Reset search
judgeccal2judgeccal2
SatelliteEdit route
Christian. American. Born and raised in Texas. Lifelong Longhorn. Lifelong Dallas Cowboy fan. Living the dream in Central Texas. Read more New Braunfels, United States
  • TravelerSt. James, the Greater
    1
    Day 4

    Day 4 - Tamel to Valenca

    June 30, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    If you are familiar with the Portugues Central Route at all this would certainly cause raised eyebrows. After all it’s 57.9 kilometers, over double of what we have done any one of the first three days.

    So, after yesterday’s traumatic but blessed day, (See Day 3 herein) neither Claudia or I slept very well, tossing and turning, maybe snoring trying to figure out how we would finish with our schedule as it was. It turns out that in our time frame I have put us in, the walking pace is a little more aggressive than we originally thought. 15+ miles a day for two weeks is a little tougher than it used to be.

    I woke up at 5am ready to make a go of it and woke up Claudia. She asked me to talk outside the room. She remembered that to “finish” the
    Camino and receive the Compostela you had to walk 100km. We could do that and finish on schedule if we were transported in time to Valenca. She also reminded me the goal here was to complete the Camino by arriving at Santiago de Compostela, not just walk 170 miles.

    My first thought was disappointment, but I realistically knew that completion would not happen without some miracle, especially under the time constraints I had. My next thought was this was the miracle I was praying for. I did. I don’t want to go home without the Compostela, and now I won’t.

    So, we took the train for a little over an hour and we’re transported to Valenca, Portugal. I want to walk across the Minho river myself into Spain. We took the rest of the the day planning how far to walk each day and where to stop. The kilometers would be a little more each day as my feet heal. We bought 50 Euros worth of blister protection at the Farmacia. We bought me a pair of sandals that fit and won’t hurt my feet 🙏🙏, and relaxed the rest of the day.

    If you have read Matthew McConaughey’s book, this is where the chapter would end and he would say “Green Light.”

    The journey continues tomorrow. I have a plan, but will follow God’s plan.

    Still got over 7000 steps today.    Read more

  • TravelerSt. James, the Greater
    11111111
    Day 3

    Day 3 - Sao Pedro de Rates - Tamel!

    June 29, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Pilgrimage - defined as a journey. I think implicit within is the challenges, set backs and recovery one faces and overcomes to complete the journey. Another critical aspect - a journey is not made alone.

    My pilgrimage today continued with another beautiful day in Portugal. We got away at 6:30 am when we wanted. So, it was a great start. Our miles and steps were ahead of yesterday and we felt good about how things were moving along.

    Our passport is becoming full of stamps where we stayed, stopped or ate. The people are very kind about bathrooms also! That can be a big deal, especially when you’re older.

    After a good lunch of the traditional European baguette sandwich we continued on the trail, through the country side and villages. Lots of different surfaces, including stone pavers, gravel, dirt, paved and anything that might be made into a road/ trail.

    That turned out to be my downfall. I took only pictures and left only footprints, but managed to also pick up a few blisters. The last part of the day was pretty tough. We had about 5 km of a long uphill before we got to the albergue and it was getting hot and we were tired. But as in any journey/pilgrimage, God will provide. Out of nowhere we came across one of the water fountains the Camino is famous for having. You can fill up your water from the tap and get some nice cool water on your face. Some relief.

    We arrived at the albergue later because those pesky blisters were slowing me down. Claudia pulled me through and we finished the day where we wanted to go.

    But that’s not the end. Some of our fellow pilgrims became aware of my suffering and offered to help. One was a nurse and one was a director of an assisted living facility in Paris. They both proceeded to do everything they could to make it better. The alcohol swab was a bit much and I didn’t have a nail to bite down on, but now I’m doing much better than before all properly bandaged. Claudia picked up dinner and we ate here at the albergue. With so many angels around, it was great to be a recipient of what the Camino has to offer.

    I was truly blessed today and was reminded that this pilgrimage is a journey with lots of help along the way.

    We will continue tomorrow depending on how my feet feel.

    God is great.

    17.6miles; 44,000 steps    Read more

  • TravelerSt. James, the Greater
    Day 2

    Day 2 - La. Bruge to Sao Pedro de Rates!

