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El Camino

May - June 2022
A 610 kilometer walk from Lisbon to Santiago de Campostela along the Portuguese coast Read more
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  • El Camino
    Day 13

    Day 10: Ansião to Rabaçal

    May 13, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Friday the 13th - what a lucky day.

    We one again had the pleasure of Wil's company for the 19-km walk from Ansiao to Rabacal. Most of the walk was on country roads, gravel paths and tractor lanes, and there were some challenging ascents and descents. At one point, we passed by what looked like a water pump so Ernie decided to give it a crank, or rather many, many cranks. Just when we thought the pump must be out of order, a stream of cold water came gushing out.

    Anita and Ernie are staying in Zambujal tonight but due to limited accommodations, I stopped in Rabacal. I'm actually staying in Chanca, a little town perched high on the hill 3 kilometres from Rabacal. Luckily, my amazing host, Paola offered to pick me up from Rabacal so I didn't have to hike up the steep hill in 31 degree sunshine. Her husband will drive me back to Rabacal tomorrow morning so I can continue my Camino journey.

    Villa Chanca is a beautiful place to stay. The property has a pool, hammocks to relax in, a gorgeous garden with a fig tree, walnut tree, peach tree, wild loquats, wild strawberries and more. But as gorgeous as the property is, the best thing about Villa Chanca is the host. Paola offered me homemade vegetable & chickpea soup for dinner. I sat outside to eat and we chatted and shared stories like old friends. Her kindness was heartwarming and I am filled with gratitude on this lucky Friday the 13th.

    Kilometres walked since Lisbon: 216. We are now approximately one third of the way to Santiago de Compostela    Read more

  • El Camino
    Day 13

    At Last!!!

    May 13, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Well, after two sessions of  self-isolation and twelve days late, I finally boarded a plane this morning bound for Lisbon.

    I had a 9:00 AM appointment to get my fit-for-travel certificate and had set my alarm for 6:00. I needn't have bothered. Like a sprinter that jumps the gun in anticipation, my eyes popped open at 4:00 and refused to remain closed, no matter how hard I tried.
    Needless to say, I was at my appointment on time and, by 9:15, I had my travel certificate in hand.

    Protocol for international flights requires arrival at the airport three hours before departure. By the time I checked in and cleared customs, I was still three hours from flight time. What happened to the  long lineups they had last week? In the end, my 1:00PM flight finally got off the runway at 1:35, but still made it to Toronto in just over four hours.

     Once I get to Lisbon, I'll make a beeline to the train station downtown and take a two hour rail ride to Coimbra, where I'll finally catch up with Brenda, Anita and Ernie.

    Despite speaking with Brenda almost daily and religiously following her blog posts, I remain very disappointed to have missed out on so much of the Camino. On the plus side, it looks like the recent heat wave is subsiding and temperatures will be much more bearable for my first  few days on the trail.    Read more

  • El Camino
    Day 14

    Sete restaurant, Coimbra

    May 14, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We had arrived in Coimbra after a long, hot day of walking, and although we had taken several refreshment breaks along the way, we really hadn't eaten a proper meal. Roch had also had a long journey with very little food served on both his flights. As dinner time approached, we anxiously awaited restaurants to open so we could eat!

    On the recommendation of our guesthouse hostess, Ana, we went to Sete for dinner. Not only did they have vegan options on their menu, they opened at 7:00 pm which is early for Portugal.

    Anita ordered the Rabaçal cheese stuffed potatoes with almonds and vegetables. Ernie opted for the smoked pork tenderloin with sweet fennel and pear. Roch chose the mashed sweet potatoes with julienne vegetables and chickpeas, and I had the mushroom feijoada flavoured with thyme. Everyone professed how delicious their dish was. None of us could resist ordering dessert, nor could Roch resist the suggested Tawny Port pairing to go with his rice pudding.

    We left Sete with full bellies and contented smiles.    Read more

  • El Camino
    Day 15

    Day 11: Rabaçal to Coimbra

    May 15, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    I started out shortly after 6:00 am from Rabaçal knowing I would have to make up the 3.9 kms that Anita & Ernie had walked yesterday when they continued onwards to Zambujal. I thought I would be trailing them until we got to Conimbriga, the site of Portugal's largest and most impressive Roman site that Ernie was keen to see. As it turned out, they had gotten off to a later start than anticipated so I caught up with them just as they were leaving of Zambujal.

