May 29

Out of the hotel by 6 am ... The backpack feels very heavy after not carrying it for a few days.

We took the Metro to the outskirts of Porto and started walking near Mosteiro. Lots of cobblestone roads and many with fast moving traffic and minimal shoulders. Lots of curves too!

Then some tracks through Eucalyptus forests and of course lots of up and down. Gil's foot is bothering him again ... He's trying ice on it now.

We stopped at a Quinta on the way for a great lunch at a very good price.

Once we arrived at Quinta Sao Miguel in Arco's, we were pleasantly surprised to find a wonderful room, no charge for laundry, and a church right next door. They have two pools but since we slept all afternoon, we didn't try them. We went to Mass at 7 pm and had soup and bread for dinner.

They have given us a box with yogurt, ham and cheese for breakfast so we can leave early.

Time for sleep.

May 28

Did laundry at a laundromat this morning ... Luxury :)

Then to the market ... Lots of fruit in season and lots of fresh fish ... We bought some fruit ... But no fish :)

Then to the supermarket to buy bread and juice for breakfast so we can leave at 6 am tomorrow.

A little rest in the hotel and now we are going to tour a Port Cave ...

The tour of the Port "Cave" was interesting ... The port is aged in huge vats and then barrels. The woman giving the information on the tour was very anti-English ... Since all on the tour were from the USA (except us :) ... Her views were well  accepted. Apparently Port was originally made so wine could be exported from Portugal to England. There is some disagreement as to who "created" the first port.

We knew that many rivers flood in Portugal in the spring (that is why we did not come earlier) ... She showed us how high the waters flood ... I think 1909 was one of the worst ... The oak vats kept the port safe since the the water does not go through the wood and the barrels floated so even though there was a lot of destruction, the port was saved.

We tasted White Port and Ruby ... The Ruby was my favorite. We did not buy any at the store ... Too heavy to carry ;)

One last evening with fellow pilgrims and tomorrow we begin again. It will probably be hard after not walking with packs for a few days.

Day whatever

Too tired to try to figure out how many days we've been walking.

Today we are taking the bus to Porto since Gil can't walk ....

Did not have to get up early ... Sitting at a sidewalk cafe having cafe con leite and a chocolate bun. Had some strawberries in our room before we left ...

Sitting in the beautiful Igreja do Clerigos, listening to a concert with the magnificent organ.

We climbed the tower and saw a beautiful panaramic view of Porto ... Lots of narrow stairs that required discipline to negotiate with people going up and down at the same time.

So many beautiful churches ... Many with almost covered in tiles.

We also saw the famous Livraria Lello with the famous red stairs and stained-glass ceiling.

Day 18

Too tired to write much in my blog ...

Another hot day ... We were both tired by the time we arrived in Agueda ... And of course the Albergue was up the hill (they always are) and past the end of town ...

All walking on pavement today meant tired feet ...but I actually had our clothes washed in a washing machine today! What a luxury! And they are hanging on the line, drying in the breeze and sunshine.

We walked to Macdonald's for dinner ..
Almost 2 km ... That is a long way after more than 20 on the Camino ... Anyway we figure we have burned enough calories to have a burger and fries and a Sundae for dessert.

Back to the Albergue and time to sit and chat with peregrinos from Germany, France, Netherlands, great Britain, Australia and Canada ... And a couple of glasses of wine.

Talked to all of our sons and daughters and 4 of the grandchildren so feeling a little homesick ... Missing them all.

Off to bed so we can get up at 5 am.

Day 16

No blog post yesterday. We spent the day in Condeixa-a-Nova and at the ruins of the Roman settlement at Conimbriga. The mosaics were awesome, especially in the House of the Fountains.

Today we left at 6 am and still have about 5 km to go to get to Coimbra.

Tired ... But still managed to climb the hill to see the Old Cathedral ... The new one was built in the 1700's ... And the Museo
Machado do Castro ... And then had to walk down .....

Day 14

According to the John Brierley guide, it is 615.6 km from Lisbon to Santiago.

According to his guide, we have walked
137.9 km of the Camino.

According to my Vivofit, I have walked 430,379 steps and 276.9 km.

Of course we do lots of walking not on the Camino ... But it gives me some perspective on walking the Camino...

