Once again, George and I were the last ones standing. When we woke up, we had the place to ourselves. Even the InnKeepers were nowhere to be found. So we made our espresso, had a pastry with banana and hit the road.

The clouds are moving in, thankfully. It has been really hot this past week, so rain, clouds and anything cooler is a welcome change. The route out of town was east peasy with lovely farms of kale, casa’s de gato’s and cobblestone rua. It is quintessential Portugal!

The walk today was the best we’ve had. The route was well marked and it started out flat. This gives our legs a chance to wake-up. George has been keeping a great pace. He’s starting to get his trail legs and actually smiling again. The first 7-10 days are always the hardest but once you get into a rhythm, what a difference that makes.

We met many people along the way this morning. No Pilgrims but the local women walking, families harvesting their olives, and men working on the roadways. I imagine there’s much to be done before the weather changes.

Once we left Aliavaziere, the climbing commenced. Lucky for us, the trail was lined with fruit trees. We pretty much ate our way to the top of Verdes. There were lemons that tasted more like oranges, persimmons that were so sweet and ripe, that the juice was running down our faces, and grapes along the way.

As we made our way through Vendes, and met a Portuguese lady was working her garden. She offered us Persimmon’s and we had to accept them. Once again, they were the sweetest and best tasting I’ve ever had. She’s speaking Portuguese and I’m speaking English, and George is doing his best to interpret. She is 85 years old and as nimble as me. Portuguese lifestyle keeps you young!

We kept climbing fueled by fruit of the God’s, and George was keeping up. He has turned into a darn good hiking partner. The roadway turns into a dirt path and we are actually hiking on an old Roman trail. Well at least to me it seems that way. It is lined by old abandoned rock walls with fields of olive trees, some eucalyptus and a reddish tree that looks like cherrywood.

We came off the trail and walk through Soreio, which almost seems abandoned. There are homes that have been taken over by Morning Glory’s which encompass the roof, walls and ground.

As we crest the top, there’s a church with a bell that you can ring from outside. Oh that’s too tempting. I give it a tug, and all the dogs in town start barking. Oops, I guess it works! We beat feet out of town before the town people head to church waiting for my sermon.

The rest of the afternoon is easy going, heading down into our resting place for the night. We end up walking the road and meet another Portuguese Lady who is 87 years old. She is about 5’ tall if even that and the funniest I have met. She is warning us of each car that is coming up the road and I’m getting her to walk with us to Santiago. She doesn’t speak English and I’m not fluent in Portuguese but we are having a long conversation that we both seem to understand. What a hoot she is!

We make our way to town and arrive before check-in. We drop off our bags and head into town. There is an incredible pastry shop with a restaurant attached to it. We order small plates of food and devour them. Then we each get a pastry, some coffee and finish that. I’m not feeling one bit guilty as we earned everything that we are consuming today!

We head back to our room. It’s a Hotel that was built 5-6 years ago. Very modern, stark white and super clean. It is quite a contrast to the older places we have stayed in. The one thing I can say, even if the Hostel or Apartment is 500 years old, the inside is typically remodeled. We have had the nicest places to stay and quite inexpensive.

George and I clean up, take our showers, wash our clothes and get ready for a night on the town. It’s a small town but it has a big church, center square, lots of cafes and a handful of restaurants. We find a place that has a Pilgrim meal.

This is the first Pilgrim Meal I have seen on a menu. For $15 Euros you get bread, olives, carafe of wine, soup and salad, choice of fish or meat, vegetables, followed up with dessert and espresso. George decides he’ll go straight to the dessert and gets a banana split. We share dinner. It’s all we can eat.

The rain has started but it’s only an afternoon shower. Just enough to get the road slightly wet. The temperature has dropped tremendously and makes for better walking and good sleeping. I think we have turned a corner. George has his trail legs, I’m cooling off and we are deep in Portugal now. It is what we’ve been waiting for.

“I never won a fight in the ring. I always won in preparation.” Written by the greatest prize fighter ever, Mohammed Ali. So true in all aspects of life.

George and I were up at 6AM and were out looking for the trail by 7:15AM. I thought for sure others in the Hostel would be up with us, but evidently they were up earlier and already left. We are just a step behind. Today was going to be a big day. We had miles to cover, hills to climb, heat to overcome and not a lot of options for provisions.

The trail was obscure with few clues on where to go. We made our way through the City Streets and found our way back to the dirt trail. It was cool in the morning with lots of trees, some fairly well graded terrain and nice forest views. It truly was the first time I felt that I was on a trail. Just tall Eucalyptus, Pines and Olive Trees. I was in my element.

We made good time and by 9:30AM we stopped at a roadside cafe. I was quite surprised as the owner cooked hard boiled eggs. I commandeered a couple of apples from the Hostel, add that to the egg with espresso, and breakfast was served! What a treat. We topped off our water bottles, I pulled out my umbrella and we headed out of town.

The locals were tending to their gardens, trimming bushes, watering and just hanging out doing what they do. An 80 year-old woman passed me on her bicycle and when she turned the corner, stood up on her peddles and climbed the hill. I was so impressed, as if she was half her age and never giving it a second thought! What is it like being Portuguese? Being fit, healthy and capable of doing whatever it is that you’d like to do.

We meandered through many small villages with donkeys, goats, sheep, dogs and cats. Every garden or jardim, as they would say, had kale. In Portugal, Calde Verde is their authentic vegetable soup and it must always have kale. So why would you buy it when it grows like a weed out here?! The Kale is picked and grows like a stalk. As you pick the leaf, the stalk continues to grow upward and I suppose it continues to produce new leaves as long as you water and tend to it. One older gentleman was flooding his field and offered me a kale leaf. It was bigger than my face! Sweet and bitter in the same bite. And big enough to use as a fan to cool me down. I just love this versatile plant.