    On our way to Conimbriga, we crossed paths with an oddball barefoot "priest" who gave us our scripture reading for the day. The passage urged us to love our family, love our friends, love the people we work with. In essence, the importance to love others. We weren't sure if this was the priest's shtick to ask us for money, but he continued to say that happiness was found within us, not the outside world, and that we should be tortoises and not hares on our Camino journey. He then got us to each ring a bell 3 times for luck and we continued on our way. We weren't sure what to make of him, but he didn't ask us for anything in return, and his words certainly resonated true with me.

    We stopped at a cafe in Conimbriga for our first break of the day only to discover that we had already overshot the Roman ruins by 1.1 kms. I hesitated to retrace my steps, adding extra mileage to a day that was already proving to be a scorcher. In the end, I couldn't resist, nor could Ernie so we went back to see the ruins while Anita decided to carry onwards.

    When we got to the ruins, we were so disappointed that we wouldn't be able to access the site until 10:00 am so we had to content ourselves by touring what we could from the exterior.

    As a result of our desire to see the Roman ruins, Ernie and I ended up playing catch-up with Anita for most of the day. We finally met back up in Antanhol for the last 6.3 kms into Coimbra.

    We arrived tired and hot and as we walked through town to our accommodations, we saw a sign telling us it was 14:45 and 35 degrees. With the backtracking we did, I walked about 32 kms today. It was a real sense of accomplishment, and the cherry on today's cake was when I saw Roch hiking up the hill to our guesthouse.

    Distance covered since Lisbon: 252 kms.    Read more

  • El Camino
    Day 15

    Francesinha festival, Coimbra

    May 15, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    When we were onboard the heritage train, Roch noticed an outdoor festival taking place shortly after we passed the Botanical Gardens. Curious to know what it was about, we retraced the train route and found the Francesinha festival in full swing.

    The Francesinha is a Portuguese sandwich originating from Porto. The literal translation for its name is 'Little French Girl' but it's only little in name. It’s a rather large sandwich filled with layers of beef steak, cured meat, fresh sausages, topped with cheese, covered with a beer sauce, and typically surrounded by French fries. It is, apparently, the Portuguese adaptation of the French classic, the 'Croque-Monsieur'.

    Since the festival had stalls offering vegan versions, how could we say no? The sandwich was indeed very yummy. The vegan cured meat tasted surprisingly like bacon. It all washed down tremendously well with a cold beer.    Read more

  • El Camino
    Day 15

    Day 12/1 Coimbra

    May 15, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    After two flights, a metro ride, a two hour train ride and a 2.1 km uphill hike, I finally caught up with Brenda, Anita and Ernie at 6:00PM in a bar next to our Coimbra accommodations. The only thing better than that cool beer sliding down my throat was the hug and kiss I got from Brenda upon my arrival.

    Having had very little sleep during my journey, I managed to get in about 10 hours on Saturday night, finally hauling my butt out of bed at 8:30 Sunday morning.

    Thankfully, the gang agreed that Sunday would be a day of rest to allow me to acclimate and give them a well deserved break from the trek.

    With our late start, Ernie and Anita were out exploring long before us, so Brenda and I broke fast together before joining up with our companions. We met them at a cafe by the waterfront where I had my first Pastel de Nata of the trip (surely not my last).

    We then decided it would be fun to ride the Comboio de Patrimonio, a tourist train that gives a guided tour through the narrow and hilly streets of Coimbra to the main points of interest.

    After the train ride, Brenda and I decided we should continue our exploration of the city on foot and climbed back up a very steep hill to the University of Coimbra, which dates back to 1290. While there, we visited the very ornate "New" Cathedral, which opened its doors in 1640. At the cathedral, I received the first stamp in my Pilgrim Passport.

    Next, we walked down the hill in search of the Festival de Francesinha, which I had spotted while on our train ride. On our way, we saw the remains of the Roman aquaduct and made a short tour of the very lush and verdant botanical garden.

     We arrived at an intersection and were faced with three possible routes to follow, one of which would take us to the festival. However, neither Brenda nor I could recall which of the three the train had followed. As we stood there pondering our choices, we heard a familiar clanging of bells. Lo and behold, the train came around the corner to lead us to our destination, where we shared a vegan version of a Francesinha and quaffed a couple of beers.

