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Terri's Trails
Terri's Trails

Terri's Trails

traveled in 16 countries Read more🇺🇸Oregon
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  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    My room at San Martín PinarioViews from my room2Dinner with Jzionna, Debbie, Brad, Julie, and Roxanne

    Camino Part II - Day Eight

    June 6, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Padrón to Santiago
    ~24 km/15 miles

    Final day of my Camino this year!

    Another misty day requiring rain gear all day.

    I got an early start, and walked alone for a couple of hours until I met Debbie from Seattle, another Camino "repeat offender" on her 4th Camino.

    We had a similar pace, and arrived in Santiago around noon.

    I got settled into my room at San Martín Pinario, and was delighted that instead of being towards the end of the long hall, my room was the first one from the elevator. But there's enough distance across the hallway that it's not noisy.

    Jzionna is also back in Santiago. I made a dinner reservation at the Green House restaurant and invited those I had spent time with on this second part of my Camino to join us.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    There are now tons of others on the trail

    Camino Part II - Day Seven

    June 5, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    Caldas de Reis to Padrón
    ~18.5 km/11.5 miles

    Today was definitely rainy. Not heavy, but wet enough that I needed my rain gear most of the day. I walked about half the day with Roxanne from North Carolina. I met with Brad for dinner again, where we had paella at a Mexican theme restaurant. 😂Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    I don't know why these shipping containers were there, but there were a lot of them!The pulpo (octopus) that we sharedI stayed in a guest room that a woman rents out in her apartment

    Camino Part II - Day Five

    June 3, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    Pontesampaio to Pontevedra
    ~11.5 km/7 miles

    Another day of repeat scenery to Pontevedra. I had only walked through when I was here 12 days earlier, knowing that I would have a chance to spend more time here later.

    I met a couple of women as I turned off to take the river variant into Pontevedra - Rosemary from Vancouver Island, and Marian from the Netherlands. We walked together and agreed to meet for dinner. I also invited Brad from San Diego, who I hadn't seen since O Porriño since he had stayed in different places the last couple of days.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    The walk was pretty nice todayUnique garden art

    Camino Part II - Day Four

    June 2, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    O Porriño to Pontesampaio
    ~23.4 km/14.5 miles

    Part of today's walk was a repeat of my Day 25 on Part I. The Coastal and Central routes join at Redondela. On my first time through I stayed in Arcade. This time I stayed across the river in Pontesampaio.

    All morning as I was walking I was thinking about having lunch at the restaurant with the robot servers, which had really good burgers. But when I was about an hour away I realized that it was Monday, and many restaurants are closed on Mondays. Unfortunately, that was true of this restaurant. 😔    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    One of many beautiful gardens on the way
    A view of Tui across the river1These magpies had been harassing this poor cat for quite some time1

    Camino Part II - Day Three

    June 1, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Paços to O Porriño
    ~26 km/16 miles

    I got an early start in hopes of beating the heat, but the heat wave broke, and the temperature was very pleasant for walking - plus there was a lot of shade along the route.

    I arrived in Valença, the last town on the Camino in Portugal very early, while everything in the walled old town was closed. I walked the ramparts that surround the town, and coukd see the Spanish town of Tui across the river.

    After leaving Valença I walked across the bridge which joins Portugal and Spain.

    A while after leaving Tui there was quite a dramatic increase in pilgrims on the trail, since many who want to walk the final 100 km to receive their Compostela certificate start there.

    I met Brad from San Diego (he started from Porto, not Tui) whom I identified as American by the Trader Joe's sunscreen spray sticking out of his backpack.

    Not long after meeting Brad we came to the turn-off for a slightly longer, but more scenic variant along the river where Jen, another American seemed to be debating her options. I urged her to come with us on the variant, and we had a great time walking together.

    Brad and I both had places booked in O Porriño, but Jen had cobbled together her own itinerary, and took a bus to Vigo after the three of us had some tapas together.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    1

    Camino Part II - Day Two

    May 31, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    Labruja to Paços
    ~17.8 km/11 miles

    I walked with Julie from my guesthouse today, but she wants to squeeze in the Spiritual Variant and still arrive in Santiago on June 6th, so she walked farther than I did. So, I won't see her again until Santiago.

    Today was the day with the steepest, gnarliest climb of the Portuguese Camino, and I was happy to do it in the morning. When I walked this route in 2019 that climb came at the end of a hot day when I walked over 30 km/19 miles!