    June 28, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    So, we walked today! Just walked, observed, talked and were silent. Just curious, is there anything else going on in the world? Nevermind. Please don’t answer that. I’m enjoying my world with Claudia too much.

    We spent the first part of the day walking the Coastal Route from La Bruge to Vila de Conde. The Portuguese coastline is really beautiful. A little treacherous looking but beautiful. Most of it was along the boardwalk allowing us to see up close all the rock formations and huge, incredible beaches and the wonderful artwork along the way. Apparently stacking and painting rocks is an art form. Enjoyed that.

    As we arrived in Vila de Conde and left the coast for the Central route we realized we would have to go it on our own. No way points. No yellow arrows. Just us and Apple Maps. Critically, we did not want to end up on a highway. So we chose a route avoiding it. Ultimately, we were successful. There were some doubts, but the scenery was well worth it. Endless fields of corn with the traditional granite white houses with red tile roofs surrounded us. Many of the crops were surrounded by tall stone fences making us feel like we were in a tunnel. And we had to watch for cars screaming by on barely a one lane road.

    After some tense moments, we finally arrived in Arcos San Miguel for a thirty minute break and lunch at Cafe Barbosa for a small sandwich, chips, banana and Super Bock beer. What else is there? A bathroom! Thank God! Amen! The Camino always provides.

    2.2 km later we ended up at the oldest albergue in Portugal, met some nice young Peregrinos, had a chance to visit with them, dinner and now to bed.

    Not sure how far tomorrow. I have some blisters that have developed. Hopefully, we will be fine. The road less traveled is behind us and the path to Santiago is clear.

    15.8 miles and 36,000+ steps.

    Bom Camino!    Read more

  • TravelerSt. James, the Greater
    2
    Day 1

    Day 1 - Porto to La Bruge

    June 27, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    Beautiful day! Beautiful weather! The sun was out, but the wind, a steady breeze into your face, kept it comfortable if not cool. A little bit of a late start, but we needed the sleep.

    As mentioned, we worked our way back to the Cathedral and then wound our way to the coast going down, down, down, hundreds of steps and narrow streets.

     It was really very interesting seeing the city wake-up as we walked north. About two hours in we came across a nice cafe overlooking the Rio Douro and had coffee and breakfast. We missed our breakfast at the hotel because we left too early. I didn’t feel so much like a tourist as I did an observer. It’s easier to do when your only goal is to walk all day. I see a lot more.

    As we left the city we started walking on an incredible boardwalk that goes along the coast for miles and miles. It really made for a great walk on wood all day long. Better than sand or rocks. The Portugal coast is beautiful in many areas and the people take advantage of it by how they have structured their life around it.

    We stopped for a late lunch - beer and a salmon wrap at a restaurant on the beach. We have begun to meet our fellow Pilgrims and trade the traditional hello of “Bom Camino” each time we see them.

    The day finished at La Bruge at my first albergue. We are in an old school house with a room of about a dozen bunk beds. Dinner was on the coast, of course.

    Finished the day with over 41,000 steps and 15.9 miles.

    Tomorrow an early start for sure!

    Bom Camino!    Read more

  • TravelerSt. James, the Greater

    Yo Soy Un Peregrino!

    June 26, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    This was a draft I started and lost so I did the other one before this one. When I found it, I decided to just post it too.

    Amazingly, all flight arrangements went as well as or better than expected. The Saturday night flight to Madrid was comfortable and we did get some sleep. The flight to Porto was short and fine. And our luggage (backpacks) made it also. We were picked up right away by the “hotel” for a 20 minute drive to our room. The room is small, but comfortable and efficient. You can’t get to it by car. You have to walk up stairs (maybe 100) to get there. The view from the window is incredible. See pics.

    After a short respite, we went out on the town, mainly to go to the Cathedral, a XII century building where will start tomorrow morning. That experience alone was spiritual. And we found the first markers for our start. The symbol for the Camino is the shell. So, as we walk we will be looking for drawings or carvings of a shell pointing the Way. AND we got our first stamp at the Cathedral on our pilgrim passport. So now, I am a Peregrino - a Pilgrim!

    We also found a statute of St. James dating back to the 18th (?) century with the shell on his hat and the cross representing St. James.

