Portugal
Corgo

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    • Day 7

      Day 6 -23 km to Viladesuso

      October 25 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

      So long Portugal, Ola Spain. Today was a mix of wind, rain and sun. It also got a bit colder. Maybe the time of year and maybe because I’m moving North. Regardless, the walk, vistas, ocean breeze and roaring waves were uplifting. This morning I was thrilled when the water taxi driver said he has family in Halifax and NFLD. He’s one of the few people I’ve met that knew eastern Canada goes beyond Toronto or Montreal. He was quite chatty but sadly I didn’t understand much. After about a five min ride we started walking through a beautiful park along the coast. It was a variety of well marked and maintained trails all day.. The infrastructure across much of Portugal and Spain to accommodate Pilgrims is quite unbelievable. Very well done.. The trails, the albergues, the cafes ( some in unexpected locations) make the adventure (except the walking) quite easy and more enjoyable.
      I loved the walk today. It was one of my favourite. But, i was glad to settle at a nice, clean shared hostel
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    • Day 8

      Losing hours!!!

      May 15, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      Slept like a log (again) and was up and ready to go just before 0800. We found a fabulous place for breakfast (chocolate croissant 😋😋😋) then set off looking for the boat taxi to take us from Caminha in Portugal to A Guarda in Spain. Marcel made an appearance, he being a seasoned salty sailor 😅 which was a good thing as he could tell us what to do! We bought our tickets, then waited... We were eventually summoned and walked on to the beach where we were greeted with a small boat thing, just big enough for 6 people. Climbing on was hilarious (the steps were 3 beer crates!), and we set off. Half way across the water the 'pilot' (I use the term lightly) asked us to put on buoyancy aids ("Police!" he said, pointing towards Spain!) but there were only 4 aids! He then just left the steering wheel and wandered to the front of the boat for 2 more 😆. Cue many gasps, nervous laughs and lots of praying🤣🤣🤣.
      Climbing off into Spain, we wandered into A Guarda for a coke and to make a plan. Of course, we were now +1 hour, and we'd already spent over an hour getting to Spain so we were, essentially, 2+ hours short on our day!
      Our real walk only started at 1230 and it was just an hour later when we stopped for lunch. What fantastic good fortune! We found a piper having a good practice - it was wonderful! We continued, walking across headlands, along busy roads and through pine forests, eventually finding a bar (supposedly open only in summer but very much open and doing a brisk business) for a very welcome Estrella Galicia (our first of this camino but definitely not our last!)
      After another 6 kms we reached Oia, a delightful coastal village and there, right in front of us, was Jose's Taxi! We'd decided that the day had been long enough for us, and losing the morning meant we'd have reached our accommodation much too late to enjoy the evening. Jose brought us to Camping O Muino where we a have a 'bijou' caravan. But it's clean and it's a bed for the night. Supper included a bottle of red (and I still have 2 bags of popcorn 😲😆.
      Jan's feet have been tended to and OurDave (her son) has already suggested she needs a new pair of boots 🙄😆.
      Looks like we may have a short day tomorrow, although knowing our luck... 😜
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    • Day 6

      Day 5 - 29km to Caminha

      October 24 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      Great sleep. So thankful. This is the first day Im trying to be more of a free spirit. No place booked to sleep tonight. I wasn’t sure how far I’d feel like walking after yesterday. I felt pretty good and I met a few pilgrims on my way out of town. We made it to Caminha mostly along the coast. We checked into the Bon Camino Hostel ($15Euros) again in a mixed dorm room with bunk beds. Snoring has already begun. (You get what you pay for.). Tomorrow I cross the border into Spain. Planning on a shorter day but TBD. Having a blast and looking forward to coastal Spain. I’ve been practicing my limited Spanish. Sadly some friends I have made will cut over to the central route tomorrow. We are unlikely to cross paths again. This makes me a little sad.Read more

    • Day 9

      Day 9 Caminha to Villa Nova De Cerveira

      September 29 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

      Today was not as enjoyable as the previous days. I walk through some very hilly residential areas and then down by the river. I am now at my hostel I was pleasantly surprised that I had booked my own room. There’s nothing like having your own room when you’re used to sleeping with a bunch of people in bunkbeds.Read more

    • Day 9

      Caminha

      September 9 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      I spent the morning online trying to book the rest of the trip. That wasn't the plan at first but it's too busy and we've heard of people sleeping on the street. Not our style lol!
      Then I took the train from Carreco to Caminha - 16 minutes for 2.05 euros hahaha. My back is so much better today but not yet fit to carry my pack for 19 km. Tomorrow I will also take the train, but will try to get a day pack and luggage transfer after that. 🤞
      Tonight is our last night with the young German people. They are each wonderful humans and I feel privileged to have been able to spend time with them 💖
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    • Day 14

      Day 6 - Carreço to Caminha

      April 17 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

      Today, as in the last few days, we’ve chosen to take the main coastal route rather than the coastal litoral route to start the day. This put us much more up on the mountain, which is a lot more work because it’s a lot more climbing. But the rewards were amazing because the views were incredible. We were up in the trees where the eucalyptus forests were cool and the trails were beautiful. We walked down paths with ancient walls and over old stone bridges. We took the road less traveled and were so glad we did.