    Back to our hotel for a siesta before meeting up with Anita, Ernie and fellow pilgrim Wil for aperitivos in the town square.

    We capped our day off with a spectacular meal at Maria Rio, a hillside restaurant we stumbled upon while on our way to the university.

    Who could ask for a better first day on the Camino?    Read more

  • El Camino
    Day 16

    Day 13/2 Coimbra to Mealhada

    May 16, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    For my first true day on the Camino, we traveled 23.3 kilometres from Coimbra to Mealhada while climbing 219 metres. According to my companions, this was a relatively boring leg as it was mostly over flat, paved terrain. For me, it was the perfect introduction to the Camino, particularly since the bulk of the distance was done under overcast skies with temperatures in the low 20s.

    Along the route we met up with the Dutchman, Wil, as well as Scott and Judy from California. All three drifted in and out of our group over the course of the day, until we reached Mealhada. At that point, Scott and Judy planned to travel back to Coimbra via train for the night and return to Mealhada in the morning.

    At about the 12 km mark we stopped for coffee and Pastel de Nata in Sargento Mor and then powered our way to lunch at Lenis-Bar in Mealhada. For €7.50, we had soup, a main course, salad, wine, dessert and coffee, all of which were delicious. We then checked in to the Oasis hotel and I had a deep afternnon nap before going out to buy supplies for breakfast in the morning. While at the store, we were unable to resist a bottle of tawny port for €5.99, which Brenda, Ernie, Anita, Wil and I promptly polished off in an impromptu gathering in the hallway outside our rooms.

    For dinner we gorged ourselves on some delicious vegan fare at Floresto do Leitoes.

    After dinner we waddled back to our rooms and prepared ourselves for our next early morning departure.

    A great first day on the camino    Read more

  • El Camino
    Day 17

    Day 14/3 Mealhada to Agueda

    May 17, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Today we walked 25.6 kilometers with 90% of our journey over paved roads. It wasn't the most scenic part of the Camino, but the weather was perfect for a long hike; mostly overcast with a slight breeze and temperatures in the low 20's.

    The short time we spent on the unpaved trails saw us go through areas forested with cork and eucalyptus trees. The aroma permeating the air in the eucalyptus grove was heavenly. I was just a little disappointed with the lack of Koala bears in the trees.

    We got under way this morning at 6:45 and couldn't stop for coffee until 9:15 in Avelhas de Caminho, 13.5 km into our walk. Sadly, by the time we arrived, the entire Pastel de Nata inventory had been sold and I had to content myself with a rather inferior pastry. I was happy to find they also had a gluten free cake for Brenda which, in the end was also less than satisfactory.

    Our next pit stop was just 4.5 kms later in Aguada de Baixo, after which we marched the remaining 7.5 kms into Agueda.

    Brenda, Anita, Ernie and I (The Core Four) were periodically joined throughout the morning by Wil and a young German woman, Maren, who is doing a solo Camino.

    When we arrived in Agueda at 1:00, The Core Four grabbed a table at a cafe right next to the trail, ordered some ice-cold beer and waited for our companions to arrive.

    We lunched at Balance Fitfood and had dinner at the upscale Manjar de Helena before calling it a night at 9:00.

    These early starts and long walks call for hitting the sack well before our regular bedtime.    Read more

  • El Camino
    Day 18

    Day 15/4 Agueda to Albergaria a Nova

    May 18, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We started our day at 7:00 in a light mist and 18°C. Not wet enough for rain gear, but humid enough to cover my glasses with water. Our plan was to do a short 16 km walk to Albergaria-a-Velha and then Uber to Aveiro to enjoy a better choice of restaurants and accommodations, because today was no ordinary day on the Camino. Today my lovely wife turns sixty!

    As soon as we left Agueda, the path took a sharp upward route and had us climbing up 75 meters in only 3/4 km. My companions, who tell me they've already contended with much worse, made the climb look easy. Me, not so much. Our first opportunity for coffee came only 4 kms into the walk, so we decided to move straight on to the next, only 7.6 kms away.

