The Camino Portuguese Is Complete!

We did it!  Our Camino Portuguese is complete! 

We Did It!

We are tired and some of us have sore and blistered feet but we all made it.  We are all proud of our accomplishments, as well as our group’s demonstrated endurance and tenacity in the face of some adversities.  There were times when there were thoughts that some of us might be forced to give up.  None of us did. 

One particularly difficult day stands out.  It was about half way through the ten trekking days.  At one point late in the day, after 10 hours/32 km of walking, we found that instead of arriving at our hotel, we had miscalculated our distance and we had another 3 to 5 km to go.  Seeing the struggles of some, caring members of our group phoned a taxi.  When the news of the taxi’s arrival spread, those suffering the most spoke out against and declared their refusal to take it.  It was a defining moment for the group.  We all knew that from that point on we were going to make it together regardless of the challenges.

The final day began in Pddron.  We had left ourselves 22 km to make it to the Cathedral in the centre of Santiago.  We were up early and left the hotel around 8 am.

And We Were Off One Last Time!

Old Time Cigarette Machines Are Still Prevalent Here!

We had travelled about 7.5 km when we stopped at a church to get our Camino Passports stamped.  As usual, I watched the packs while Deborah went inside to get the stamps.  She had a pale and shocked look on her face when she returned.  She had discovered that we had left our real Canadian passports back at the hotel in Padron.  Some hotels hold your passports for the duration of your stay and they had failed to return them when we checked out.  Panic set in.  It was quickly decided that the rest would go on without us and we hoped to meet up on the trail over the course of the day.  It was the group’s intent to walk into the Cathedral Square as one to complete the Camino.

It turned out not to be the greatest catastrophe.  While it took us close to 2 hours to walk the winding path to the stop, when we grabbed a taxi, drove to the hotel, picked up the passports, and returned to the path, we were only 15 minutes behind.  We overtook the group at the first trail coffee shop and made a show of our impressive return by jogging the last 100 meters and telling them we had run the whole way.  We will be sure to ask for our passports back in the future.

The final trail was much like the rest.  Very few roads or cobblestones.  Nice pack paths through village backyards, farmers’ fields, and vineyards.  The path became even more crowded than previous days.  At one point I could gaze about 400 meters in the distance and see nothing but trekkers all headed in the same direction.  Some were even moving faster than us (that didn't happen often) as they tried to make the mid afternoon mass in the Cathedral.

Many Folks Converge On The Final Path.

The Gorgeous Scenery Never Got Old.

Cheryl & Sam - Our Leaders

I mentioned a few general things learned on this trek in the last post and I want to add two more. 

Firstly, about walking sticks, I used to think they looked kind of goofy and that I didn’t need them to keep balance or help power up hills.  I have changed my mind.  Not only do they help you with balance and power, they stop your fingers from becoming gross, fat, sausages by the end of the day’s walking.  When your hands hang by your sides over 30 km, they swell to the size of baseball mitts.  At one point I lost my ring on my own hand.  Those with sticks did not have the same experience.  Without sticks to use, I improvised and held on to a sweat towel wrapped around my neck.  It worked.

Secondly, I have discovered I am 18-km/day guy, not a 30 km guy.  If I were to do it again, I would carry the same overall weight of 9 kgs. (Including pack and water bottle), but shorted my distance per day.  I can’t say I always enjoyed the final kms.

As we entered the city, we still had about 4 km of uphill climb to the Cathedral on a hilltop, in the centre of the city.  We were tired and it was very hot but the thought of the final stage carried us up the hills.

100 Meters to the End!

The actual finish was a little anticlimactic.  We did enter the square in front of the Cathedral as one, with some of us in great foot pain.  There is no “finish line” or object to touch.  We stood around, took some pictures and some time alone and in groups, to simply let what we had accomplished register in our minds.  You realize very quickly it was really all about the journey, not the destination.

We went to the Camino Office to get our final stamp and our certificates.  The line and wait was long before Deborah chatted up a Camino friend who informed us about a way to get a group processed certificate and avoid the rest of the line.  We gratefully complied.

