Portugal
Marinhas

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    • Day 14

      Esposende to Castelo do Neiva

      September 25, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      I walked by lots of churches today 💒, but the most interesting was the Parish Church of St Tiago, which was established in the year 862. It has been updated of course, but is possibly the oldest church dedicated to Santiago in this part of Portugal.

      There was also a river crossing with a bridge that would not have passed any safety standards at home. But it was wider than expected and actually quite sturdy. I didn’t fall off 😎.

      There was a wide variation in terrain today. Cobblestones (too many), pavement, rocky paths, and a few forest trails (my favourite). And yes, even some eucalyptus trees.
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    • Day 3

      Tag 3 Es löuft

      August 16, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      Ah, Tag 3 meiner heiligen Pilgerfahrt von Vila do Conde nach Marinhas – der Tag begann um 6:00 Uhr, als die Vögel lautstark beschlossen, dass ich lang genug geschlafen habe. Schön, wenn man von der Natur so liebevoll geweckt wird.

      Um 6:30 Uhr brach ich auf, um die Welt zu erobern – oder zumindest die nächsten Kilometer. Mein Frühstück bestand aus zwei Espressi und einer seltsam leckeren "Buchtel" am Strand. Wenn ich die Augen zusammenkniff und meine Vorstellungskraft anstrengte, konnte ich mich fast wie ein Edelmann am königlichen Hof fühlen, der ein extravagantes Mahl verzehrt.

      Aber Moment mal, bei gerade einmal 15 Grad frischem Wind? Ich fühlte mich wie ein Schneemann auf Sommerurlaub, der verzweifelt versucht, an seinem Schal zu nuckeln.

      Die ersten Kilometer verliefen auf der Strandpromenade von Vila do Conde, wo ich mir eine älteren Dame eine Guten Weg wünschte, und mir unverhofft einen zweiten Anhänger – natürlich nicht im Sinne von Anhänger einer Fanbase, sondern im Sinne von Armbandanhänger – überreichte.

      Aber Moment, dann wurde es "berüchtigt". Die berühmt-berüchtigten Holzbohlen. Sie waren so gnädig, meinen Füßen eine Massage zu geben, während ich mich durch den Nebel schneidete der so dicht war, dass es sich anfühlte, als würde ich eine geheimnisvolle Parallelwelt betreten.

      Dann verließ ich den Strand und begab mich in den wilden Dschungel von Wäldern und Feldern, wie ein moderner Indiana Jones, der auf der Suche nach dem verlorenen Frühstückskeks ist. Doch keine Sorge, es gab keinen Tempel des Schreckens, sondern nur das Dorf "Fao", das mich mit offenen Armen empfing.

      Und von Fao aus ging es weiter, immer entlang der Promenade von Espoende. Mit gefühlten 35 Grad und ohne eine einzige Wolke am Himmel fühlte ich mich wie ein Wandervogel, der in der Sonnenhitze schmolz. Und erinnerte mich sehnsüchtig an den Schneemann zurück.

      Schließlich erreichte ich Marinhas und konnte meinen glorreichen Endspurt feiern, als ob ich gerade die Goldmedaille in der Kategorie "Überleben auf Holzbohlen" gewonnen hätte.

      Und was haben wir heute gelernt? Was kann aus dem Rucksack raus? Ist das der Beginn einer spirituellen Konversation oder einfach nur die verzweifelte Frage eines müden Wanderers? Der Körper gibt stille Antworten, mit einem Ziehen in der Schulter und einem kurzen Moment der Hüftklage nach jeder Pause.

      Aber keine Sorge, die Blasen halten sich bedeckt, um nicht das schwindelerregende Tempo meines Pilgerwegs zu stören.

      Doch in all dieser sarkastischen Ironie liegt eine tiefe Dankbarkeit für die vielen netten Bekanntschaften, die diesen Tag unvergesslich gemacht haben. Denn inmitten von Espresso, Buchtel und Holzbohlen ist es doch der menschliche Kontakt, der uns auf unserem Weg begleitet und uns daran erinnert, dass unsere Reise nicht nur physisch, sondern auch zwischenmenschlich ist.
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    • Day 4

      Póvoa da Varzim - Marinhas (ca. 27 km)

      September 9, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      - Be still. -

      Es ist ok, nicht auf alle Fragen direkt eine Antwort geben zu können oder eine Antwort laut auszusprechen. Es ist okay, wenn du Entscheidungen, Meinungen oder Argumente für dich behältst - gerade dann, wenn es um sehr persönliche Dinge geht und du dich mit der Beantwortung verletzlich machst.

      Lektion 3: Es geht nicht darum, Fragen, Themen oder Entscheidungen mit sich selbst auszumachen. In Jesus kannst du einen Wegbegleiter finden, dem du alles vor die Füße werfen kannst, egal ob Gedanken oder Gefühle. Er sieht dich und statt dir Gedanken darüber zu machen, was andere darüber denken und mit den Infos tun werden, hilft er dir mit deinen persönlichen Themen zurecht zu kommen.