George and I made it to a fork in the road, one path heading straight up and another relatively easier to climb. Of course, our route was straight up a fairly steep dirt path. It was hot and a bit rocky, but nothing I haven’t seen before. George on the other hand, wasn’t loving it. The trail was lined with EucalyptusTrees most of the way. Before long, we made it to the crest of the hill. Downhill and on our way to our planned lunch stop.

On our map, it clearly stated that there was a knife and fork. Symbol for lunch stop in my head. We made the right turn and walked back on the asphalt for a good mile or so. No restaurant anywhere. Bummer, looks like we have leftovers. Fortunately I have learned that you always pack snacks and so I found a shady spot next to a house and made us lunch. A roll with ham, more apples and a cookie. Our water was running low but now, at least we had enough calories to get us up the next hill.

We finished our lackluster lunch and continued northbound. I pointed out the windmills up ahead as our final destination and I thought George was going to crap his pants! What? There’s no way I’m going to make it that far.

We ran into a family that was harvesting olives from their orchard. The family had obviously done this before as they had quite the system. Dad had the shaker that vibrated the tree enough to shake off the olives. Mom and her daughter had a net-like tarp that caught the olives. As they filled the tarp, they would dump the olives in a 5 gallon bucket. They had buckets of olives lining their street. I’m sure this is their main crop for the year. Hard working people, no doubt about it.

The road started climbing again, and when we came to another fork, there was a sign for a Restaurant. This time we had to go as we were bone dry on water and both of us needed a cold drink. As we made the turn, Paulo stopped and asked us if we were headed to the restaurant? Yes, as a matter of fact we are. He too was a Pilgrim walking the Camino years ago and gave us a ride. Without a second thought, we were riding in a van to food, drink and shelter. About five minutes later, we were ordering water and beer, in that order! We drank the water and chugged it down with a beer. Oh, did that taste good.

We got our packs and headed back down the road to reconnect with the trail. Paulo said he’d take us back to where the trail connected. Awesome, that’d be great. We made the turn and he said he’d drop us off at a shady spot and within two minutes, we were at our destination. What a great ride indeed! George was sure that the dear Lord had provided this ride for him because he was done. I think he was right.

We checked in and ran into the gal from Holland, Janny, Jenny from Finland, Sonya from Taiwan and the French guy. Ends up there is a pool at our Hostel/Hotel and without a second thought, George and I were changed and headed to the pool. It wasn’t heated but boy oh boy, it felt marvelous. We all sat around for a bit and then headed inside to sit around some more.

Everyone had stories of the day, what we saw, how hard it was, how hot it was and the fact, we can’t wait till the rain starts! We are having a change in the weather as of tomorrow and I think we are all game for that. We got to know each other a bit better, made reservations for the up coming stages and ordered dinner.

At 7PM, the six of us were sharing dinner together, talking about different Camino’s, hikes we have done and just having a great time conversing. It’s amazing how much we all have in common even though we live worlds apart.

So another day on the Camino. George is doing pretty darn well. He has a blister or two he’s trying to keep under wraps and still gimping a bit on his knee, but all in all, he’s doing quite well. I’m hoping we can continue northbound at a reasonable pace so we can get to Santiago before our plane ride home. We will need to pick up a few more miles but there is always a train or bus, if need be. As long as we complete our last 100 kilometers, we will get our prized Compostela and all will be good in our world. We have lots of time for that to happen.

After touring the towns, taking in the sights of Santarem, Tomar and Fatima, we were both thrilled to be back on the trail by foot power. It felt good to make progress, see the small towns and villages, meet the locals and hang out with our fellow Piligrinos. Tomorrow we will be back at it again with a few more hills to climb and miles to cover. Until then, Bon Camino.

A little complaint. Portugal has not heard of tempur-pedic mattresses. Honestly, not all mattresses are created equally. Hostels have some things dialed in, but mattresses is not their top priority! At midnight, I took the quilt they gave me and beefed up my bed by laying on it. It helped a bit.

By 5AM, I was awake. All was not forsaken as I still needed to upload pictures for my blog and incredible thing, I was the only one on the internet. The Wi-Fi was up and running full speed and I was able to post. George woke up be 6AM, we had a light breakfast of carbs, apple, juice and roll and headed to the Bus Depot. Today we were going to Fatima.

Fátima is a central Portuguese town that’s home to the Sanctuary of Fátima, a Catholic pilgrimage site. Our Lady of Fátima is the title given to the Virgin Mary as she appeared before three shepherd children near the village of Fátima, Portugal, in 1917.

She identified herself to them as the Lady of the Rosary. The Roman Catholic Church officially recognized the Fátima events as worthy of belief in 1930. The three principles that are shared through their visions were to put God first in our lives, pray daily for peace and to share the love of God to all. What truths to standby.

While we were visiting this sacred place, there were many that came for blessings, prayers, sacrifices and some just to experience such a beautiful place. George and I were intrigued by the women who were approaching the church on their knees. Some had Rosary’s that they were praying with, while others were kneeling as they awaited their blessings. It truly is a place of healing, comfort and mystery. There is something quite special about this holy ground.

In the center of this monumental place, there is a fountain. It is said that the water that flows from it is Holy Water, and many have in fact, been healed. Being faithful servants of the Lord, George and I drank from the water, placed it on our troubled spots and prayed for supernatural healing. What a blessing to be able to visit a place that many have only heard of. Truly this was a special highlight of our Pilgrimage.