We repaired to San Martin Pinario Hospederia Seminario Mayor, our hotel located nearby, just opposite the Cathedral’s north side.  We didn’t even go to our rooms before seeking out a spot for the last “Stinky beers” of this trip.  Fortunately the converted monastery had a fully stocked bar.  Beers, Rums, Wines were drank.  Congratulatory toasts were made.  Those not present, that wanted to be, were recognized. 

We Did It!

Our table of ten reminded me of a locker room after a sports team’s final victory.  Folks were partially dressed, all smelled of work that had been hard, bandages were visible, and the smiles and glow of victory were much in evidence.  No one wanted to leave.

As has been done before with this group, we went around the table as individuals to state our final thoughts on the journey.  It was quite emotional for many and meaningful for all.  Our group learned lots about themselves and others.  I was reminded of an old sports cliché, “When a team wins a championship, they never walk alone for the rest of their lives!”     In some ways this applies to our group.  We have accomplished something meaningful and difficult, together.  It is a shared experience that would not have been the same as individuals.  The Camino Portuguese will not be easily forgotten.

We have two days in Santiago before flying to Barcelona and busing to Tossa de Mar for some R & R.  The highlight of the stay here will be watching the end of the Vuelta 2014 as 180+ of the top riders in the world race to the centre of the square in front of the Cathedral to claim their championship.

Caldas de Reis to Pedrone - Almost There!

The second last day before our arrival in Santiago, we walked 21 km from Caldas de Reis to Pedrone.  It should have been about a six-hour walk but we made two unexpected stops that made the day a little longer.

The first stop was at an elementary school.  It was the second day of the school year and a teacher of a Kindergarten class invited us in to get our passports stamped.  There were 17 children in the class and far too cute in their little smocks.  The male teacher would be an anomaly in Canada but he clearly loved and was effective in what he was doing.  The classroom looked much like a Canadian classroom, complete with calendar and computer centers.  There was even one boy who clearly deserved a small chair stationed nearby the teacher to ensure he paid close attention.

The second stop idea hatched the night before we left Caldas.  We travel with a lot of skinny fit people and it is not surprising many are interested in bicycles and bicycle racing.  Phil and Cheryl can quote you names, statistics and strategies reguarding professional bicycle racing like any Canuck hockey fan.  Phil figured out that the Vuelta 2014 (Spain’s equivalent of the Tour de France) was passing by our hiking route in the afternoon.  We packed a picnic lunch and reached the intersection point 12 km into the walk.  We settled down and waited for the excitement to build.  At about 2:20 the motorcycles and sirens burst on to the scene closely followed by a peloton of 189 of the worlds best bicycle racers.  It was over in 9 seconds but the spectacle and the “Swoosh” sound was unbelievable.  They are so closely packed that you could sense the trust they have in one another’s’ professional skills, as well as understand that if one goes down, most go down.  I have a short video taken with my phone but am experiencing trouble uploading.  Maybe I’ll get it into the blog later.

Hope Canada's Ryder Hesjedal Saw Us

The afternoon was spent walking the reaming 9 km talking about the buzz we had witnessed.  It was truly a great day and we finished with a great meal at our hotel in Pedrone.

Coffee Con Leche Everyday.

Nearing Pedrone

Always Tired Near End of Day.

A short day of 24 km to reach the cathedral in Santiago tomorrow and the completion of our goal.

Closing In On Santiago - Eight Down - Two to Go!

There have been "no posts" in the last five days due to no internet, poor internet, exhaustion, or over exuberance in "end of day beers".  We received a message asking us what we have been doing and my answer was walking, walking, walking, walking and oh ya … some more walking. 

We cannot possibly put into words all that we have seen and done in the last five days.  Our intent in this post is to make some general statements that will help us remember these days in case we ever consider doing something like this again.

