Portugal
Fão

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    • Day 3

      Tag 2: der Soldat mit der Bibel

      September 7, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      Heute morgen waren wir nicht gerade in Bestform. 😅
      Jan hatte überall Muskelkater und mehrere Blasen die ihn plagten und mir war irgendwie übel.
      Doch nach einem Weilchen an der frischen Luft, einem tollen Frühstück und ein paar guten Gesprächen ging es uns wieder gut und wir waren wieder motiviert und bereit loszuziehen.
      Da wir gestern so spät angekommen waren, hatten wir keine Zeit mehr Vila do Conde richtig anzuschauen. Das holten wir heute morgen nach und probierten dabei noch eine kleine Flasche des typischen Bieres hier "Super Bock". 😂 Das hat uns auch noch mehr Kraft gegeben.
      Dann waren wir auch schon wieder an der Küste und liefen weiter nach Norden. Es war wie auch schon gestern ein unglaubliches Naturschauspiel den Wellen dabei zuzusehen, wie sie an an die Felsen prallen und dann meterhoch in den Himmel schossen.
      Auf dem Weg holte uns Ralf ein, ein junger Soldat, der mit Jan auf einem Zimmer war. (Ja, die Zimmer waren in dem letzten Hostel nach Geschlechtern getrennt 😆). Es war sehr interessant sich mit ihm zu unterhalten, er erzählte von seinen Motiven für die Pilgerreise, aber auch wieso er zur Bundeswehr gegangen sei und was er dort erlebt hatte. Er war sehr sympathisch und es war schwer zu glauben, dass er noch so jung ist. Er interessiert sich sehr für Psychologie und empfahl uns direkt ein paar Bücher, die er gelesen hatte und schon gut fand.
      In einer Snack- und Eincrem-Pause bemerken wir, dass er ein großes Buch in seinem Rucksack hatte. Es war ein riesiges Exemplar der Bibel. Er erzählte uns auch von seinen religiösen Motiven und hat uns mit seiner Art sehr beeindruckt.
      Wir liefen noch ein paar Stündchen zusammen weiter und trennten uns dann, als Jan und ich eine gute Stelle fanden um endlich im Meer schwimmen zu gehen! 😍 Ralf wollte heute noch zwei Orte weiter als wir bis zur Herberge laufen und ging daher wieder los.
      Es war absolut herrlich, wir haben eine wellenarme Stelle gefunden, wo sich das Wasser noch besser aufwärmen konnte und es war einfach so angenehm. 🥰
      Lange lagen wir aber nicht herum, die Füße wollten weiterlaufen. 😂
      Und so ging es dann weiter, jetzt auch mal weg von der Küste durch Naturschutzparks und kleine Dörfchen. Leider meldeten sich auch jetzt wieder die Füße... und es war auch leider wieder schlimm. 😂 Obwohl wir uns heute ca 10km weniger als gestern vorgenommen haben, taten uns die Füße schon echt früh weh. Ich vermute, dass das an dem Steinboden liegt über den wir bisher 90% der Zeit laufen mussten. Ich kann mich wirklich nicht an so etwas erinnern und kann mir nur diesen Grund vorstellen.
      Trotz der schönen Landschaft fingen die letzten Kilometer an sich hinzuziehen, sodass wir uns Fado Musik und dann später noch ein Hörbuch zum Ablenken von den Schmerzen anmachen mussten. 😂
      Endlich kamen wir dann um 20 Uhr beim "Spot Hostel" in Fão an. Es war eine private Pension wo man zusammen mit den Gastgebern wohnt. Mein Gott, waren das herzliche Menschen!! Man hatte wirklich das Gefühl man übernachtet bei Freunden. 😄 Sie hatte mich sogar schon angerufen, weil sie sich Sorgen gemacht hatte! Direkt begrüßte uns auch Spot, der kleine Hund der dort auch mitwohnte und der Namensgeber des Hostels war.
      Es war so ein schönes Hostel!! Überhaupt habe ich das Gefühl, dass wir nur in Luxusunterkünfte geraten, diese hatte sogar einen Pool! 😂
      Zum Wäschewaschen waren wir zu kaputt und da wir noch was essen mussten sind wir in eine Tapasbar um die Ecke gegangen. Leider habe ich dort dem Fehler begangen den Tapas "Gambas nach Hausart" zu bestellen. Das Resultat dessen wird uns wahrscheinlich noch jahrelang verfolgen. 😂 Es war einfach schrecklich: 6 riesige Gambas/ Garnelen die einen mit ihren Augen traurig angeschaut haben. Jan und ich konnten uns kaum überwinden sie anzuschauen, geschweige denn diese zu essen. Natürlich haben wir beide auch promt vergessen wie man die überhaupt essen soll, sodass sich bei meinem ersten zaghaften Schnitt in der Nähe des Kopfes jede Menge schwarzer Flüssigkeit ergoss. Mach ein wenig Recherche kamen wir zu dem Schluss, dass das wohl der Darm war. 🤢🤮 Es war so grausam und ekelhaft, dass dann auch die Stimmung bei uns etwas geknickt war. Ich glaube wir waren einfach von den Gambas traumatisiert und bereuten jeden Bissen. Immerhin war aber der Sangria gut! 😉