Back to the Bus Station and we returned to Tomar in time for a late bite to eat. Lunch typically is a bit later, 1-3pm being dinner doesn’t get going until 8-9pm. We eyeballed a place yesterday that the owner was super friendly. What a score. Short Ribs, fries and salad for less than $10. Afterwards we walked our lunch off and visited one of the oldest synagogues in all of Europe.

The Synagogue of Tomar was built between 1430 and 1460 by the city’s then thriving Jewish community. Tomar’s Jewish community traced its origins to the 14th century, when some individuals came to work for the Knights Templers and their successors the Order of Christ. By mid-century when the synagogue was built, Tomar’s Jewish community numbered between 150 and 200 individuals—30% to 40% of Tomar’s total population at the time—and the city center had a Jewish Quarter. The community grew even larger when Spanish Jews settled in Tomar after Spain expelled them in 1492. Within a year or so, Portugal also mandated both Jews and Muslims to leave or convert to Christianity. There were a few Jews that hid out and still to this day have a thriving community in Belmonte, Portugal.

It seems everywhere we go, each city has rich history. We returned to our room, did laundry and prepared for our exit strategy tomorrow. It will be back on the trail with many miles to walk. I know I’m getting a bit antsy and I think George is too. It’s time to get our big back-a-packs and head north, by foot!

What a great day in Santarem. It all began with breakfast being delivered to our Apartment. What a novel idea. A gal dropped off a basket with coffee, tea, juice, and sandwiches (meat and cheese on a roll).

Our new friend Briosa picked us up and gave the Baraga’s an unofficial tour of the city. First stop was Decathalon, Europes version of REI. George is having issues with his backpack and was hoping to find a better fitting pack. Unfortunately, Decathalon caters to a one-size fits all, so after trying on every pack that Decathalon has, he walked out with the same pack he walked n with. But George did find a foam pad, some shoe inserts and replaced his bandana. So not all was lost.

Briosa took us to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant which is obviously, not a secret to the locals. We arrived and went upstairs as downstairs was filled up. We had the traditional Portuguese Flair of snails, conk, crab, shrimp, octopus and roe. So, this may not sound absolutely amazing but until you try it, don’t knock it. What I am finding is it comes down to the preparation. It was so tasty, and George consumed it like a local!

After having our scrumptious lunch, we stopped at the University to see the one of a kind Portuguese Horse. The Sorraia is a rare breed of horse indigenous to the portion of the Iberian peninsula, in the Sorraia River basin, in Portugal. The Sorraia is known for its primitive features, including a convex profile and dun coloring with primitive markings.

Afterwards we drove to the Castle where Conquistador King Afonso Henriques conquered Santarem. Once I saw the walls that surrounded this fortress of a castle, it was obvious how the Moors would’ve been easy prey to the Portuguese.

Our tour continued to a Bull Fighting Bar that is definitely a local hang out. There were the two elders who have their own table. They sit and drink red wine and watch the news. The boys from the Uni (University) came in to drink and eat. There was an overflow table from lunch who were still talking hours later, and whomever else was in the back rooms. We had white wine spritzer which was perfect with our bread, olives and cheese. I felt that we were in! Hanging with a local allows you special privileges like the special table and drinks that aren’t on the menu. We talked about life in Portugal, where to live and what it costs. Mostly everything but maybe gas is half the price compared to the states. And that reflects in salary. The average yearly salary might be $50K and the minimum wage is $780 monthly. So it goes without saying, Anerican’s can do pretty well here.

The day was incredible, much more than anything George and I could’ve imagined or expected. We had dinner, went back to the castle at night and explored the Cathedral Square. All in all it was one of the nicest days we’ve had in Portugal.

When we woke up, breakfast was delivered again. It’s like Room Service without the price. Today we made the decision to jump ahead. With the heat, and the fact we really want to visit Fatima, which is off the trail, we walked to the Train Station and bought a one-way ticket to Tomar. There goes our dreams of a Purist Pilgrimage. Maybe we can revisit that in Porto.

The train was a quick one plus hour ride and we were in a new town. Tomar has a rich history connected to the Knights Templar in Portugal. It was their order which saw the construction of the Convento do Cristo, though one suspects it didn’t get that exact name until the Templars were dissolved and the stronghold fell to the Knights of the Order of Christ. Both were military orders, and although the name of the order changed, many of the members did not. Both are buried in the Church of Santa Maria do Olival on the other side of the river.

We found our room at the Hostel 2300 Thomar. We saw our friends Luisa, gal from Holland and Rudy from Germany. It’s amazing how you keep seeing the same Pilgrims time and time again. George and I dropped our packs and headed up the hillside to the Convert of Christ. It is a beautiful castle that sits on the highest point in the city. The views from above were outstanding. They are doing much refurbishing but the gates are wide open so one can walk the grounds. The one thing I’ve noticed is these Castles, Convents, Parks and Churches are free. No one asked us for anything!

We headed back to town, had our customary beer with Luisa and Ann. We talked about our future plans for the trail. Luisa will beat feet out of here early in the morning. George and I will take a bus to Fatima and Ann will relax in town. We had dinner and returned to our humble abode.

With our short time here, the past week has been full of surprises and we have met such wonderful friends along the way. I truly believe that there are incredible people everywhere you venture, you just need to be open to making time to stop and chat. Languages do not seem to be a barrier. Even if we don’t speak the same, we can always understand one another. It truly is magical! Another reason to allow yourself to explore what our Lord has created. His people are truly the best gift of all.

Our night at the Hostel was so peaceful. The Hosts locked up the place and George and I were the only ones at home. We had the run of the place and in the morning, Paula had breakfast laid out with lunches packed. We had our morning biscotti with juice, banana and we were off. Just as we were leaving, Paula returned to bid us farewell. What a wonderful host she was!