    As we passed through the little town of Mourisca, we were astounded by the size and beauty of some very old mansions along the way. Some were pristine, others need a little TLC and a couple were abandoned and in complete disrepair. One looked like it could have been lifted from a Hitchcock movie. We had to wonder why so much wealth was at one time drawn to this out of the way little burg.

    After Mourisca we were treated to a short time on an ancient Roman road, flanked on both sides by a completely intact stone wall. On one side was a beautiful pond dotted with lily pads and off in the distance, atop a hill, was the local place of worship.

    As we traversed a bridge, overlooking the landscape in the distance we couldn't help but admire nature's beauty, despite being partially shrouded in mist.

    Since our 7km coffee stop turned out to be non-existant, we continued on to the 10km mark where we finally succeeded in getting an infusion of very good, and very welcome, caffeine. While there, the group decided it would be a better idea to finish our day in Albergaria-a-Nova, 7.5 kms past our original destination. We arrived there at around 1:30, stopped for a quick celebratory pint and then Ubered into Aveiro, straight to Cha & Bolachas, where we had lunch. Brenda had found this little restaurant that offers vegan and gluten free options, so it was a must for her special day. Although we all wanted a light lunch, the different bruschetta plates we all ordered were very substantial and so good that our plates were virtually licked clean. Before leaving, we all ordered a slice of gluten free cake to take away to top off tonight's dinner.

    After checking in, we started the birthday celebrations with a bottle of Vinho Verde at The Iron Duke Pub. Champagne was in order, but when in Portugal...

    Dinner was at Food K'Ort, an Indian restaurant located a one minute walk from our hotel. The food was delicious, plentiful and served by the most entertaining waiter I can ever recall having. We topped off the meal, and the evening, with a resounding version of Happy Birthday, as much of the gluten free birthday cake as we could eat, and a complimentary glass of Brandy from the chef. And just as we were about to leave, Happy Birthday and an accompanying video began playing on the house TV.

    A pretty darn good day all around.    Read more

  • El Camino
    Day 19

    Day 16/5 Albergaria-a-Nova to Sao Joao

    May 19, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    First thing this morning we took a ride share back to Albergaria-a-Nova, where we left the Camino yesterday afternoon.

    From there it was a quick 5km walk to Pinheiro de Bemposta, where we stopped for coffee and the remains of Brenda's birthday cake.

    Today's weather was beautiful, sunny blue skies and temperatures ranging from 17 to 25 degrees. For me, it was the toughest vertical day with a total of around 600 meters uphill and some of the climbs being quite steep. My legs are slowly growing accustomed to all the walking and climbing, but not without voicing the odd complaint.

    Today we spent a fair bit of time along an ancient Roman road and were treated to a spectacular fountain at the base of the hill in Bemposta. In fact, only Brenda and Ernie were willing to descend and climb the stairs to earn the privilege of seeing this landmark, but they were kind enough to take lots of photos for Anita and me to see.

    The little hilltop town of Bemposta turned out to be a fount of historical information. Several signposts dotted the route, pointing out landmarks of interest. There was the town pillory which symbolizes not only the virtues of the church and the power of the Crown, but also served as the place of execution of the non-virtuous. One signpost spoke of the construction of the Roman roads and highlighted the granite blocks that to this day, serve as curbs.

    The day treated us to some eye popping vistas, encounters with feathered friends and some odd structures. We spotted a thin, stand-alone building mounted on a concrete base whose usage provided for speculation from The Core Four. Maybe it's an outhouse, perhaps a doghouse, how about a medieval man cave? When we came across a second example, Google informed us it was a Galacian "horreos": a raised grainary.

    At around 11:30, we arrived in Oliveira de Azemeis where we checked into our hotel, dropped our backpacks and continued along the Camino to our next stop. It was a treat being relieved of the 16 pound bag, at least for a short while, particularly since some of the longest and steepest hills of the day were yet to come.

    As we reached our destination of Sao Joao de Madeira, we spotted Wil a few hundred meters ahead of us and scrambled to catch up with him. We all stopped at a local supermarket and bought some vegan ice cream bars, which promptly disappeared down our throats, before saying goodbye to Wil. We then took a commuter train back to Oliveira and, after a shower and a nap, went out for dinner at a little Mama operated Portuguese restaurant. Pickings were a little slim for Brenda and me, but the food was delicious and definitely prepared with love.

    I wonder what adventures tomorrow will bring.    Read more

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