miles of beach front, but at the time I'd be passing they wouldn't be open.

My alternative was to take the coastal route which winds through the local towns. This would be full of churches, chapels, fountains, cafes and restaurants all wanting the pilgrims’ coins. I decided that it was in my best interest to go this way.

I had a much better night of sleep and woke up excited for the journey. It seemed like all of us pilgrims had different directions on how to get out of Esposende, but we all seemed to be back together by the time we made it to the next town.

I'm starting to recognize pilgrims. We always give each other nicknames (that we don't share with each other) until we learn their actual names. I know some of them by their backpacks, their hats, their gait, their nationality and whether or not they are traveling solo or with someone else.

I was in the mood for some conversations today. While I enjoyed my albergue last night everyone there was with someone else. I had no meaningful interactions. Then again even when I spent time in the common area I was typing on my Freewrite device so that I could post to my community back home. I reminded myself this morning that I'm not alone and that I can always reach out for connection if I need it.

I did get to hear Bonnie's sleepy voice. I woke her up because I needed her help on my computer back home. I had sent my work the wrong timesheet and they couldn't process my check until I got them the correct one. She saved my bacon.

As I mentioned, today's main Camino path veers away from the beach. I was now walking through Portuguese towns through backroads and connecting forests. It was much like the Central route that Jamie, Kona, Bonnie and I traveled two summers ago. It is easy to remember why we fell in love with this country.

I have a game with the Portuguese people. I try to see how many energy points I can amass before noon. Whenever I walk by someone I greet them with a smile and a "Bom Dia!"

* A "Bom Dia" in return is 1 pt.
* A shortened "Dia" is 1/2 pt.
* An elongated or emphasized "Bom DIIIIIa" is worth two or three.
* An added "Bom Caminho" or a folding of the hands with "Santiago" is worth five.

I lose track of my score, but my heart is never disappointed by the generosity of the Portuguese spirit.

People decorate their homes with tile, with flowers, statues, gargoyles, dolls, and a myriad of saints.

The churches were all open today. I banged into one Mass in progress with my backpack and poles and quickly backed out. Other churches were open and had left out their stamp for us pilgrims to collect in our credentials. One man, maybe French, went to write the date next to the stamp and then turned to me in confusion. "I don't know what day it is. At home at my work I write the date 100 times, but here, I don't know." It is good to get lost this way on the Camino.

The churches brought up other memories. Two summers ago I prayed for Alex in each one. We didn't talk about it till the end of the journey but the others had been doing the same. While planning our first Camino we realized that he could pass when we were gone. We ended up having almost two more years with him. I can't say that my prayers were answered the way I hoped, but I am sure grateful for the time we did have.

The Eucalyptus trees have peeling bark that emits such a fresh smell. The forests here are enchanted. The dirt paths that weave between them are a relief from the cobblestone streets, that is until they trip you up.

I fell today. Hard. It was a very stony path and I stepped on what I thought was a rock but turned out more to be a roll. Legs, arms, polls went flying. I landed without wounds (other than my pride), although I did tweak my left ankle. It isn't swollen but it does ache. I dusted myself off and continued on and didn't discover until I was out of that stretch that I sacrificed another rubber walking pole tip. I have one left...

Having missed community yesterday I was looking to connect with pilgrims today. I had two great conversations, one with an Irish pilgrim named Shirley, who was full of life and stories. And at the end of the day my friend Sari from Hungary walked with me into Viana. It was what I needed to finish this day well.

This city looks amazing. I had intended to check out some of the historical churches, especially the one at the top of the hill. There is even an elevator tram that takes about 15 minutes to ascend. I was mostly interested in the view from that height, but once I stopped walking I was more interested in resting my foot. The tram to Santa Luzia was a 20 minute walk away and I already have 37,000 steps for the day.

Camino paths are a great way to see a country, a city or town. Walking is a great form of slow tourism, but sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm not here to sightsee. It's okay not to get that photo from the top of the mountain.

I'm staying in a special place tonight - a chocolate factory! Well, the Fabrica do Chocolate hotel used to be a chocolate factory, but now it has niche rooms and a chocolate museum in the basement. My room is the Cinema room and has the theme from the Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp movie "Chocolat."

This isn't the typical place most pilgrims stay on the Camino, but I'm not a typical pilgrim nor is this a typical Camino for me. Alex would have loved this place. The room came with a bar of chocolate and two more treats on the towels. It gained you entrance to the museum, and a free drink - a choice of hot chocolate, cold chocolate, or a chocolate based alcoholic drink. Renton and Alex always bought half gallons of chocolate milk, the richest they could find, and polished them off by the end of their move or TV show marathons each weekend. I picked the cold chocolate drink and it was like nothing I'd ever had. I'm even staying over late tomorrow morning as the breakfast is chocolate themed and doesn't start until 7:30.

Tomorrow will be the longest day on this route. I'm planning to head back to the beach path. It will be flat and since I'm getting the late start things should open. At least that is the plan for now.

Bonus section:
* I met an Italian couple with their daughter who are planning to travel around Canada and the US next summer in a Winnebago. I asked them if they knew the deal with the calzone thing and they said they did.
* A man noticed me admiring the stained glass in one of the churches. "My wife used to do that. She is very good. But then the Chinese. So now she doesn't do them anymore. Want to see the cemetery?"
* Sari sent me photos from the top of the mountain!

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