      Orte: Vila do Conde, Póvoa de Varzim, Estela, Apulia, Fão
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    • Day 14

      Camino Portuguese Day 4

      September 25, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

      I had such a good sleep in my private room! I slept in a bit. But got on the trail by 8:00-ish.

      Last night I walked to a local restaurant for a great meal. Simple but very good. I didn’t know about vino verde until I did the tour in Porto. It is not green, but white wine. Served chilled, and very tart and refreshing.Read more

    • Day 7

      Auf dem Holzweg

      May 16, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

      Die dritte Etappe zog sich durch idyllische Dünenlandschaften, duftende Wälder und kleine Ortschaften. Ein wunderbarer und abwechslungsreicher Tag mit 23km. Die Portugiesen sind so freundlich, den größten Teil der Strecke mit separaten Holzwegen zu versehen, damit der Pilger nicht im Straßenstaub wandern muss. Für Knochen und Laune einfach großartig.Read more

    • Day 5

      Friday night- Saturday

      October 7, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 63 °F

      I’ve adopted “Narrow Road” by Josh Baldwin as my theme song for this walk. Take a listen!
      Friday night- Made it to Esposende. It is a really nice resort town. The Main Street is all waterfront and park. Staying in a hotel that I at first thought was really nice. Now I think it is really nice- in an Overlook Hotel kind of way. It has lots of character as old hotels do- but there is definitely a creepy element here.
      I took kind of a circuitous route to get here. There are actually 2 different coastal Caminos. The one I thought I was on was the traditional one, but sometime today I noticed that I was no longer on that one. There was a pilgrim from Norway- Vidar. He and I had been taking turns passing each other and had stopped at the same place for lunch. Anyhoo- he saw me looking confused and told me I was on the Senda Litoral, but I should just stay on that cuz it’s the better one anyhow. Turns out Vidar had already done the Portuguese Camino both there and back. Did the traditional coastal and came back the Litoral- so he knows from whence he speaks. (He has also done the French route. Kind of an over achiever if you ask me). So I stayed on the Litoral but then started to wonder if that was gonna end up being longer so decided to cut over to catch the traditional. But that looked really far so I just consulted Google maps and went where they told me. And it ended up being a really pretty walk even though I was on it all by my lonesome.
      Met a couple of angels today, both named Maria. Neither spoke a word of English but we ended up being able to pantomime our way through. The first 2 pictures are of one of the Marias and Vidar.

      It’s Saturday and I’m about 1/2 way through the day’s walk. I started on the coast but the boardwalk had given way to sand, (no me gusta), plus it’s a hot day and no shade on the litoral. So I switched over to the coastal. So glad I switched. It’s been a beautiful walk, through some towns, some woods…. Right now I’m sitting under a tree in the courtyard of a beautiful church. Seems to be a popular pilgrim resting place. But the route has become quite hilly.
      Ya know- people are generally very kind. I stopped at a little cafe to have a cold sparkling water. The owner brought out a jar of biscuits, honey, jam and a little bowl of peanuts in the shell-(and I had just been thinking yesterday about how much I miss peanuts. It’s true what they say- the Camino does provide!). He filled up my water bottle and stamped my pilgrim passport without my even asking. I have met a couple of girls from Miami, a very nice woman (Silva) from the Czech Republic - she was traveling with a friend but the friend had gone ahead. Then another woman from the Czech Republic, Katerina, who was doing her 1st Camino and was on her own. Her son was an exchange student in Kansas last year.
      I am feeling that things I have been thinking about, reading, and listening to are beginning to synchronize.