The morning sunrise was spectacular. The colors, the birds and the sailboats were perfectly balanced and all I could think of was how grand our God truly is! It was a perfect day filled with all sorts of promise for the miles that laid ahead.

Being neither of us had our caffeine for the morning, the hunt for a Cafe was first and foremost. In the states, this wouldn’t be a problem but in Portugal, Cafes don’t open up till 9-10am. It was a bit past 8am and everyone was still hibernating in their homes and the streets were quiet. We passed our first Cafe at 8:45am and it was locked down like a steel drum. Looks like we were not going to have any caffeine boost this morning.

As we moved along, we kept hearing blasts. I was thinking birdshot but one can never be sure. We followed a dirt trail through farmlands, with crops like kale and grapevines, while others lands had uprooted corn fields and tilled soil. Nevertheless, there were farmers and hunters mending to the fields. No Pilgrims to speak of but quite a few bikers out riding.

As I was getting ready to find us a resting place, George pointed out some hunters coming our way. Sure enough, a father and son were heading toward us. They were ready for action with their rifles. I’m sure the growers around here are happy to have people come out and take care of the birds that are eating their crops.

Sure enough, a few hundred yards down the trail, there were a couple of guys who were loading up their truck. They had three dogs, Pointers in crates, and six dead birds. Perdiz are a type of partridges that live exclusively in Portugal and Spain. From the looks of them, they are good eating birds.

We carried on and shortly after noon, George and I had our very first climb of the Camino. I was a bit ahead and evidently a driver stopped and checked on my husband. Are you alright? Do you need a ride? Would you like some water? Are you sure you’re good? George explained to the gentleman that he was, in fact, fine, he had water and his wife was up ahead. And she would not approve of him getting a ride! Now, that’s not entirely true because of course George can get a ride anytime he wants. But George wanted to finish this day on his own, making the climb to Santarem and was feeling strong. Go George! I’m so proud of him because this is tough stuff especially if you’re not usually hiking 10-15 miles a day.

We continued up our incline and I came across this living water pouring out of an old stucco wall. There were four spigots that were spouting cold water without ceasing. I’m not sure if it was palatable but it sure was good enough to cool this body of mine down! George was reluctant to stop his forward momentum heading up the hill but once he saw me all cooled off, he walked down the stairs to join me. Good choice!

Now that we were cool as cucumbers, we made our final approach to Santerem. It is a very old town that sits upon a plateau. The valley below is considered the most fertile land in all of Portugal while others claim, the world.

This city has a deep history that dates back to Julius Caesar’s reign in 61 BC. Many have claimed this City including Germanics Tribes and then, the Moorish. The period of Moorish domination was finished in 1147 by the first King of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, who conquered the city on March 15. According to period chronicles, the King and a small army managed to take the city after some men climbed the walls during the night and opened the gates. The story of the conquest of Santarém is told in a heroic tone in the medieval chronicle De expugnatione Scalabis, which celebrates and justifies the power of the first Portuguese King. From a military point of view, the conquest of Santarém and, in that same year, of Lisbon were crucial steps in the Reconquista of Portugal.

So here we are, in the midst of historical events and culture. Next to Lisbon, this is the largest city we have walked through. With a population of 58,000 , this city has much to offer. After our climb today, George’s knee was giving him trouble so I made the command decision to take a day off. We checked into our Apartment, a private one bedroom that is in a great location, close to the center of town and directly on the Camino.

We hunkered down, took a shower, ate a very exquisite lunch that was way over priced, and headed out to town, without backpacks! George and I could walk for miles without our big backpacks on our shoulders. Maybe we will have to find out more about slackpacking on the Camino. We walked to the Mall which was interesting. It’s just like what we have in the States. Nice shops, overpriced clothing, fast food and gelato, and the most important commodity of all, Espresso. They also have their grocery store inside. It’s a one stop shopping place!

After eating gelato and drinking espresso, it was time to find a local hangout. I enjoy searching for places off the beaten path. On our way back to our Apartment, there was the perfect outdoor area called Taska. It’s a local bar with shared plates of food and lots of beer flowing! That’s our kind of place. The World’s Cup Rugby Championship was being televised and it was the first time Portugal made the cut. Everyone was cheering for their country, especially since they are an amateur team playing against professionals. It wasn’t a fair match but they were ahead! How exciting for Portugal!

George and I ordered our mugs of beer, olives, bread and cheese. The tables around us were lively with the locals, family and friends sharing life. When we were ordering, which was all in Portuguese, I asked the waiter to order for me being I really didn’t understand what was on the menu.

One of the guys from the other table asked if we needed help, How thoughtful. George bought his table a round of beers and before long we were sitting with the Portuguese. What a great evening we had. John, aka Briosa just returned from ten years in England. His friends at the table, he has known for over 20 years and were all catching up. Rita and Frederico are a couple and he is a World Renowned Trainer and Professional Horse Athlete. It sounds like he makes a good living at his trade and is quite passionate about it. Bernardo is the Socialite, as he knows everyone in town and always invited to the party’s. He’s a Bachelor but that is all changing this month. He finally met his match, a gal from Seville Spain.

Four hours later, we were being escorted home by Bernardo. Briosa is picking us up tomorrow and giving us a personal tour of his city and Bernardo invited us all back to his place tomorrow night for an authentic Portuguese BBQ. It just couldn’t have been planned better. Just another picture perfect day in Paradise. I think I could get used to this place called Portugal.

Good morning Portugal. What a beautiful sunrise we had this morning. In fact, what a glorious day. Today is an easy stage. Less than ten miles and flat as a pancake. The only bugaboo will be the extreme heat. But like I said, the miles are doable and we will take our sweet time.

