Day 12 and 13 on the Portuguese Camino and STATS

We made it to Santiago on Saturday October 1 - Here's an update from Friday Sept 30: We walked from Caldas De Reis to Padron - this day was approximately a 20 km day. We met two retired couples from Norway (2 brothers and their wives) and this was the highlight of our journey. It was a bad food day (outside of the morning croissant - that was delicious). We ordered a burger and chips for lunch - and the burger came raw - sent it back to the kitchen and it came back a little less raw - hard for us Canadian girls to eat, however, the chips were tasty. The weather was perfect for walking again, but the evening was cool and overcast. We toured the old Padron (took 5 minutes) and then tried to find an indoor restaurant (because it was cool outside). The one we choose turned out to be a disaster. It was a very salty, expensive Paella seafood dish with only 2 oyster and one scallop for a whopping 30 euros!!! They saw us and all the other pilgrims coming. Needless to say, we craved water all night long. The hotel (Chef Rivera) was nice and clean and quiet. Day 13 - our final trek to Santiago - it was a cool, brisk and misty morning. Much of the terrain today was varied - between walking in the woods, along the highway (for short periods) and through many towns and villages. We had a bit of an incline to summit before Santiago, but surprisingly it was a great walk into the city - the journey today was approximately 32 kms. As we arrived, the sun shone - like it was welcoming the pilgrims to the cathedral. First things first, we had lunch before we found our hotel - and were very selective about where we went. The lunch was superb - risotto and a mixta salada - so good. After a quick shower - we headed to find the cathedral. We dropped off our stamp books and arranged to pick up our certificates tomorrow morning. We met some of our fellow Peregrinos from our journey (Mark and Janine from Brisbane, NaLinda from Holland and recognized several others). We entered the Cathedral just as a church service was beginning and then after this, toured part of the cathedral (the rest we will do tomorrow). Next on our list, was to find a good place to have a supper and whom do we spot - but Robert and Rita from Holland. We all went out together for a relaxing and very enjoyable meal. We promised to stay in touch - Robert and Rita are planning to do a North American tour from May to October in 2017 and coming to Calgary too! Just for interest sake - our pilgrim from hotel to hotel was 287 kms (starting Sept 19 and ending today, October 1, 2016). However, our total step tally was 555,828 during the same time period - this is well surpassing the 287 km!!!!!. We had a total of 3 blisters between all of us, one lost hair brush and one lost pole tip. Everyone walked every step of the way. The weather was perfect for walking - we experienced no rain during our walks. We met and mingled with 27 different people, representing Holland, Norway, Australia, New Zeland, Demark, Maine US, Oregon and Seattle - US; Czec Republic and Portugal. And the wine and tarts were delicious!

Day 11 on the Portuguese Camino - the crowds are growing

Day 11 - It was a cool brisk morning - (you could see our breaths), as we started off this morning - no breakfast (even white toast would have been something) as we started this journey. The Camino today was busy, we met several pilgrims we have met along the way- and we glad to see them and reconnect. We shared stories as we walked. We met Carolyn (the daughter) and John (the father) - he was almost 80, walking on the camino. He was in amazing shape and walked the same pace we did. We had very interesting conversations with the both of them. Our trek today was mainly in the countryside, crops of corn, grapes and so forth, was the backdrop for today. We left right after 8 am today - it seemed darker than previous days. We walked with only one brief stop before we arrived at our destination of Caldras de Reis - approx 24 km today. This brings the total to 236 km - with roughly 45-50 km to go. Our hotel "Baneario Acuna" was a surprise to us - it was a spa type resort. We arrived around 1:00 pm so had the afternoon and evening to enjoy the facilities and tour the town. The temperature was about 28-30 degrees this afternoon - we were happy we walked so briskly in the morning when it was cooler. The pool was cool and refreshing, we enjoyed the swim. As we headed off to find our supper, we met Robert and Rita again (from Holland). They joined us for supper - what a great visit we had. It was interesting to hear their stories. We envied their ability to travel so freely and easily in Europe. We topped off the evening stopping at Tabernacle O'Muino to have a glass of wine by the river - a very unique entrance into this establishment - go under the stairs, past the cooler of meat and out into the patio. But the smells were very enticing - they served seafood - and it smelled delicious! Had we not eaten, we would have certainly eaten again - it smelled so, so good. We have only 2 more days of walking unti we reach our destination. It is hard to believe! And equally great is that we are still all friends - talking to each other. We have enjoyed learning about each other and from each other - what a great experience. Till tomorrow.

