Mi Camino No Es Su Camino. Y Eso Esta Bien.

(Sunday, October 13, Madrid, Spain) Okay. I’ve kind of been lying for the past couple of days. Well, maybe not outright lying. Let’s just say i was putting a positive spin on things. In reality, the Camino was not meant for me. Or, put another way, I was not meant for the Camino.

I was certain I could find the peace and fulfillment that so many others seem to find in challenges presented by its long walks, pulled muscles, blisters, heavy winds and rain. And I thought I needed to travel across the Atlantic to discover that inner whatever. 

But lo and behold, I’m not like everyone else. This had been a dream of mine for decades. And I failed. Miserably. Yesterday I left  the Camino early for the solace of a nice hotel in a big city to find the grace to forgive myself for quitting. I mentioned in an earlier post that one of the qualities I was seeking was the ability to give grace. Little did I know I would need to extend it to myself which I think that may be even more difficult than giving it to others. This is indeed a hard pill to swallow. 

You may ask “what happened?” I was still asking that of myself  as I sat in the tiny airport in Vigo, Spain waiting for the next flight to Madrid. So, let me see if I can succinctly sort thru this. 

Days one and two - some sunshine, lots of rain, excruciating pain in my leg for the last 3 miles and realizing this is not a team sport. I was essentially walking all alone in the rearview mirror of my travel partners. (It’s not their fault I am the tortoise and they are the hare(s).) Days three, four and five - cabbing it while others walk because my leg still does not work up to par. The outlook for the remaining 8 days was bleak  I would rather be someplace else … actually, any place else.

As I waited to board my run-away flight, I met two sisters from Boston who are my age and just came off the Camino. They were a godsend. As we talked about our respective experiences, they reminded me that the Camino provides and my Camino presented me with the gift of taking a week of spontaneity to travel Europe on my own, go wherever I want. (This too is also a long held dream of mine and fodder for an entirely new blog.)

So here I am in Madrid. Today I will shop its famous el Rastro, just a 5-minute walk from my hotel, sans climbing, rain, pulled ligaments and blisters. And I have a ticket to visit Museo del Prado. Tomorrow? Wait and see.

Lesson learned? Life is a Camino and we each have our own paths to take. Buon Camino — whatever yours happens to be.

On the Road Again

(Thursday, October 10, 2024 - Vila Praia de Ancora, Portugal) It felt good to be back on the Camino today. After yesterday’s high winds and rain, today was such a reprieve with sunshine and temps in the 50’s. We headed north out of Viana do Costello toward Vila Praia de Ancora, another lovely small town right on the coast. I was energized by the  beautiful weather. 

Today’s path took us thru narrow cobblestone alleys. After 5 km (3 mi) my pulled muscle screamed “no more”.

I was sorely disappointed and frustrated because I had lots of energy left. Fortunately Bolt (the European alternative to Uber) drivers are willing to drive down rocky roads in the middle of nowhere to pick up riders. I left Greta and Eva to walk the remaining 8 or so miles and I proceeded to our hotel. I checked out the entire shopping district comprised of about 1 city block, had lunch at the pizzeria, looked for a post office and failed to find one. 

Lots of  rain anticipated in the coming days. We will follow our trusted waymarkers of yellow spray-painted arrows and more than occasional friendly Portuguese offering directions when we look lost. And tomorrow, I hope to manage five miles on my bum leg. Bom Camino  

PS. It is strange to feel the effects of one hurricane in Portugal while another is wreaking havoc at home is the US. My thoughts were constantly with my friends in Florida as Milton caused such destruction. Our encounter here was a mere minor inconvenience by comparison.

 

Rain Rain Go Away

(Wednesday, October 9, Viana do Costello) Hurricane/Cyclone Kirk reared his ugly head in the Atlantic and impacted the coast of Portugal and Spain these past few days. So I had a good excuse to give my leg a rest yet another day. We called an Uber to take us from Esposende to Viana do Costello this morning.

The artwork in this region is interesting. A lot of papermache sculptures with big goofy heads. And they all seem to have their mouths open.

Our hotel here is lovely and this town of very narrow cobblestone streets is fun to walk. There is a church high on a hill and we headed that way to get a beautiful view but decided to forego the extreme uphill hike on our “day off.” 

We went to the Museum do Traje (Costume museum). It was fascinating to see the history of dress in this Portuguese region.  Each role women played in life had a different “norm” for wear - from fishmonger wives to cleaners to weavers and on and on. Dang! They wore alot of layers.

Otherwise it was a pretty uneventful day and hopefully gave my leg time to heal. I’m feeling a certain amount of guilt for having walked only 12,000 steps today. Onward tomorrow. Buom Camino  

Grace Under Rain.

(Monday, October 7, Povoa de Varzim Portugal) - Day 2 - an early start from Labruge, just steps from the Camino path. We desperately wanted coffee but would need to walk about an hour before finding an open cafe along the path. Walking thru the village of Vila Cha, we found coffee, croissant for me and French toast for Greta and Eva. 