George and I packed up and headed down for breakfast. Another extreme espresso machine was waiting for us. Push a button and obtain a luscious shot of pure caffeine. I’m thinking this is actually better than my Death by Coffee concoction I had on the Appalachian Trail! And that was good stuff. But it took a bit more work than pushing a button so Portugal Delta Espresso Machine wins. Some more meat and cheese, with fresh fruit. I am definitely getting used to this.

After breakfast, we hit The Camino promptly at 9AM. I can’t get over the fact that we can get the miles done by leaving at this time of day. But we can and we do. The morning walk was through town. There were a few locals running to the train station but more than that, many were sitting having their morning coffee. Espresso is a big deal in this country. And sitting around socializing is more important than most anything else.

Within 20-30 minutes we were back on the very nice paved trail. George equated it to a tennis court. It is smooth and flat with painted lines. Bicycles are on the left and pedestrians on the right. And for the most part, everyone stays in their lane.

After following the river, we broke off and we’re back on the dirt path, heading through reeds with lots of birds and flies! I’m not sure why all the flies but they were swarming around George. He doesn’t stink, he’s been showering everyday but they were on him like you know what. We saw one other Pilgrim, Carlos from Spain. But he was the only one today. The others have jumped ship and who knows where they are.

We meandered through some small farms with pigs, cattle and cats. Most of the fields have been plowed so whatever crops that they planted earlier, are harvested by now. There was a field that went on for over a mile and they obviously had grown small Roma Tomatoes because there were hundreds of them smashed on the roadway.

Around noontime, we found a place off the trail that had tables set up. That to me is a sign that there is food and drink available. There were three guys standing around and a couple of dogs greeted us. We found a young man working inside and he reluctantly took our order for two sodas. As we sat, we watched a ultra glider and two small planes take off. Evidently this was a small runway for locals. We drank our soda and were off again.

The dirt road turned to asphalt and we followed it to a very small village named Regungo. It seemed like it had seen better days. There was a small bar that was open in town and felt persuaded to help out the lacking commerce. We ventured inside, the only patrons were George and I and had our Brock Beer, the local Portuguese Brew. It’s a very light beer, like Ultra. This would be my hiking partner Blue’s kind of beer. The lacking of taste is made up by the fact it cools you down, and it’s cheaper than water. We finished it up without much complaining. George grabbed an ice cream for the road and me, icy cold water. I was dehydrated and needed to replenish my shriveled up body with nothing but good old fashioned water.

As we headed out of town, there was a berm that we walked upon. It reminded me of the old routes that Jesus would’ve walked. There is some discussion that many of the roads here in Portugal date back to the Roman Times. That would be right after 60 BC or a bit before. There is no doubt in my mind that these paths were used by merchants, villagers and Christ Followers for thousands of years. That to me is pretty darn exciting.

We made it to Valada before 3pm. Our Hostel’s name is Albergue Dois Caminos which translated is the Two Caminos. The section that we are on follows a path to Porto and also Fatima. We have been talking about which route to follow and I’m leaning towards Fatima. It is rich in history and very important to the Portuguese as this is where the children had the vision of Mother Mary. We have a few more days before we verge off.

Once at our home for the night, we met Paula, the Albergue Hostess. She situated us and being we were the only Pilgrims with reservations, we had the pick of the rooms. We went for the two single beds, no bunk beds tonight! I immediately took a shower and to my surprise, there was a washing machine. Hallelujah, that is the first time I would not need to hand wash my clothes. It’s incredible how the small things bring such joy! George cleaned up and we headed to town.

The town is situated on the Tagus River which we have been follow since Lisbon. This section was the first time I saw kids swimming, jet skies playing, and river boats taking tourists for sightseeing adventures. There was a Beach Bar that was loaded with locals and a few tourists. We continued to support the local economy and hydrated ourselves. We both had chicken salads with real potato chips. Afterwards, we walked to the south end of town and went to So’Rio, the finest restaurant in town. It also is situated on the river with music and many locals. We ate Pesto Salad with some libations and closed the place down. Now I’m feeling like I’m on vacation!

Walking the Camino has opened my eyes to a different way of doing things. There is something so satisfying when you finish a good days walk. Today was not a long hike but a hot one. I think with my lack of conditioning to heat, it’s hitting me worse than George. I’m used to rain, mud and muck but not heat, sweat and dehydration! George on the other hand has been working in the yard all summer and he’s acclimated to this unseasonably warm temperature. That’s One for George!

Tomorrow will be our first climb of sorts. I was looking around for a mountaintop and didn’t see anything. I’m thinking the climbs around here are not the climbs that I am used to, but rather a bump in the horizon. We will see, and I’ll report back tomorrow. Until then, stay hydrated!

This is going to be fun. From this day forward, I will state the kilometer’s that we are walking daily. It’s the way they do it around here, and it sounds like we’ve walked further. In reality, we are doing as good as we can. The Camino is set up in stages. The reason for that is not all towns can accommodate Pilgrims. Some places do not have Hostels or Albergues, or even Hotels or Motels. Each Stage is designed to allow you to arrive in a town that has services, such as a grocery or restaurant, along with a place to sleep. In theory, we are doing what we can based on the services and conveniences that are available. Today was going to be a longer stage.