      After about 6 miles we joined back with the litoral route and was treated to perfect coastal weather, no crowds and a path that was perfectly flat (something very different than climbing in the hills this morning). The path took us into Caminha where we are staying tonight. It is a wonderful village for our last day in Portugal. You can feel its age and character everywhere you look. We had a fun walk through the open market and then spent the afternoon in the square drinking beer, sipping coffees and enjoying the Portuguese pastries for the last time. Well, maybe we will have one more chance for pastries in the morning for breakfast. 😉

      Tomorrow we take a boat across the river to Spain. Spain has a lot to live up to. 🇵🇹 ❤️
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    • Day 6

      Last Day In Portugal

      October 21, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

      Today we started our hike from Viana do Castelo in the pouring rain- again! We’re handling it OK since we were able to wash and dry our things at the Albergue St Lúzia last night. We visited the cathedral the first thing this morning and the interior did not disappoint- wow! The stained glass, the painted dome and the special altar to St. Lucy were all very beautiful. As I said before, the climb up last night was very hard but well worth it for the views of the city and the ocean this morning. As we were leaving I was hesitant to go down all of those slippery, mossy stairs with no handrail and wearing a backpack, so we opted to take the funiculaire down the mountain and it was $1E well spent. It made me remember riding the one in Québec City as a child!
      This morning we continued up a bit from the coast through dense forests and small villages while still catching glimpses of the ocean from our high vantage points. We did a lot of climbing today up and over many muddy, rocky and scary paths and finally managed about a 19 mile day before arriving to our hostel in Caminha. It was always gratifying to get up a steep incline and realize I still could breathe (barely!) and the forests are so lush that the overgrowth seems to want to push you along the paths.
      The tall crosses we pass frequently are reminders that this is a pious walk and we don’t forget that even as we celebrate the beauty of the country. The houses clad in tile are my favorite, especially the ones that have little niches for Saints or the ones with tiles installed up high and painted with Madonnas or Saints. The rock walls on the paths are painted with a yellow arrow to point us in the right direction towards Santiago and the blue arrows point opposite for pilgrims headed to Fatima.
      Today we took a morning break and by the time we were ready to go there were pilgrims from Australia, South Africa, Germany and Poland with us - it felt like a United Nations convention! We are making lots of friends here. The morning breaks are great for me because we usually are at a pastalaria (pastry shop) and I have a sweet tooth especially for the little custard tarts that are uniquely Portuguese (pasteis de nata). We’ve met some injured pilgrims too- a lady who broke her wrist in Porto, a lady who twisted her ankle also in Porto and a man who fell in Lisbon and broke some ribs- they are all continuing to walk which is inspiring but sobering too. We are trying to be very careful and Rick is good at pointing out dangers to me. The rain slowed this afternoon and while it was still overcast there is promise of some better weather ahead! In the villages we are constantly followed by dogs and cats- the pets here seem to roam a lot and so far are all interested in us but not bothered by our passing through. This afternoon when we headed back down to the coast in Ancora, we were even escorted along the trail by a herd of goats!! So cute! The waves along the coast are very powerful and a wonder to see but tonight the most wonderful thing I see is my bed- Tomorrow we hope to ferry over the river Minho into Spain, try to make a Mass at a village church along the way and spend another hard day of walking.
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    • Day 30

      Weniger Regen als angekündigt in Caminha

      October 15, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

      Eigentlich sollte es laut der Wetter Apps den ganzen Tag regnen. Aber schon ab mittags blieb es trocken und am Nachmittag zeigte sich sogar die Sonne einweg.
      Wenns nicht schlechter wird...

      Was macht man an solchen Tagen? Besichtigungen. Und so haben wir uns das Städtchen und die Kirchen angesehen. Toll, sowohl das eine als auch das andereRead more

    • Day 10

      Day 5 on the Camino

      October 3, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      We started the day in Viana do Castelo and as we left our hotel we noticed this beautiful shop across the street selling pavlova. We restrained ourselves but I had to take a photo. We then traveled up a funicular to visit the church of Santa Luzia. The views from the top were stunning. We stopped in a nice little town called Ancora, where we had some coffee and nata tarts ( so good but I forgot to take a photo). Our walking today had us travel along the beach and through an area of tiny farms where we saw horses, sheep and goats. We also traveled through a nice cool forested area before returning to the trail along the beach. We finished the day in Caminha and dinner at a very enjoyable restaurant called Baptista. Tomorrow we travel across the river into Spain.Read more

    • Day 6

      Vila Nova de Cerveira

      October 2, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

      EASY walk today. We went 11ish miles & we had a service transfer our backpacks to the next city. We passed through groves of apple & lime trees, as well as many grape groves (vineyards?), all fruits were sampled along the way. We’re staying at a school converted into a hostel & the real treat of the day: they have laundry service. All safe & sound, no worse for wear.Read more

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