    The rest of the day was spent walking around a beautiful European city that is centuries old, if not a millennia. Got lost. Found and lost again. Took a short nap. Had to use the alarm to make sure we got up for dinner. And are now enjoying dinner at Tapas 65 on Rua de Sao João.

    Steps today exceed 17,000.

    All in all a perfect start. We are blessed and looking forward to the first full day tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerSt. James, the Greater

    Yo Soy Un Peregrino!

    June 26, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    It’s official! I am a Peregrino. A pilgrim on the Camino.

    The overall flight from JFK to Madrid to Porto, Portugal went well. JFK - Madrid - Our “premium economy” seats were wide and comfortable, and we had plenty of leg room with no one in front of us. The food was decent as was the attempted sleeping. Madrid is a huuuuge airport, especially when coming through customs, legally anyway.

    On the other side was a plane waiting for us, eventually, to take us to Porto. When was the last time you walked out on the tarmac to get on and off the plane?

    Getting to our hotel went well. Picked up by a
    driver and then walked about 100 steps up to our room with a fantastic view of the Rio Douro.

    Then the fun began. We walked not very far, but with all the up and down over 16,000 steps. First place we went was the Cathedral. A XII Century building that is amazing. The architecture is incredible and it is huuuge. Especially interesting was the statute of St. James with all of his identifying traits. His hat had the clam shell and the St. James cross was with him also. With the age and history of the cathedral along with all the art, frescos, paintings, carvings and reliefs it was a wonderful experience.

    We also found the starting point for our Camino tomorrow. Best of all, I got my first stamp on my Camino Passport for the Camino. I became a Peregrino! In order to prove you have walked the 100 km minimum in order to receive the certificate or Compostela. So, you have a Pilgrim’s Passport with two stamps a day showing where you have been.

    Great day and a great start to the Camino Portugues.    Read more

  • TravelerSt. James, the Greater

    Cleared Security! Flight Confirmed!

    June 25, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    The last hurdle has been cleared. Jerry got us to the airport plenty early and we were immediately met with mass people and no idea where to go. Somehow “Premium Economy” was the magical Password that got us in the right and shortest line. Still can’t say anything I love about American Airlines. But, in spite of the agent’s harsh demanding tone, she got us through check-in successfully. Added to the pressure was trying to understand what she said with a mask 😷 on behind a thick, bullet proof (?) shield.

    We now have a little time (ok 3 hours) to relax and have a drink knowing we are well on our way. It is very comforting to know that after almost 5 years of trying we are actually going to start and complete our walk. Thank you all very much for following us and supporting us on this incredible journey.

    CHEERS AND BOM CAMINO!    Read more

  • TravelerSt. James, the Greater

    Final Send Off

    June 24, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    Back to 2022

    Tonight was the final send off from Jerry’s. Seeley joined us for dinner. A wonderful dinner of Hawaiian chicken from the grill with cooked pineapple, green beans, mashed potatoes and a smorgasbord of desserts. Kathleen and Seeley left to stay at Seeley’s and shop and go to a show. Great evening. Wonderful send off. Thank you Jerry and Ana!Read more

  • TravelerSt. James, the Greater

    February 25, 2021

    June 24, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 70 °F

    Walking - February 25, 2021

    Walked 3.81 miles. (Total 15.98). Finished up Court so had some time to get a little distance in. It was also kind of a crummy weather day. So, it was good practice for the real deal. A little wet, and a little cool. And not the safest place of places to walk. Parts of New Branfels are nice to walk in. Other parts, the sidewalks are too narrow and traffic goes by too fast. I went out Seguin Avenue. to Business 35 to La Cosecha for lunch. Guadalupe River was nice looking, but I didn’t want to stop because of traffic going by. And my grandfather and great-grandfather were hit and killed by cars. Nice meal - red snapper tacos. Went back a different way - Down Comal Street and came across the new running store to be opened by my friend Michelle - waiting on city permits. Ridiculous.

    This completes the journaling I did before 2022.    Read more

  • TravelerSt. James, the Greater

    February 24, 2021

    June 24, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 70 °F

    Walking - Wednesday - February 24, 2021

    Walked 1.78 miles (Total 12.17). It’s Wednesday, so Biscuit was with me. We went down under to the tracks and came back around. Very interesting to see some of the older German houses in New Branfels. The architecture and way they have been maintained is very nice. Need to take some pictures.Read more

Join us:

FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English