Walking along the Atlantic Coastline is beautiful even in the rain. However, in a downpour not  quite so pleasant. As I may have mentioned, Eva walks at a marathon pace with the goal of getting to the finish line as fast as possible. I can’t and don’t even attempt to keep up. And when she and Greta get so far ahead that I can’t see them in the rain and wind, I get more than a little testy. My first lesson to learn on the Camino — grace under fire (or in this case “grace under rain”).  They tell me I haven’t yet learned this. But seriously folks, I thought this was a team sport. I am slowly accepting the notion that we each have our own Camino to walk. Theirs is fast, mine is slow and solo. And that’s okay. I would get out the AirPods but I need to focus on the path under my feet and staying upright. No falling!  I just got finished getting my million dollar smile after a fall during training. 

Yesterday we walked thru fishing villages and the small city of villa do Conde, past a lovely ancient church on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic (what it must have been like to worship there), took a detour due to washed out boardwalk (which added at least a mile to our day) and finally a lunch break just short of our hotel where I swear the meat must have been horse meat. Never again. Blech! But the French fries were divine.

And lastly, at about mile 7 of our ten-mile day, I developed a severe muscle strain in my upper thigh. I had to stop every quarter mile the last two. I thought I would never make it to the hotel. Looks like I will be “benched” for day three. Greta and Eva, walk as fast as you please. Buom Caminha.

And we’re off.

(Sunday, Oct. 6 - Labruge, Portugal) Greta arrived yesterday afternoon. After dinner at Vaccarum, a very beefy restaurant in Central Porto, we turned in early anticipating a very tiring next day. 

Day 1 - This morning we started with Starbucks. This was a novelty for Greta because there are no Starbucks in Riga. We then headed to the Porto Cathedral again to get her Pilgrim Passport. Then a Bolt took us to Matisinhos where we officially began our pilgrimage. 

It rained. And it rained. Not really a downpour, but pretty constant drizzle or more. For some reason it didn’t really seem to matter. The temp was mild and no wind. I just felt as tho I’d stepped out of the shower, all day long. A view of the Atlantic was always on our left. The walk was pretty easy on the boardwalk, but always concern for falling as it was slippery in spots. 

       

I am a slow walker, especially compared to Greta and Eva. So my day was  essentially solo, with the two of them way in front. My feet really began to ache at about 8 km. We stopped for brunch just about halfway to Labruge, our final destination. Total walk today was 15 km or 9 miles. I am thrilled to have no blisters. My goal tomorrow is to lighten my backpack considerably. We will accomplish another 14-15 km tomorrow before the big day on Tuesday with about 26 km. 

Dinner tonight was lucky. Only one restaurant in Labruge was open, so we thought. Turns out it was closed. Luckily Zogo Take Out Pizza across the street was open. Order from an outdoor window.  Best pizza I’ve had in a long time. And an excellent bottle of wine. 

Tomorrow — destination Povoa var Zim.  Buom Camino. 

Pilgrim Passport

(Friday, October 4) - We began our day back at the Mercado for a breakfast of heavenly almond croissant and coffee. From there we headed toward the river. 

Leave it to me to fail to pack the one thing necessary to commemorate the end of this journey - my Pilgrim Passport. This little booklet is to be stamped throughout the walk to prove you made passage by foot to the end of the Camino in Santiago de Compestela. Presenting it at the cathedral in Santiago rewards you with a certified document stating such. I left my passport in Iowa. 

Thus a walk downhill to the Catedral do Porto to get another one. The gentlemen there couldn’t have been more helpful in providing advice for the journey. 

This evening we walked back to the riverfront for dinner at Ode. . I love the small, quaint restaurants where the service is spectacular. I had the day’s market fish - grouper - which was blackened with a side of turnip leaf and cornmeal. I could have done without the cornmeal which was a little like mush with some tiny chunks of fish in it. Eva ordered salted cod with chickpea stew. Don’t let the entree name fool you. Sounds drab, but it was delicious. Cod is very popular here. Somewhere along my way, I plan to try cod cheeks and cod tongue.

Why is it that Google Maps gives you one route to get someplace and then another to get you back to where you started? And the return is twice as far. It did that twice today. It must know that I’m still in training for a very long walk. We walked almost 9 km. 

Although our days on the Camino will be longer than 9 km, I believe I am ready. But am I ready for the rain? The forecast calls for rain every day for the next ten days. Yikes.  

  

 

El Camino - One step closer

(Thursday, Oct.3 - Porto, Portugal) Eva and I arrived in Porto, Portugal this morning. Amazingly, all three flights, DSM to Chicago to Newark to Porto were fairly on time, give or take a half hour  

After navigating to our accommodation in Porto, which was no small feat, we stored our luggage a half mile away until check in time (no early check-ins here. I envied Eva’s foresight to not bring a roller bag; Porto is covered in cobblestone streets and sidewalks). 

So to kill time we headed for this lovely Mercado with the most incredible array of fresh produce, cheeses, fish, pastries. 

Dinner, at La Ricotta just around the corner, was divine. Squid Ink Linguini with prawns, mussels and oysters and tiramisu for dessert  

The wine here is fantastic and oh so inexpensive. The most generous pours for only 3 Euros. I love this city.