I was up at 6:06 am. George was still sleeping soundly so I sneaked out, and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Breakfast is served at 6AM which is quite early for most Hostels. I should’ve taken a picture of the Self-Serve Espresso Machine. It was awesome! You could make a straight shot of Espresso, a Cappuccino, a Latte or just plain warm milk. It was the bomb of a machine and great tasting coffee to boot. I had my espresso, meat & cheese on a croissant with plain yogurt. And I sat waiting for George to arrive. He made it down by 7AM, and had his breakfast with Cappuccino. We talked with many of the Pilgrims we’ve been walking with, and by 8AM, we were on our way. Our earliest departure to date.

The walk out of town was a bit of a route finding exercise. There are many ways to get to Santiago and it appears that the path makers are upgrading the trail without decommissioning the old route. We knew we would make a right turn after Route10 and somewhere near the factory. We followed a dirt road that took us to a dead end, and finally decided that near Route10 means different things to different Pilgrims. About a mile down the road, I found the new and improved trail, about 1/2 mile past the factory. It’s all in your interpretation.

The dirt trail was hard packed and fairly flat. We saw very few Pilgrims today. I’m not sure why that is, but I have my suspicions. It was close to 90 degrees, super exposed with no chance of cooling down. Some Pilgrims like only walking, what they consider the good parts. I wouldn’t call George and I “Purists” but so far, we have stayed true to the route, when we can find it.

We made our way around some fields and followed the high speed rail line most of the day. When that train passes by, it is loud and fast. Bicyclist were using the trail much today. Some Bike-packers, other Mountain Bikers but no one was riding E-bikes. At least, not today.

We had another big route finding exercise about half way through the day. My map said to go straight, but there was a culvert, then two irrigation ditches filled with nasty looking water. There was a dirt road that went due east but that was not the direction we were headed. So after hunting and pecking, our only option was to walk over the downed fencing, up along the train track to the bridge trusses that conveniently cross the waterway. That sounds pretty darn illegal but it was the only option to continue north. No trains were approaching so we climbed our first pile of rocks, crossed the bridge, went down the other pile of rocks, trampled over the busted fencing and we were back on the trail. I felt a bit like an illegal alien, which in a sense I guess I am.

I spotted an abandoned building that provided great shade and George and I had lunch. We packed an extra sandwich to take with us from the Hostel along with some fruit. It was just what we needed for fuel and honestly, I wanted a break! George can walk all day without a break, but I like stopping. Even if it means sitting on a dirt gravel pad leaning against a metal building. Seems quite adequate to me. We ate, then continued on.

I’m not sure if I said it was hot today! I mean really hot. Like take off your hat and pop up your umbrella kind of hot. We had a few more miles to cover and I was savoring the last bit of water I had. I saw a parked truck up ahead and when I approached, Antonio asked if I needed something to drink? Really? Are you an Angel? I followed him inside this small outhouse of a building and much to my surprise, he had refrigerated sparkling water. He filled up my bottle as George was entering. I think George was more surprised than me and was thrilled to have ice cold refreshing water. That is what I call a Trail Angel! Never expecting such an act of kindness in a parched place as we were today. We nodded farewell with our water bottles filled to the brim. As I looked at my phone, it was 1:11 PM. Anytime I see a series of triple numbers for the time, I always think of the Lord! That is my cue that He is also thinking of me. Thank you dear Jesus for blessing us with sweet Antonio when we so needed him!

Only a couple more miles and we would be in Azumbuja. It’s a good sized town with all the provisions you would need. We went under the railroad crossing and popped up like moles on the outskirts of town. The first thing we saw was Ouro Hotel serving Cheap Beer. That’s our kind of place. We walked up to the outside tables, dropped our packs and went in for refreshments. There’s something great about having an icy cold beer or frosty glass of sangria, after a long, hot day of walking. Once we finished our libations, we decided to splurge on a Private Hotel Room with our own shower and A/C. And the best part, they serve breakfast at 7AM.

George and I washed all our clothes, well almost all our clothes, then laid them on the balcony to dry. And I kid you not, they were dry in no time flat! We headed over to Aldi, which is a German Market that has made its’ presence in Portugal. It is like our Walmart in the States but much nicer quality. We bought some vegetables, bread and chocolate. It was exactly what I have been craving. We walked around town for a bit, then headed back to our Hotel.

So this is interesting. When we left the Hotel, the gal who checked us in asked for our room key. Hmm, but why? She said this way it won’t get lost? I guess Pilgrims are known for loosing keys to their rooms? Okay, as long as we get it back when we return. They do things a bit different over here. In the States, you just pay an extra $25 if you lose your key. Here they just keep your key for you. I guess it works and no one is out of their $25.

This may just be this Hotel but another interesting bit of info. When you enter the room, your keycard is inserted into a slot. This operates your lights and any other device, like A/C or TV. When you leave, you must remove the KeyCard, and everything shuts off. That’s brilliant! Talk about cost savings. These Portuguese know how to pinch a dollar. Imagine doing this with your teenagers! Exit the room, and everything is turned off. I’d like to hook up my house like this. PG&E, watch out. Maybe we will actually stay in Tier 2 after all. No chance!

TDM = Total Daily Miles ; Total = Total of course from Lisbon to Santiago

Typically, my day begins bright and early. Let’s just say I’m not embracing the time change. Around 7:30am, I woke up. George is doing about as good as me. We got dressed and headed out around 8:30 to the neighborhood market. Our Hostel Hostess told us that anything and everything your heart desires, is available. She was Spot On!

We cased the produce aisle and grabbed some fruit, macadamia nuts, then meat, cheese and rolls. Today we were going to have food in our packs. Then we sauntered over to the Cafe and obtained caffeine, and breakfast. It’s the same as lunch minus the cheese. We ate and headed to the trail at 10am. Okay, so this is definitely not my backpacking time schedule, but today was going to be a light day. Little miles with no elevation. George’s kind of walking for sure.