Left Alvaiazere this morning about 6:30. It was a little chilly but we are still enjoying the relief from the hot weather.  Camino was wooded trails today but lots of up and down too.

Arrived at Ansiao about noon and met Claire, Amira and Kaly at a coffee shop so we joined them for some delicious pastries and and coffee.

They had sent their backpacks on ahead and planned on walking to Rabacal. We had decided to stay here.

Very nice room and a wonderful dinner ... Rice with seafood ... The best dinner so far!

Early to bed and early to rise :)

Day 13

An early start this morning. Carlos dropped us where we finished yesterday at 6 am. It was chilly this morning but we are not complaining. So much better to walk in the cool than the heat!

No where to stop along the way ... But beautiful forests of Eucalyptus and olives and cherries.

We are going to dinner with a woman from Ireland and another from Germany. I do not want any more bacalao. Last night we had a choice between cod and pork. The cod dinner was boiled cod, potato, cabbage and half a boiled egg ... Reminded me of my grandmother's cooking. She used to boil everything. Not so appetizing.

The pork dinner came with rice and French fries ... Interesting ... I guess the French fries are the veggies.

Dinner tonight with a woman from Germany, two from Ireland and two from Brooklyn, New York. I had chicken, salad and wine ... Nice change from what we have been eating.

Hoping for an early start tomorrow.

Day 12

A later start this morning so we could take advantage of the breakfast buffet at the hotel.

After walking out of Tomar, we walked along a shady lane beside a river ... Wonderful way to recharge our batteries.

Lots of up and down hills today ... And since we had not carried our backpacks for a couple of days, it was tough going up!

As we sat in the shade, we watched a young man cut a field of hay. (Not great for my allergies)

There are about 10 small birds that almost dive bombed the young man. I think there must have been nests in the field. Now that the tractor is gone, they are flying back and forth across the field. But not landing ...

Tomorrow is supposed to be a little cooler. We will get an early start since Carlos is going to drop us back where we finished today at 6 am.

We are going out to dinner with pilgrims from Virginia ... Hopefully an early night.

Day 11

Our day at Fatima began early. We had to take the bus at 7:30 am so we left the hotel before 7.

In Fatima, the church is in the middle of the town. I was surprised to just pass the stark walls of the new church to arrive at the large open area between the old church and the new one.

We had all day to spend in the church, at Mass, to pray the Rosary, go to the Museum and spend the day contemplating the three young children who prayed and lived their lives with such holiness that today we continue to pray those prayers given to them by the angel and the Virgin Mary.

HaiMary, full of Grace.

Pray for us.

Day 10

A quiet day to spend in Tomar. I think we checked out every Farmacia in Tomar looking for blister plasters for Gil.

Then we went to the bus station to check for a bus to Fatima tomorrow. 7:30 am tomorrow ... Early!!!!!

At the station, everyone wanted to help! We had about 6 people helping ... Everyone is so nice here!

Now we can see the castle from here ... But I think it is a fairly long walk ...

Yup! Felt like straight up ... But worth the climb. The church was beautiful and the convent very large ... Lots of beautiful photos to remind me of what we saw.

Then a soak in the pool and a shower and washing clothes.

Going to Mass and then dinner with some pilgrims :)

Dinner with pilgrims from Sweden, Netherlands, USA, and of course Canada.

Now to bed since we have to get up at 6 am to go to Fatima.

Day 9

We made it to Tomar today.

We are truly away from Lisbon now. Today was up and down through woods of Eucalyptus mostly. We took a wrong turn ... And of course went up a hill that we did not need to. But we turned around fairly quickly and soon found ourselves back on the Camino.

Plans for tomorrow include getting up a little later and doing some sightseeing including the Castle of the Templar Knights.

Feeling pampered in our hotel tonight ...

Day 8

Up at 5 am ... Caught the train before 7 am to head back to where we finished yesterday. Much cooler today and a wonderful breeze most of the time. There was even shade for some of the Camino.

By 11 it was hot anyway ...

We walked through more fields ... Corn, peppers, wheat and some grapes.

We are now in Azinhaga and will be picked up to be taken to Sao Caetano since there are no rooms available in Golega.

Azinhaga is known for Jose Saramago who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1998. He was born here.