Firstly, the parts of Portugal we walked were very green.  Forests of pine, arbutus, and eucalyptus covered the hilly terrain.  Cities and villages were interspersed with farms of corn and grapes.  The folks we met were friendly and eager to please the tourists.  The same can be said for the folks in this part of Spain except that English does not seem as prevalent.

Secondly, travel costs have been less expensive than home in Canada.  Hotels, wine, beer and restaurant dinners are significantly less than home.  Cold beers are about 1.20 E ($1.90 CDN) and good wine is about 10 E on average.  We have paid anywhere from 40 to 70 E for hotels outside of Lisbon (including breakfast).  Dinner with dessert and wine - 20 E.

Thirdly, the number of pilgrims increases, as you get closer to Santiago.  A few have joined us from other trails but mostly we have been joined by fresh faces just starting their journeys’.  Apparently it only takes 100 km to qualify as an official “pilgrim” and get the certificate.  Some are even stretching the interpretation of what 100 km really is.  We see some faces that have clearly stepped out of taxi's, cutting off many km of the Camino.

Fourthly, we discovered that there is a luggage service for pilgrims.  A company will carry your bags to the next hotel for a 5 E charge.  Deborah is still shooting me with eye darts for missing that one.  Needless to say, she is adamant if something like this were to happen again, she would have her own bag-boy.

Fifthly, we can safely say that walk touring may not be for everyone.  There are all types of “bodies” out here, with varying levels of fitness, and to say it is all “fun and games” for all would be misleading.  Much of long distance hiking is hard work.  There is much enjoyment everyday, meeting new people and seeing new things at a walking pace but to say every minute is a “joy” is simply not true for many of us.  There is, however a great deal of satisfaction in getting through a very long day of km but the last quarter of those long days is physically challenging.  It is more about picking up feet, putting them down, and blocking out the discomfort of tender nerve endings on the bottom of your feet.  There isn’t much sightseeing around the 30 km mark and after, it is more about keeping the head down and focused on the individual steps in front of you.

Sixthly, the most inspiring story of the trip came from a Canadian woman we met along the way.  I think we will read her story one day in a novel.  She was a successful businesswoman in Halifax when she lost her husband at a relatively young age.  It was suggested that she walk the Camino to help deal with her grief.  She reconnected with a man she had met forty years earlier as a girl in Montreal.  They walked the Camino together.  He was dealing with the loss of his wife.  They stopped at a derelict stone ruin of a house along the trail.  They saw something in it that others did not.  They returned home, married, bought the land, sold their Canadian possessions, and built a pilgrim Inn.  They had only been open for four months when we arrived for lunch and she had peanut butter (not found in Europe.)

Seventhly, we are amazed at the confidence we place in a small yellow arrow painted on rocks, fence posts, power poles and the ground in front of us.  The Friends of the Camino maintain the trail and the markers.  We had maps but the scale necessary to follow a trail through someone's back yard requires more than a map but rarely have we felt lost.  Every 50 meters or so there is a guiding yellow arrow.  Not everyone likes the "arrow".  As we approached a small village we saw on old man with a spray can of paint marking new yellow arrows away from the trail and he had blanked out the original arrow.  We found out from others that he owned a restaurant up the road and wanted the walkers to stroll by and eat at his place.

Eighthly, we love dirt trails.  We hate cobblestones.  We don't mind asphalt but would rather avoid concrete.  It is amazing what you consider after a 30 km day.  According to architect Phil, we do about 15000 steps each day and the track surface makes a difference.

Lastly, Deborah and I consider ourselves lucky to be out here at all.  We both suffered minor injuries in the training leading up to this challenge.  I partially dislocated one of those long skinny bones leading to my toe and Deborah tweaked her back carrying a pack that was too heavy.  We both attended half dozen physiotherapy appointments up to the day of our leaving.  Some days have been a real struggle but with day eight of ten complete, we can see the end and think we are going to make it.

Deborah's camera is broken so don't know about the coming days but here are a few pics to tell more of the story:

Leaving Ponte de Lima to Rubiaes – 18 km.  We don’t know if it was the day of rest or just getting used to hiking but on this day we rolled. 

