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.