We crossed over the bridge and saw at least 15-20 Pilgrims walking the trail. They had no backpacks and at first I was thinking they must be out for a day hike. But I was so wrong. There are companies that take your backpacks, make your reservations, plan your day, and all you have to do is follow the leader with a reflective vest! There’s pros and cons but after seeing them for most the day, I’m thinking the Baraga Way is much better. We can stop and go whenever we want. We get the pleasure of carrying our own backpack completely equipped with a nice scalloped shell and whatever provisions we want. I have no idea where they are staying but it’s going to be crowded. And their plans are to finish at Fatima, some 150 kilometers away.

Today we walked through many towns and cities, with little rural areas. Most of the day was following the large group of Pilgrims through on road walks. Once we made our way to the river, we all split up. George and I made a left turn, which ended up to be the Old Route and found our way to the quaintest town. It looked like a Movie Set filled with locals drinking espresso, eating lunch and laughing a lot. One of the locals tried to explain that we were on the wrong route but we actually enjoyed being off track. We found a place to have beer, one dollar for a small glass. I’m thinking that many of you may think I like beer too much! Well, I probably do but this is not IPA. The alcohol content in Portugal is quite low and honestly, beer is either the same price as water and many times, less than water. So why drink water when you can drink beer for the same price?

Afterwards George and I found out way back to The Camino and followed the new and improved pathway. They had just completed it and it is now hosting the Para-Olympic Race this weekend. There were many athletes warming up and preparing for their upcoming events.

By early afternoon, we arrived to our final resting place of Vila Franca. Much to our surprise, the place was packed with tourists and bulls! Yes, you read that right. They were running with the Bulls today, straight to the stadium. Poor little bulls! That’ll be their last day of running, or doing much of anything, for that matter.

We checked into our Hostel, which we were lucky to get a room at all. Between the large group of Pilgrims and the wanna-be Matadors, everything was booked solid. We scored a room with five others, one top bunk and one bottom bunk. I graciously offered George the bottom bunk. We have a shared bath that was occupied for over an hour! Our roommate must’ve been covered in extreme filth! Or oblivious that six of us share one bathroom 🤷‍♀️

Our town is bustling with activity and we made our way down the many streets. Happy Hour was being celebrated everywhere so George and I contributed to the wealth of the neighborhood and succumbed to a large beer. I found some gelato and we carried on.

After a bit, we ran into one of the Lithuanian Brothers. He was looking for soup for his sick brother. Oh no, what’s wrong? He could only equate it to his brother drinking too much beer?!?! He, on the other hand, drinks Sangria and is doing quite well. Hmm, maybe I need to switch it up a bit. Clear Sky, his name translated in English, offered to take us to his favorite restaurant so I could try this secret concoction of fruit and wine.

The Store Owner was so sweet and moved a table outside for us and brought two chairs. We were seated on the cobblestone walkway that was quite slated but after drinking a pitcher of Sangria, I didn’t care much. We had dinner, dessert and coffee and were quite content. I’m starting to think I’m going to be gaining weight from this little adventure! It’s just hard to say no to all this fine dining.

Another wonderful day on The Camino. George has a bit of a heat rash, which we have learned, must be going around. Our Lithuanian friend has the same thing, as well as a couple of ladies. It’s been mighty hot and if you’re not used to it, you can catch Heat Rash. Not really catch it, but it take take ahold on you.

Portugal is in the midst of a Heatwave, but the good thing is that there’s no humidity associated with it. I can handle dry heat any day of the week! Hopefully within a few days or so, it’ll start cooling down. I sure hope so because I have a down jacket, rain parka and smart wool shirt that is going to waste! In time grasshopper, and you will be wanting to wear shorts again.

Our shared room is with a couple of other gals, one from Holland and the other from Spain. There’s two more in the room around the wall but haven’t talked much to either of them. They are both coughing something terrible. There won’t be much rest tonight! There are so many Nationality’s represented on The Camino and US is quite small. Where are all the Americans? Maybe I’ll see them later down the trail.

One final note. Today is my Mom’s Birthday along with Mom and Dad’s Anniversary. I so miss Mom and I know Dad does too! Hi Dad, sorry I couldn’t call but my phone is not equipped for foreign calls. Not that you’re a Foreigner! I miss you so much and was thinking of you and Mom all day. Your love for one another was a gift and reminds me how the Lord loves us so well!

And we’re off. Last night, both George and I were wide awake at 3am. Not good since we had no plans of leaving that early. We both finally fell asleep and woke up at 8am. Oh my, that’s not going to be a good start!

We high tailed it out of our apartment and headed down the street to hail a taxi. Lucky for us, it was pretty quick. Being we already walked the route from the church to Lisbon, there was no reason to recreate that section. We were dumped off near the Parque Das Nacoes, close to the airport. We found a Cafe and had some coffee, fruit, croissants and fresh squeezed orange juice. All carbs and sugar which was perfect for our morning meal. Close to 10:30am, The Baraga’s we’re like high speed turtles looking for the Camino.

We followed our map and within 5-10 minutes, we found our first Pilgrims. All the way from Lithuania, the brothers were walking to Santiago. It just so happened we both started the same day and would be hanging with them throughout the day.

Our trail followed much of the river front which was home of the largest skyscraper in Lisbon. There was a Skateboard Park, Boardwalk, and plenty to see. They also hosted the 1998 Expo here, which brought people from all over the world. And to think, we were told that The Camino from Lisbon to Porto is boring. I beg to differ! It is steeped in history and cosmo, along with plenty of bird watching.