Day 10 - on the Portuguese Camino

Hola - well - we made it through the night at the hostel - occasionally through the night, there was a whole symphony of snoring happening, however, we managed to make it through and get some sleep. We had a stellar breakfast of white toast, tea and fresh figs, if nothing else, the figs were delicious. Crossing the major N550 proved to be the real test of speed. We all made it across but it is truly a miracle that no one has been killed trying to cross this highway to get back on the Camino trail. We decided to take an alternative route - a detour, that winded through the forest and along the river, over bridges, streams, along groves of chestnut trees. It was magical! We walked 18 km today bringing our total to 212 - and only 3 more walking days to go. It has gone far to fast! We arrived at Pontevedra at around 2, found our hotel, showered and then headed off to the "old town". We enjoyed a very delicious, homemade menu Del dia - the fish. Risotto, salad and pasta were so good, the lady tending us, also was the waitress, Cook and also entertained us quite well - with her animated sounds and gestures - we figured out what everything was a made great selections. We will rate her place on Trip Advisor - and would highly recommend it - all of this plus a glass of wine for only 8 euros! It was really good and made our evening. It is hard to get used to the late suppers that the Spanish are accustomed to, so we look for some place that is serving meals earlier in the evening. And this was a great find.

Day 9 - on the Portuguese Camino

Hola - Day 9 on the Portuguese Camino - have done about 194 km. The weather was overcast until about noon - very pleasant walking temperature. We had nice lunch in a bakery (trying to avoid bread, apparently not working). The bakery was called Panderia Cafeteria la Junquera in Redondela. The quiche was delicious warmed up and we spotted some tarts. The challenge was on to see if these matched or surpassed the ones from Portugual - NOT, they are not quite the same flakey crust and filling, however, they were tasty. Our journey today was about 24 km - so took us until 2 pm or so to get to the Hostel. For some of us, this is our first experience in a hostel - we have 23 other roommates in the same space. I am on the top bunk, we will see how this goes. We met Nalinda from Northern Holland, a lovely lady with an incredible story - I am sure she will write a book about it one day. The meals were included in the price of the hostel stay (21 euros). We really enjoyed having a mixta salada, lentil soup and fruit salad, just the right combination to make us feel less guilty about the bread we have been consuming. We will see how we fair with our abundant roommates and perhaps have a story to share tomorrow. I have spent several hours trying to figure out how to add pictures to the blog - if only I can meet someone that is younger, speaks English and knows about blogging and Google. Searching the website for help when you have spotting Wifi not only makes it difficult to get answers, but also tests ones patience, and we all know how patient I am! Well, till tomorrow buenas noches mes amigos!

Day 8 on the Camino - have done approximately 170 km already. Another georgeous day weather wise. We started at the Pilgrim store (opens at 7 am for us early risers) for a coffee/tea and quick bite, then past the Tui Cathedral and on the road again. There certainly is a difference between Portugal and Spain - in the way that the buildings are constructed, narrower streets, no cobblestones and the NO TARTS! We entered the countryside, took detours to avoid travelling along busy roadways. The pathways wound alongside streams and rivers. It is very picturesque - archways of trees hanging over our pathways through the forest, it almost seemed like pictures in some fairytale book. The countryfolk are very friendly and cheerful as we pass by, even the goat herder allowed us to take his picture. We found an off-route cafe and as we were enjoying our meal, who should walk up but Robert and Rita from Holland. We seem to be destined to frequently bump into each other. There are certainly more pilgrims on our journey as we are getting closer to Santiago. Tonight, we are staying at Porrino - an industrial city. Many of the streets in the downtown core are blocked off for some kind of festival. We decided to check it out. It was amazing to see a stage transformed from a semi truck to a 4 story stage - it was like what you would do with a transformer! We watched the live band perform - they were so energetic, both the women and the men had some great moves! The singers were great and many people were dancing to their music. The streets were full of families, bright lights and vendors. It was cool to be part of this. Tomorrow promises to be a hotter day at 28 degrees, hopefully we can get most of our 22+ km in when it is cooler. It is worth mentioning that the bread in Portugal and Spain is delicious, all of us have eaten more bread in one week than we have in months at home. However, because this bread is more chewy than what we have back home, we are certain we are burning off more calories as we eat it.