Day 7

Short day on the Camino ... Gil has blisters and it was still hot. So we walked about 12 km and took the train back to Santarem.

We walked the first part with Annie from Sweden... She is a nurse and very cheerful. Gil had met her on the Pilgrims Forum and we have enjoyed spending time with her.

We saw tomatoes, peppers, olives, grapes and wheat today. Very little shade and no where to sit.

But we arrived back early and went for lunch and then the movies ... Even on the Camino, we go to the movies.

We went to the Iglesia de San Nicola for the Rosary and Mass again tonight. Lots of people since May 13 is the special celebration of Our Lady of Fatima.

Then another wonderful meal with Mario and Teresa.

Now ..
To bed since we are getting up at  5 am to start our Camino tomorrow.

Day 6

Hot! Hot! Hot!

The morning started out ok but with no shade, things quickly heated up.

Most of the morning we walked beside fields of tomatoes, grapes, tomatoes, tomatoes, wheat, tomatoes and more tomatoes.

I  learned lots about planting tomatoes. While the machines do a lot of the work, there are lots of people working very hard.

It has been so hot that we've been trying to finish our walk early ... But even walking around town is super hot ..

The Hostel Santarem is great. Gil had communicated with the owner, Mario, before we left home and he has been so great with us. Thank you so much Mario!

Tomorrow we are planning a short day and then will take the train back to stay here. Then take the train back to where we finished our walk and continue on.

Thursday is supposed to be a little cooler!

Tonight, Mario and his wife, Teresa, are making bacalao for us for dinner:) But not until 8 pm ... That will make a late night for us pilgrims;)

Day 4

It was a tough day. We started early
.. Out by 6:30 to try to beat the heat ... But by the time we had walked 21 kilometers, it was very hot and we were very tired.

There are lots of pilgrims on their way to Fatima ... Today we walked for a while with one large group. They have been telling us that the police recommend that all pilgrim wear a bright green vest so they can be seen. One of the support teams gave a vest to Gil and I bought one at the supermarket tonight ... So we will be very visible .. Especially since we seem to do so much road walking.

Our pensiao is unique. The owner has at least three buildings and we ended in one with no WiFi and we were unable to lock our door when we left our room. One of the ladies came and showed us ... Just pull hard she said.  We still couldn't do it and then after dinner we went to the supermarket to get some food for breakfast ... And when we came back, we couldn't unlock the front door. One of the men came and took our key and opened it first try ...feeling a little inadequate in the key department today :(

The owner recommended a restaurant and said they had WiFi . the WiFi was very iffy ... Coming and going ... Mostly going. And when we asked about food, she said meat or fish. We said fish but she said we would like the meat better and that the fish would take longer and the meat would taste better so we should have the meat ... So she fed us meat :)

Anyway, clothes are washed and dry, courtesy of a clothesline just outside our room.

We saw storks today ... Appropriate for Mother's Day ;)

We were unable to call Mom or Mama due to internet and landline issues. I hope they both know we are wishing them well and missing them.

Tomorrow should be a shorter day ... But still hot so we will leave early.

Day 5

Another hot day!

We started about 6:15 ... Nice and cool with a beautiful sunrise... Through lots of agricultural areas ... Lots of tomatoes, some grapes and some corn.

We saw more storks and some ostriches.

We are waiting for Mario yo pick us up. He runs an Albergue in Santarem and will take us there and then bring us back tomorrow to begin walking from here tomorrow.

Santarem is a beautiful old town. I hope we can get to see some of it tomorrow. We are coming back to the same Albuerge so we do not have to carry a full load in our packs tomorrow.

Day 3

Lost my whole post ... Arg!

Long day, though we got an early start ... Out of the hotel by 7 am. Lots of walking along a busy highway but also a boardwalk and pathway along the River Tejo and some with a marsh on both sides. Lits of birds, including cranes, ducks and ducklings.

Lots of pilgrims headed to Fatima for the celebrations on the 12 and 13 of May.

38,633 steps ... So we are definitely walking further.

We went Mass ...I really understood very little ... But I prayed and received Holy Communion so that was good.

No restaurants were open when we wanted to eat ... So we ended up with a burger and fries ... Definitely not my favorite.

