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  • Day 12

    Esposande to Viana do Castelo

    May 25, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ -3 °C

    Up early 3 women on a mission!!. photo time outside and we stepped out of the apartment with a bounce in our step and a smile on our dial. Little did we know what a long long day it was going to be.

    We took it slowly as Catrin had to walk slowly. According to Google we had 22 kms to do. Catrin and I had both decided that we would like to do the central route as there were some very pretty places that were mentioned in our books. Shyama was happy to go along with what ever we decided to do.

    The first 5 kms we did in 1.5 hours, it took us that long because we were stopping for photos, and also walking at a slow pace. We stopped for breakfast around 9.30 and then the skies that had been threatening decided to come down, it was a pre cursor to what was going to be..... To start off it was just a drizzle, but as we walked along we decided to take our ponchos out. It was raining but yet nothing much to it.

    Lots of other walkers, some friendly, some not so. Some whom were happy to talk, some who did not want to talk to. The camino route is very well marked along the central route. Much better than the coastal route. Every 100 mtrs or so there is either a yellow arrows, or a camino emblem or both. Hard to get lost with that kind of markings. The terrain was very pretty, some times through woodlands, some time past farm land, other times through villages, past century old walls, past little chapels, and churches etc. In some places we saw a blue arrow. And that was for those following the route to Fattima.

    10 kms and we were just about to cross the river. It was called a cutting in the camino guide. We had been walking through this forest area and we found a guide book on the path. We thought some one must have dropped It, so picked it up to hand over in case we met the owner. About 300 meters on there was a fork in the road. There was a gent standing there. And the book belonged to him. He was very funny. When asked which country he was from he said he was from the moon. When we asked what way do you think we should be going he says you have to stack a stone on the pile and you will be shown the way. Then he saw 3 other women coming behind us, and says 3 women I can handle 6 women no way. I am off, and he took of like a rocket. Prior to that we met this gent who was living close to a church we had stopped, and he spoke good English. He just loved to talk. He had lived in Canda for 13 years and was very proud of it.

    By now the rain was a nuisance, and it was hard walking in the rain, with a pack up hill. At one particular place we had climbed up so far the mist was making it impossible for us to see too far. Catrin foot was aching, and all credit to her. She was carrying all her stuff too. The cemeteries in Portugal our kept tidy and pretty. There seems to be people who come and change the flowers in all the cemeteries we passed.

    We had been getting stamps on our passports along the way. At one church it was a self service situation. You needed to write your name,date, country and age. So onwards and upwards we marched along. By now the conversations had stopped unless it was to point out something, or to discuss how much further, or where on earth is a cafe. We walked in a forest with the scent of the eucalyptus and wild fennal. Our spirits picked up a bit. But that was short lived, the terrain was rocky, muddy, slippery and not nice. No villages, just the path. We had to keep stopping so that Catrin could have a rest. She felt she was holding us up, but this was a pilgrimage so helping fellow pilgrims was as important as getting to the destination. By now the conversations was more to take her mind off her aching foot. Finally we came to a village which had a cafe, coincidently the village was called chafe. Would have been preety poor if they did not have a cafe or a chef huh.!!!. We had in our keaness to look for a cafe missed the formal route as well. But that did not bother this navigator too much, I knew we could get back on track. After a hot soup in our tummys we were ready to go on. By now we had walked 17 kms.

    Catrin decide that was it for her, for the day. She was going to call a taxi to take her the rest of the way. So for the first time that day the two Sri Lankan ladies were on their own. We yet had 9 kms to walk. And after the first 4 kms it was uphill in the rain. We came to a quite a steep hill. By this time rain was just dripping off us and our packs. It did not matter any more. 🤔

    Finally we could see the destination city. The first thing you saw was the church on top of the hill in the distance. But we yet had 4 kms to walk. There was a river and the bridge that spanned it was over a km long. By now it was past 5.00 pm. Cars were going in each direction. And what ever part our body that was dry was wet by the time we crossed that bridge as cars that went bye could not care a hoot about us, the puddles on the surface was our bath water.

    Finally we got to our hotel, by then we had walked 27 kms. A drink of port wine went down a treat. It had been a long long day. Going for dinner was an effort. Poor Shyama had a baptism of fire.
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