Day 7 Camino - last day in Portugal before we enter Spain. We were really happy to hear the cessation of raindrops during the night. After a light breakfast, we headed off into a foggy misty morning. We were delighted that the walking trails were surprisingly dry. The aroma of freshly baked lemon tarts lured us into this cafe with fortunately had a Supermercado and a clean washroom for Lynn (again). The tarts were freshly baked and did not disappoint - we also got the recipe (well the main ingredients). Our trek today took us through the countryside. The mystical fog added a neat perspective. We PASSED many familiar pilgrims today - a speedy bunch we were. As we entered Valenca we toured the historical fortress. Lot of shops and restaurants in there. The we entered Tui - we are now in Spain and have travelled 148km - pretty impressive, no injuries, however Shelley lost a foot...on the bottom of her pole, nothing that a wine cork could not fix. We toured the ancient Tui Cathedral - some similarities to the cathedral in Santiago. It was impressive. It was kinda of neat to reflect what happened in ancient times - with Portugal on one side and Spain on the other side separated by a River (Rio Minho). We ended our day after a light supper and some delicious Spanish wine. We are enjoying the beautiful scenery, the travels along the river and the comraderie between us. It is great! How fortunate we are to experience this together.

Day 6 - up the steep hills

Day 6 Portugal Camino - our day started off with a cool brisk walk through Ponte de Lima over the medieval bridge (rebuilt in 1368) over Rio Lima. It was quite beautiful as headed into the countryside we went. We saw a grape harvest in progress and were offered handfuls of grape clusters from a local vineyard. They were delicious - I call them Concord grapes as that is what they look and taste like, but they may be something else, nevertheless - they were good. Our trek today was very, very steep and quite the challenge over rocky terrain. We stopped several times along our ascent to catch our breath. It was a 450 meter incline. Interesting - many of the pine trees had plastic bags stapled to them. Two bags on most of the trees, one with liquid pine resin and the other with white, hard, sticky residue. Not sure who goes around collecting all of the this - as there were 100's of trees with these bags stapled to them. What a job that would be on this kind of terrain to go around collecting all of these bags. We met with several of new pilgrim friends along today's journey and reminisced about the night before and shared our experiences. We arrived at Repouso de Peregrino, just before Rubaies, in the early afternoon. The owner advertised free laundry so we took up her offer. We were all craving these delicious custard tarts with the buttery yet flaky crust, and were told that there was a Supermercado just 2 minutes from our hotel. So off we went - just about missed the grocery store, and it was no "super" mercado and had no tarts! You were not allowed behind the till to see the products and had to pay for the groceries on one side and then go out the door into another door to get some cool refreshments on the other side. We had a great picnic with our cheese, crackers, nuts and chips - stellar carb food (maybe not), but it was good. We spent the afternoon hanging up our clothes and then trying to catch them before the wind blew them off the line. We found if we placed the clothing basket just right, sometimes the wind would blow them into the basket rather than on the ground. Not enough clothes pins to go around. Our evening ended with a ride to another village for our supper meal. The hotel provided the van to transport us, and were whipped around the corners in the van built for 6 but had 9 passengers. The food was good. We were thankful for the ride back as the it is pouring rain outside. We are hopeful for a sunny day and dry weather tomorrow, either way, we have clean fresh clothes!