      On the playlist today- Simon and Garfunkel. Best lyric- “I get all the news I need from the weather report”. (Only Livin’ Boy in New York).
      The church bells just rang and there appears to be some kind of mass. Time to get movin again!

      The pictures of people I meet I am including for me to remember. But there are some more scenic pictures too!

      So I was gonna end this when I left the church but then a mile down the path was this little canopy area and a guy, Albero, who had a whole little supply hut with fresh fruit, chips, beer, sparkling water- even a little espresso maker. He only asks for donations. So awesome!
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    • Day 5

      Dinner

      September 3, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

      Lovely meal tonight at recommended Tapas bar superb but huge portions . Doggie bags a must Most of the guests there tonight from Albergues in town apart from me all ladies of a certain age the craic was good Apart from 1 Bulgarian and 1 Australian lady the rest all soike German but good fun. I left early after a couple pintsI I was getting the taste for it thought maybe time to go 30+ K tomorrow. Last really long day I think 🤞Good Night AllRead more

    • Day 24

      Day 21/10 Esposende to Viana do Castelo

      May 24, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

      Our walk today started under cloudy skies with a slight wind and a cool 12 degrees. A fairly long 27 km journey was on the agenda along the Caminho's coastal route. Despite the coastal monicker, most of today's travels were on inland trails, with a couple of fairly long, steep stretches over difficult terrain. Other parts were through beautiful forested areas alongside a rapidly moving stream. The final couple kilometers were over a heavily trafficked bridge, high over the river where we were buffeted by extremely high winds. We all breathed a sigh of relief when we reached the north shore.

      Brenda and I stopped for coffee at the 9.15 km mark in Belinho where we rejoined Ernita (our new name for Ernie and Anita) who had taken a route that more closely followed the coast. We didn't stop again until Chafe, 19 kms into our walk. We had a very substantial lunch but were seriously overcharged for the meal we had. On the plus side, it was very delicious and filling.

      On our journey today we saw a cactus on the verge of exploding into fill bloom, a trio of crucifixes where we suspect an annual recreation may take place during the Easter season, a lemon tree laden with grapefruit-sized fruit, several lovely and/or historic churches, a shrine to the Caminho, and, at our destination, Viana do Castelo, a hilltop cathedral, a street adorned with colorful umbrellas and a statue of a monk on his ass (donkey, that is).

      We wrapped up our day with a great meal just a stones throw from our hotel.

      Tomorrow is a short 18 km walk to our next destination. Let's hope it warms up a little before we hit the road on the morning.
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    • Day 33

      Esposende

      January 10 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

      Fast nur Portugiesen füllen den großen Platz neben der Polizei und der Bushaltestelle. Ein Fahrzeug sticht raus, deshalb habe ich es fotografiert.

      Wir fahren nochmal zu verschiedenen Stellen am Wasser, machen am Observatorium einen schönen Spaziergang und begegnen dem Krippenspiel in der XXL - Version.

      Zurück auf dem Stellplatz parken wir neben einem deutschen Camper, den wir schon in Afifi gesehen haben, wo zumindest mal ein kurzer Gruß ausgetauscht wurde.

      Portugal ist eine andere Zeitzone, das verkompliziert meine medizinische Abteilung, sodass ich mich erst einstellen muss.

      Jetzt wird es also noch früher dunkel, dafür um sieben Uhr morgens hell. Also zumindest das, was die Regenwolken als Tag bezeichnen.

      Die Temperatur ist gestiegen, von 7 auf 15, geradezu ein Quantensprung. Um 19 Uhr sind noch 13 °C, die sich bis morgen früh um acht Uhr auf null Grad absenken werden.
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    • Day 23

      Day 18 - to Esposende

      May 13, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

      This was our easiest walk yet - exactly 15 miles and no hills. A bit windy near the end but not bad - and no sand storm. We really weren't even tired when finishing.

      Part of the walk was right along the beach while other parts were through towns and green spaces. We passed by a golf course that was just off the beach and saw a few football matches.