    I spent the night at a really cool albergue called Quinta Estrada Romana which had a nice communal dinner.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    A new eucalyptus farmLarge group of Spanish pilgrims in hi-viz vests reminiscent of the Fátima pilgrimsThe valley was really beautifulMy room in the guesthouse

    Camino Portuguese Part II - Day One

    May 30, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Ponte de Lima to Labruja
    ~9.75 km/6 miles

    Since I took the bus to Ponte de Lima instead of walking I was able to split my planned 27.6 km day into two walking days. Today's walk was very short.

    I had booked a guest house in Labruja and though I wanted to get a fairly early start to beat the heat I was worried that I would get there too early. But I sent the owner a WhatsApp message around 9 am asking if I could leave my backpack until my room was ready. She responded promptly that I was welcome to come in whenever I got there, and that my room was already ready.

    There was quite a bit of elevation gain over the 9.75 km, so I was happy that I was walking before the day heated up.

    It was a really nice walk through a lush green valley.

    When I arrived at the guesthouse there were signs directing me to the back door, which was open. No one was home, so I didn't know which room was mine, so I sent the owner another message, and she told me that I could choose any of the three guest rooms. So I picked the room with the prettiest bed. 😊

    After a shower and washing my clothes I decided to set out for the only place to eat in the area - a small store/café which was about 20 minutes away.

    On the way there I had to cross a small stream on a suspension bridge, and I noticed some trails down by the stream. After my lunch of a ham and cheese sandwich, chips, and a Coke I decided to explore the trails on my way back. I discovered that there was a small "Ecovia" along the stream, and like the Route of Stone and Water there were old watermills on either side.

    It was getting pretty hot again, so I was glad that I was able to explore the area without my backpack.

    It seemed that I might be the only guest at the house that day until about 5 pm, when Julie, a young German woman arrived. I was happy to have the company! Our hostess made us a dinner of steak, fried egg, plain spaghetti noodles, and salad. I smooshed my egg into my pasta and topped it with parmesan cheese, which tasted quite good.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    I love all the statues and other public art that you find in Portugal & Spain. Even in small townsI had a really nice room, with great air conditioning!

    Camino Part II Ponte de Lima

    May 29, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    I had originally planned to walk from Braga to Ponte de Lima over two days, but with the heatwave going on I decided to take the bus there so I could shorten my initial days of this second part of my Camino.

    When I walked the Central Route of the Camino Portuguese in 2019 it was kind of a rushed trip, and one of the places that I wasn't able to fully appreciate was Ponte de Lima, so I decided that it would be the starting point of Part II.

    As I was walking to the bus station in Braga around noon I spotted a pharmacy thermometer that read 37C, which is 97F! I was glad that I had changed my plans and wasn't walking.

    Unfortunately, it was too hot to get out and explore much in Ponte de Lima.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    1
    3This is an aerial view that I found onlineAt the bottom of the hill was a bus stop where I got the bus back to town.

    More from Braga

    May 28, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    I took a Bolt car to visit the Santuário do Bom Jesus do Monte which was a little bit out of the city, and we'll worth the visit, even in the heat - it was at least 95F today.

    The Santuário is located in a beautiful park on the slopes of Mount Espinho.

    There's a small lake, walkways, and a man made grotto, but the star of the show is the church, or more specifically, the series of stairs leading up to it.

    My driver dropped me off at the top so I didn't have to scale the 573 steps up in the heat. Though I could have taken the funicular if I had been dropped off at the bottom.

    I did walk down, and took pictures at each landing.

    After descending the stairs there was a very pretty walkway (fortunately with a lot of shade). Along the walkway were some small buildings, which I finally realized we're chapels. Within each one was a biblical scene.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    6

    Santiago

    May 27, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    A couple of others that I met early on while walking from Lisbon arrived today. I met both Kristina from Slovakia (I met her on day two) and Cliff from Australia on the plaza.

    Angie, Jzionna and I took a few pics in front of the Cathedral.

    Dinner at La Galiciana again, because it's a perfect place for a group - especially when you don't know how many will show up.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    11151

    Camino Day 30 - Santiago!

    May 26, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Areal to Santiago
    ~15.76 km/9.8 miles

    I'm still playing catch up on the blog - I'm writing a week after the fact.

    I have these nifty new sleep earbuds that allow me to set an alarm that only sounds in my ears. I set it for 6:30 so that I'd be ready to go when Jzionna got here from Padrón. I also set a back up alarm for 7:00 on my phone. Typically, I wake up before my alarm, so I was a bit "alarmed" when I heard my phone alarm going off at 7. What happened to my ear bud alarm? It turned out that I had accidentally set it for 6:30 PM not AM. 🤦‍♀️

    After finding my phone which was tangled up in my sheets I saw that Jzionna had left me several messages. She had left at 5:30, meaning that she would be there any minute!