      - Listen to the sound of your inner voice even if others mean to know more about yourself than you do. -

      Zur Route:
      Póvoa da Varzim - Rio Alto - Fão - Esposende ~ Marinhas

      Entlang der rauen Küste Portugals starten wir bei grauem Himmel und Nebel über Sand, Holzwege und Dünen. Später verlief die Strecke durch Feld, waldähnliche Gebiete, durch Städte und Dörfer durch Straßen voller Palmen und alter sowie neuer Häuser bis zum Zielort Marinhas. Unterwegs war ich mit Lucie, die ich gestern kennenlernte. Eines der schönsten Erlebnisse heute war das spontane Testen der Akustik einer Kirche, in der wir sangen und die uns ein paar Minuten Erholung von unseren schmerzenden Füßen bot. Am Abend traf ich auf mir bisher unbekannte Menschen und auf bereits bekannte. Gemeinsam aßen wir zu Abend und genossen die portugiesische Abendsonne - die Pilgerfamilie wächst. Nicht zu kurz kommen durfte natürlich der Austausch über den noch vor uns liegenden Weg, weshalb wir uns die unterschiedlichsten Wegvarianten auf der Landkarte anschauten und unsere ungefähren Routen austüftelten. Auch die Kommunikation mit anderen Pilgern, mit denen man sich auf Grund unterschiedlicher Sprachen kaum versteht, ist oft sehr lustig - da kommt es auch mal vor, dass ich plötzlich das Parfum eines wildfremden Mannes auf den Arm gesprüht bekomme oder die größte Verwirrung darüber herrscht, aus welchem Land der andere kommt. So froh wie heute, nach ca. 27 km und nur einer größeren Pause in meinem Bett zu liegen, war ich selten. Ich merke auch, dass ich demnächst einige Tage brauche, an denen ich ganz alleine unterwegs sein werde.
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    • 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 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 5

      We Keep Walking!

      October 20, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 57 °F

      We moved away from the coast today and entered a more rural landscape, walking on cobblestones and dirt paths. The continued rains here have made a muddy mess but at least in the villages, forests and vineyards, while it was chilly, we weren’t battling that stiff north wind. It did rain a lot today but there were also sunny times and a rainbow! The forests were lush and beautiful but some of the ways we went down the mountain would definitely not be approved by my orthopaedic surgeon! We crossed over the river Nieva on a sketchy looking concrete block bridge and I held my breath the whole time! Ultimately we clocked 19.75 miles, 48,515 steps and 58 flights of stairs today- a record for me and I feel it tonight!
      Passing through the villages we visited so many churches and chapels. There is understandably a particular devotion here to Our Lady of Fatima and almost every church has some type of remembrance. At Castelo de Nieva we saw the first church in Portugal ever consecrated to S. James- it dated back to 862 AD. In Viana do Castelo we walked over an iron bridge called the Ponté Eiffel to cross the river Lima- it was done by the Eiffel school and was pretty cool! Before we climbed the 600 feet up to our alburgue (rooming house) we stopped for a Pilgrim meal, a set menu including wine at a cheap price. Delicious! We are staying at the Alburgue San Luzia which is connected to the Sé (cathedral) - the reward of having the most amazing view of the city was worth the effort of the 600 meter climb- there are many sweet pilgrims also now staying here who we now consider our friends- now off to sleep- more adventures tomorrow! Fingers crossed the rain stops!!
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    • Day 6

      Senda Litoral it is…

      September 29, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ 🌧 63 °F

      They were no rooms on the central way tonight so I’m staying on the coast until at least tomorrow :) found a path by the coast but not many yellow arrows here. We’ll see how the day goes… Met a pilgrim named Charlton. He said, I’m the good looking one not the dead one 😄 it took me a minute to get itRead more

    • Day 5

      Day 4 Esposende to Anha

      September 11, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      Part 1 Left the Albergue before sunrise, 7:00am. Today was a 20km day over a mountain!! Literally, 140m elevation through cobblestone streets, and forest paths. It was tough, but so worth it. So much beauty and history.Read more

    • Day 20–21

      Etappe 17, V.do Castello-Marhinás 4

      September 28, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

      Unterwegs habe ich auf Abwegen vom Jakobsweg noch einen Barbier entdeckt, er hatte gerade Zeit. Ich sehe wieder wie ein ordentlicher Kerl aus. Steffi wird mich wiedererkennen😉. Übrigens war ich in seinem Barbier Shop der erste Pilger!!!
      Habe in Esposende Unterkunft in einer kleinen Herberge bekommen. Bin damit heute rund 26 km unterwegs gewesen.
      Nach Dusche und Bettbezug habe ich eine Gaststätte gesucht, an der langen Strandpromenade gefunden. Essen bestehend einmal nur aus Vorspeisen. Schmeckt 😋 lecker. Dazu Porto Tónico.
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    • Day 4

      Fao to Anha

      July 7, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

      As youth hostel had been full was sent to The Old Spot in Fao. Very modern, clean albergue. There were four people staying and we're were put into individual rooms, so good sleep apart from painful knee.
      Although on the Coastal route, it didn't go along the coast itself today, but it was a nice change to go through some small villages and woodland. Lovely donivito resting place with wide selection of food and drink on leaving the woods. Perfect timing for tired legs.
      Finally met more pilgrims today. People from The Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Brazil (lovely lady let me borrow her Tens machine for my knee),.Italy, Canada and the US. I had been beginning to think there were no other people walking. Staying at Casa Carolina in Anho. Lovely hostel, great ambience (just had a lovely music session) and great vegetable garden.
      Preparing for some rain tomorrow
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    Marinhas

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