      For several hours, we were accompanied by 29 year old Oleh from the Ukraine. Oleh is living and working in Munich. He went there to complete his master's and then got a job. When the war in Ukraine started, his father lost his job. It was decided that Oleh would stay in Germany to work and help support his family in the Ukraine while his 59 year old father serves in the artillery of Ukraine's army. He can not go back to Ukraine. From this mother's perspective, it breaks my heart. He is walking the Camino looking for an emotional respite as the last year has been emotionally very difficult for him.

      We had lunch at a cafe in Fao, just a short distance before we stopped for the day. The owner was quite friendly and even provided his card with phone number in the event we needed help. Right before leaving, he decorated 2 stones as souvenirs.
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    • Day 4

      Arrived in Esposende

      March 19 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

      Pit Pony Pilar was well excited this morning as the pain in her muscles had finally subsided. We set off a good trot, stopping for the obligatory Café con leche and custard tarts, which then spurred us into a bit of a canter along the boardwalk. Having picked up some freshly baked bread rolls, queso and schinken, we had our zweites frühstuck on the beach. Around midday, we paused again for a lunchtime Siesta (a little Inga) in the sunshine to rest our weary legs. Unfortunately, Pit Pony then went lame... she had her shoes on too tight, and her swollen trotters were so painful that she decided to walk in socks. After stepping in dog poo, I convinced her it would be a good idea to put her shoes back on. We continued at snails pace, but we got here in the end. Hat off to Pilar, she was clearly struggling for the last few furlongs, but made to the finish line. The sun always shines on the righteous, and we secured a fantastic penthouse apartment with a sunbathed terrace and views over the coastline.Read more

    • Day 6

      Where the Fao Are We?: Apulia - Marinhas

      May 5, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      Brigit and I got a wee bit lost on our last day together. I blame Pavlov.

      The two of us exited the bed and breakfast we had coincidentally both booked for May 4, and right around the corner was the boardwalk we had come to love these last 20 or so miles. We hit the wood.

      This was despite both of our guidebooks recommending we turn inland for the shorter path to the town of Fao “through a brief stretch of heavy woodland.” But we were on the coastal and there were boards. We knew boards. We had seen a lot of them, and they had never led us astray. We became increasingly doubtful, however, when we didn’t see any of the metal or ceramic markers that assure a pilgrim they are on their way. We saw a few painted yellow lines with painted red lines below them, which was concerning.

      So we asked folks. No less than 3 assured us we were good. One expounded the benefits a seaside vs inland walking. The others all nodded encouragingly and shooed us on our way. We eventually left the sea and walked through some woods, along a very busy road. So…maybe.

      Then, in a nondescript seaside town, we came across the universal sign for ‘you blew it’ - a yellow arrow crossed out with a red, diagonal stripe. Portuguese translation -‘ Este nao e o Camino.’ So finally, like the confident women we are, we stopped to ask for directions. Two women nearby were walking home with market bags. We begged their help. While one stopped to drag us to a cafe to find someone with ‘some English’ the other hustled off down the sidewalk. Smart girl.

      There wasn’t much English to be had at the Ilha Restaurante, but there was a toilet. So - Winning! They also stamped our Camino passports with the restaurant name and address. We sought directions from the proud owner of the cafe, a passerby, and a young woman smoking a cigarette on the patio to the next town, Fao. They were confused.

      We enunciated heavily, spoke louder, and poked at the maps on our screens. “Fao! We want to get to Fao! How go Fao?”

      More confusion.

      Finally,I said, “ bridge,” and the proprietor got it. He offered the directions we sought in a universal language: We needed to go straight-hand-moving-down-the-sidewalk-wiggle-it-right-wiggle-it-left- humpty-hump-the-bridge.

      Ahhhhhhh. Thanks! (Really. How did these people not know where the town of Fao was?)

      Brigit and I finally crossed the bridge into Marinhas. By this time my Spidey senses, ignored since we hit the boardwalk, we’re really tingling. “Hey Brigit. I’m wondering if maybe…”

      Later I checked my pilgrims passport. The address of Ilha Restaurant, where three locals tried almost in vain to help two very confused peregrinas was stamped in crisp black ink:

      Av. Antonio Veigo N 80….

      Fao.
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Fão, Fao

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