One Last Ride Leaving Lima

We Left the Way the Romans Did (But they did it without the bridge).

And We Were Off!

Rubiaes to Tui – 23 km.  This was a tough day.  It was hot (around 30C). 

View From Valenca to Spain Across the River.

Deborah Wanted to Steal the Bike.

Tui to Redondella – 31 km.  This too was a long day but the saving grace was the hotel on the seashore.

From Our Hotel on the Water - Atlantic in Background.

Redondella to Ponteverda – 21 km.  Less than 70 km left to Santiago.  Enjoyed a great evening dinner in the city’s central core.

Pilgrim Beard

Ponteverda to Caldas de Reis – 22 km.  Good day, lots of down and flat.  Arrived early enough to make use of the pool.

Santiago is less than two days and 41 km away.

After Three Days of Camino Walking ...

After three days of walking about 82 km, we have arrived in Ponte de Lima, Portugal.  No one has escaped the aches and pains that come with this kind of travel but we are all proud of our accomplishment so far.  

First off, generally speaking, Portugal is a relatively inexpensive place to travel.  Once you leave the large cities, it is much cheaper to travel than at home.  Ice-cold beers can be had most places for less than $2 CDN.  Wine can be had in a store for about $2 to $4.  Two people can dine in a nice restaurant, with wine, for under $50.  We have had expensive rooms in Porto and Lisbon but in Barcelos we staying in a modern hotel and it only cost $75 CDN.

Secondly, we have been asked what do we do during the 10 hours on the trail.  Simply put, we take in the scenery and activities at a walking pace.  There are lots of conversations about what things are and why they are there.  There is much speculation about the age of all things.  There are many stops to take pictures of things along the way.  Occasionally, the locals will engage you in conversation.  They have grown up living along the trail and sighting pilgrims is a way of life.  Sometimes we walk alone lost in our own thoughts or walk along side someone and become deep in conversations, completely unrelated to our surroundings.  One thing is certain, at the end of the long days, conversation decreases as folks concentrate on the path in front of them as they wish the end would appear a little sooner.

Thirdly, the trail varies.  Clearly when this trail was established over a thousand years ago it was from village to village, through undeveloped or farmland.  Villages have grown up.  Some of the walking is on busy roads and detours have been created to bypass the busiest stuff.  The road surfaces also vary. 
There is some smooth asphalt, much cobblestone (both compacted and rough), flagstone, loose gravel, and dirt.  We used to favour rough cobblestone when we only had to look at it.  Rough Cobble stone is now our enemy.  It causes the feet to slip side ways and after a long day the nerves of the feet scream in discomfort.  As well, there has been little level walking.  This part of Portugal is very hilly and pilgrims are constantly going either up or down.

Lastly, while the thirty plus km days have been challenging, it has been heart warming to hear and feel the groups encouragement when the days have gotten long and the feet are surrendering.  The “Stinky Beers” at the end of each day are celebrations of endurance and accomplishment.

We are dividing this blog post into three sections to represent the different stretches of walking.

Day One:

Took Transit to Start of Trail

Feeling Pretty Good!

All In!

The Yellow Arrow - Our Friend to Santiago.

And We Are Off. 

Rock Wall Building

Arrived About 15 Km Later.

Quinto das Alfiaias Country House.

Day Two:

 Refreshment Stop

Lunch Break

Farmer's Gift

Discussion About Best Way?

Arbutus Forrest - Active Logging Area.

13 Century Church on Original Roman Worship Site.

Arriving In Barcelos

Day Three:

On the Road Again

First Stop at Market For Fruit

Ducks

Chicken To Go!

I Am Usually the Last Person

Wash Day in the Village

Village Work Crew Rekpacing Tiles

Water Stations Are Plentiful

Corn in the Crib

No English But She Loves Her Cow

Generations Have Washed Their Cloths Here!

Knackered But Almost There

Arrived Ponte de Lima

Our Hotel

Camino Portuguese Passport Filling Up.

Celebration Dinner at the EnCanada Restaurant