    I scrambled to get packed as quickly as possible, and just as I was finishing up Jzionna appeared outside my window.

    It was great to walk my final day into Santiago with a friend, and we arrived to the plaza in front of the Cathedral just as the bells rang out noon.

    After taking the requisite photos in front of the Cathedral we went off to our separate accommodations.

    Later in the day we met up with Angie, another friend from home who I'd also met in Coimbra. And in the evening we had dinner with a few of my Camino friends who I hadn't seen in about a week, and some of their friends too. We met at Mercado La Galiciana - a large building that houses a variety of restaurants, like an upscale food court.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    My South Korean friend who I'd met about a week after I started from Lisbon was on my boat.
    Maneuvering through a street market in Padrón really slowed me down!11Getting closer!

    Camino Day 29

    May 25, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Vilanova de Arousa to Areal
    ~28 km/17 miles by boat & ~13 km/8 miles walking

    My last day on the Spiritual Variant. It was strange, because instead of waking up and walking I had to wait to take the boat at 10:30. It was a large boat, that held 100+ passengers, so it took a bit of time to get everyone on board and our backpacks stored below deck. We finally took off at around 11. Though the captain said that the trip would be about 1.5 hours, it was actually closer to 2 hours before I was on land again and could start walking. I got to the guesthouse I had booked at about 4:00, after stopping for lunch of grilled chicken and French fries.

    Dinner was offered at my accommodation, which ended up being another round of chicken)(but baked this time) and French fries.

    Then I set my alarm for 6:30 so I'd be up in time to meet Jzionna, my friend from home who would start walking early from Padrón so that we could walk into Santiago together.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    1
    2

    Camino Day 28

    May 24, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Os Castaños to Vilanova de Arousa
    ~17.2 km/10.7 miles

    My stay at Hostal Os Castaños included breakfast, so I got a later start than normal because breakfast started at 8. Often the included breakfasts aren't worth waiting for, but today's was good - toast, egg, ham, fruit, and fresh orange juice. I gave my coffee to the South African couple that I sat with, as they were I need of mire caffeine than me.

    Fortunately, the walk today wasn't long nor strenuous, or I would have skipped the breakfast in favor of an early start.

    I walked along the river and past vineyards, where the vines are elevated off the ground on roof like trellises. According to Google's AI "Elevating the vines allows for better aeration, sun exposure, and reduced moisture, which helps mitigate the risk of fungal diseases and pests common in the region's wet, oceanic climate."    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    21

    Camino Day 27

    May 23, 2025 in Spain

    Combarro to Os Castaños
    ~16 km/10 miles

    I'm playing catch up on the blog. I'm writing this a week later.

    This was an absolutely beautiful walk - one of the top five days on any Camino.

    After a steep climb out of Combarro I continued uphill, but at a more moderate grade, then downhill to Armenteira. There were some pretty views down onto Combarro and the pretty inlet that it sits on. I didn't see another soul on the trail all morning.

    After a quick look at the monastery in Armenteira I continued on, excited for the next part called La Ruta de la Piedra y del Agua (The Route of Stone and Water). I was not disappointed. It was 8 tree shaded kilometers along the Armenteira River with multiple waterfalls. Along the way there are 12 old water mills that have been restored. I was really happy that I had planned a short walking day so that I coukd take my time and really enjoy it.

    I arrived at my accommodation. Hostal Os Castaños in the early afternoon, and had a yummy salad with chicken, apples, and peppers. After I ordered three women from Tennessee arrived, and we talked a bit.

    For dinner I went to a little snack bar/café type place and had a surprisingly good pizza while I chatted with a South African couple.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    4
    12A really looooong horreo!3My tiny, and somewhat tacky room in Combarro. But at 35€ with my own bath I'm not complaining!2Really good salad with scallops and shrimpCombarro is a cute, but very touristy town1This town is horreo central!

    Camino Day 26

    May 22, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    Arcade to Combarro
    ~24 km/15 miles

    Started on the "Spiritual Variant" of the Camino today. I didn't spend much time in Pontevedra because my plan is to come back through here in about 10 days, for Part II of this Camino.Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    21Phone booth turned into a little library1Bread delivery "mailbox"1Robot waiter2

    Camino Day 25

    May 21, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Vigo to Arcade
    ~23.3 km/14.5 miles

    I got a early start because I knew that there were some big hills ahead, and I encountered the first ones as I was leaving the city. But the views of the harbor in the morning were well worth the effort.

    I passed through Redondela where the Central and Coastal routes merge, and suddenly there were lots more pilgrims on the trail - and some more hills to climb!

    I think that I was the first to arrive to my albergue at 12:30 - at least I was the first to take a shower.