It was very hot ... And tomorrow is supposed to be hotter.

We are planning on getting up at 5 am tomorrow to begin earlier and hopefully finish before the hottest part of the day.

Day 2

Out of the hotel by 8 am ... Doing a little better but need to get moving a little earlier.

Started walking at Parque das Nações. Very nice walk along the river with lots of gardens ... And lots of people walking, jogging, walking dogs and enjoying the beautiful day.

We saw many birds ... But the camera is not good enough for photos of birds.

10,000 steps by 11:00 but took the train at 12:00 to Santa Iria to a very nice hotel.

Heading off soon to a local restaurant for a nice lunch Portuguese-style.

The first restaurant we found ... Begin with choosing our own fish for lunch ...then, on tap, vinho branco ... Sparkling! And olives, goat cheese, two kinds of bread, jamon Serrano ... And still waiting for our fish.
Very good tuna for me ... And fish(?) For Gil ... And he had Flan for dessert.

Resting now ......... And off to the pool to rest for a while. Then wash clothes and rest some more.

Wake up call for 6 am.

Day 1

Reached 10,000 steps at 11:10 ...

Got a late start ..by the time we finished breakfast and bought some fruit for the day, it was past 9:30. But Gil slept better last night so it looks like he is adjusting to the time change much better than last time.

We walked to the Cathedral and began following the familiar yellow arrows. It is tough walking on cobblestones but we are making it a short day to start and only Gil has a backpack today. And of course he does not want to share the load.

We went to the Museu Nacional do Azulejo. Lots a great displays in the beautiful old  Convento Madre de Deus. The Chapel and church are amazing. And the tiles and pottery items reminded me of the Daybreak Craft Studio ...missing all of you.

We passed a military barracks and heard them playing a military march ... Then as we continued on, we heard the Star Wars theme ... Sure made me smile :)

20,000 steps by 2:20 ... And we made it to
Parque das Nações. The park was built for the 1998 World Exposition. We had a short rest and started towards the Metro.  I had a great salad for lunch ...I have been missing my veggies:)

From there we took the Metro back to our hotel and will start tomorrow by taking the Metro back and begin our Camino day there.

The high today was supposed to be 19 ... But it felt hotter ... I am worried about the heat.

29,300 steps!

Lisbon- Day 2

Great day in Lisbon.

Took the bus to the Mosteiro Does Jeronimos, the Tower of Belem and the Museum de Marinha.

The Monastery was incredible. The stone carvings seemed to cover every surface.

The monastery is one of the most prominent examples of the Portuguese Late GothicManueline style of architecture in Lisbon. It was classified a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the nearby Tower of Belém, in 1983.

The carvings include turtles and frogs ... Reflecting the proximity to the river and Barbour.

The Marine Museum is in part of the Monastery. Lots of models of ships and paintings of ships and battles. There is a large area that had barges used by the Royals ... Many were very ornate and had as many as 80 oarsmen.

After the museum, we had a light lunch and took the tram back towards the city centre. 

From the Comercio Square we headed towards the Cathedral where we met some other Canadian pilgrims who will start tomorrow, a couple of very nice Portuguese fellows and a wonderful woman who coordinated us getting together.

We went to the Church of Santiago where we got carimbas in our Camino Passports and went in to say a prayer to Santiago.

Then a nice glass of wine (Gil had a beer ...shocking!!!!) And then walked back to our hotel.

Time to sleep so I can be ready for Day 1 tomorrow.

Lisboa

We made it!  Long flight but we both slept some. We got a Sim card for a phone here in Portugal and had no trouble finding the Metro or our hotel.

Since we could not get our room right away, we left our backpacks and headed off to the fort, originally built by the Moors, and the Cathedral of St. Mary Major where we got our first carimbo.

day 1 ... travel to Lisbon by way of Philadelphia

Backpacks waiting by the door ... Almost time to call the taxi ... I am feeling nervous about our pilgrimage this time ...

In Philadelphia ...waiting for our flight ... Backpacks did not fit in overhead bins on first flight ... I hope they do on this one :) and hope our poles arrive with us.

May 3

Backpacks are packed and poles are boxed ... One more sleep and we are on our way!

My backpack weighs 18 pounds ....