    After making up my bed with the provided sheets and blankets I went for lunch at a cute restaurant I had read about on the Wise Pilgrim app. They had a huge assortment of burgers and sandwiches, but the really cute thing was being served by a robot. Unfortunately, it turned away so fast after delivering my burger that I didn't get a good picture of it. After I picked my plate off of it a cartoon cat face was on the screen. You can see video of it on Google Maps here:
    https://maps.app.goo.gl/qUVCD9NqvzqAJrtt6?g_st=ac    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    I Googled the name of this ship, and learned that it is a ship that transports cars
    Busy pedestrian streetOld, but spacious roomView from my balconyBalcony off of my room

    Camino Day 24

    May 20, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Nigrán to Vigo
    ~17 km/10.5 miles

    Sorry, I got tired of writing, but here are pictures from the day.

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    3Glass Beach - small beach full of sea glass. Not too sunny, so nothing really sparkle1Glass Beach1Baiona1First tortilla of the Camino. Just fair. I rate it 5/103Yummy crepe with smoked salmon, spinach, and brie

    Camino Day 23

    May 19, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Porto Mougás to Nigrán
    ~24 km/15 miles

    According to booking.com I couldn't check in to my albergue until 4 pm, so I didn't rush getting started.

    I decided not to take the official Camino route because I wanted to see the "Glass Beach" which is covered with sea glass.

    While the official route went inland, I stayed along the coast all day. The route was mostly along the road, but there's a wide cycling/pedestrian walkway.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    First Galician Camino marker
    A bag piper (for photo ops and €) Welcome to Galicia!1View from my room1Swordfish dinnerMy roomDeluxe wall mounted trash can 😂1Clothes drying greenhouse

    Camino Day 22

    May 18, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Caminha to Porto Mougás
    ~24 km/15.5 miles

    I'm writing this almost a week later as I slowly catch up on this blog.

    On this day I took the boat to cross over the estuary into Spain. The boat left around 7:45, and by the time we landed about 15 minutes later it was already 9:00! Spain is one hour ahead.

    The coast seems more rugged here, and it was gray with clouds that threatened rain, but didn't really deliver.

    I got a private room with bath with a nice view of the ocean at the albergue for only 10€ more than a bunk bed in the dorm. The tiny bathroom was so tight that I had to sit kind of sideways to use the toilet. The wall mounted trash can was much more convenient than one of those tiny step on trash cans, just less classy looking. 😅

    The albergue had the best area for drying clothes that I've seen - clotheslines set up in a huge, mostly empty greenhouse.

    There was also a restaurant on the property where I enjoyed a good swordfish dinner.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    My feet got really tired of walking on these rocks!4Really nice path through a forestThere are lilies growing wild everywhereMore lilies!11My albergueTown Square in Caminha

    Camino Day 21

    May 17, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    Viana do Castelo to Caminha
    ~30.5km/19 miles

    I started out on the official Coastal route that is a bit inland, but after walking several kms on an extremely rocky road, and encountering crowds of other pilgrims, I went down to the Litoral route, closer to the ocean. Although it was a little longer, it was much nicer.Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    A pile of stones for paving the roadThere were lots of churches on the way todayThe funicular1

    Camino Day 20

    May 16, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Esposende to Viana do Castelo
    ~25.3 km/15.75 miles

    Note - I am writing this many days late, so my memories have faded.

    This was Kelly's last day on the Camino, and we mostly walked inland, with more ups and downs than in previous days.

    Upon approaching Viana do Castelo you can't help but notice the beautiful church way above the town. Rather than adding one more hill to my walk I took the funicular up yo the top. The views up there were stunning.

    A group of us went out for dinner and I had an amazing salad (sorry no picture) and chocolate cake with ice cream for dessert.

    I was sad to say goodbye to Kelly, she has been a great Camino friend, but I'm looking forward to what comes next.    Read more

  • Terri's TrailsCamino Portuguese 2025Traveler
    1
    1Kite surfers2Great salad/grain bowl for dinnerThis dessert was called a brownie, but it was likr a meringue with chocolate ganache

    Camino Day 19

    May 15, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Vila do Conde to Esposende
    ~24 km/15 miles

    Note - I am writing this many days late, so my memories have faded.

    Not long after leaving Vila do Conde we checked the map to see how far we had to walk, only to discover that we had accidentally booked a place that was 8 km farther from Esposende!

    We did some quick searching on booking.com and found a hotel with two beds for about 20€ more. I think that I could have walked he additional 8 km, but Kelly wasn't having it. She called the first place that we had booked (on her account) , and they advised that she request cancelation with a full refund. Later on in the day she discovered that the request had been granted. Whew!    Read more

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