We meandered off the trail, literally and made our way over a bridge that spanned an estuary. It happened to be the wrong way but there’s more ways to get to Santiago than following the Camino. Once my compass was recalibrated, I was able to get us back on track. We crossed over many light rail tracks, by way of a pedestrian bridge and made our way to Sacavem. We briefly were on city streets with tons of roundabouts before making our way to an exposed dirt trail that followed a good flowing creek.

At this point, we were exposed, The temperature was soaring into the high 80’s and George was hot! We had several miles to cover with not much shade. Our water bottles were lacking, and no real substance to get us through. We found a shaded table with concrete benches that we rested on and commiserated with a fellow pilgrim named Rudy. He’s from Germany and is walking his 7-8th Camino. Talk about a wealth of knowledge. We need to stick close to this Pilgrim. George shared his one and only Power Bar with me and we continued to Granja. This was our only hope for a meal and possibly, a beer!

Granja lived up to our expectations as all the Pilgrims and more were eating, drinking and resting. The best part, it was in the shade. I first grabbed the biggest bottle of water I could find, then two beers and lunch. As we were eating, the German and his friends booked a room in a Hostel up the road. That sounded like a good plan being they were sold-out the night before. I was quite surprised as this is what I considered “off-season.” Evidently it is, for certain sections of The Camino, but not for Portugal. It’s still nice and warm, well, actually hit and many Pilgrims like this type of weather!

I called the Hostel and booked a private room with our own bathroom for $45. That’s a good deal and now we will have our own place to sleep for the night. A Blue approved room for sure. We finished our egg, cheese and ham omelette with pickled vegetables and French fries. The food here is so different than the States. We ate till we didn’t need to eat anything else, then walked off towards our evening destination.

The afternoon was still fairly toasty and we ran into a few others along the way. The trail was a mixture of dirt, cobblestones and some asphalt, but for the most part is was quite rural. Towards the end of the day, we passed a Shepard with his flock grazing along the trail. They definitely knew his voice because when he moved, they followed. I love watching how the sheep respond to their guide, their one and only Shepard.

With less than a couple of miles to go, we headed through an industrial area with many abandoned buildings. There was graffiti everywhere on the old concrete buildings, but yet a great trail that led to a park and future million dollar apartments and penthouses. I’m sure there must be some plan to demolish these old relics but for now, they are prime for artists to paint on.

We finally arrived to our digs for the night, Alfa10 Hostel. We saw the German and his friend, met another couple of gals from the States and made it to our private room. This is not the normal on The Camino, but for today, we will take advantage of it.

After showering and doing laundry in the sink, we were ready for dinner. We headed across the street and ate to our hearts content. I cannot get over the amount of food I can order for a song and a dance. I had grilled fish with vegetables, soup and bread. George had soup and salad, and we consumed beer. After dinner, George ordered a cafe con leche and I had brandy. Our final bill was $22. I could get used to this place!

For our first day on The Camino, I think we did quite well. The miles will come, the heat will dissipate and our body’s will adjust. George did great and was quite the trooper, even at the end of the day. We met some new friends and we learned many lessons. We definitely need to have some emergency rations on hand, and maybe a second bottle of water. Our umbrella’s worked marvelously in shading us from the blaring sun, and cooling our body core by a good ten degrees. George was a skeptic but now, a believer!

Sleeping in a private room is grand until the random pilgrims came barging in at 10pm. Not sure why that happened, especially being our door was locked. Somehow someway, their key opened our door. Hmm, fun times in the Hostel! Hopefully that won’t happen anymore tonight. George is fast asleep and I’m ready to do the same. Boa Noite and have a good night or day, whatever it may be.

With any adventure, there are always kinks. George and I were off from Sacramento Airport. All was good. We used the self-serve ticket line, then it said, “you must see an agent.” Hmm, that’s new and exciting. Maybe they want to upgrade us for free?!? That’d be nice. Somehow, we did not have seats assigned so she found us two seats together. With our brief inconvenience, we head upstairs and go through the gauntlet of TSA Personnel. Did they tell them to have no personality and never crack a smile? Oh my. It was like going to Penitentiary without wearing Prison Blues!

Once we negotiated that, we were seated, waiting for the Boarding Call. That’s when it happened. Over the loud speaker we here, “Sorry but we had to send your Flight Attendant home today for reasons unknown. There will be a delay until we can find another to fill her spot. Typically this wouldn’t be a huge deal, but our second flight from DC was quite tight. Luckily, Bri had already come to the airport and was assigned to another flight. She was reassigned to our plane. So with the short delay of only 45 minutes, we had 20 minutes to make our connecting flight. Oh joy!

We landed in DC, and ran to our boarding gate. It was tight, but we made it. Then we sat back and enjoyed the flight to Toronto. Once in Canada, we have plenty of time to eat and drink. By 11pm, and some 18 hours later, we were on our final leg!

The ride from Canada to Lisbon was with Air Canada. What a great crew they had. Drinks and pretzels, then dinner and wine. Followed by a great movie, a personal sized pillow and blanket, I was ready for a Red-Eye to Lisbon. I made it through the first flick and by the second, I was barely keeping my eyes opened. All snuggled up in Coach, I slept for a whopping 2-3 hours.

George and I landed in Lisbon, Portugal at 11am Monday morning, cleared Customs and walked the four plus miles to our Hotel. It was actually the best thing we could come up with after being trapped in a plane for 24 plus hours! Walking felt wonderful. Now that’s me writing this, not George. But I think he’d agree with the idea. After nearly three hours, a couple of breaks, we arrived at our Air B&B. It was perfectly situated in Alfama, a lovely barrio with tons of Cafes, Bars and Restaurants.

We offloaded and found a place to eat and drink. Alfama overlooks the water, and is such a great location. There are Cruise Ships that drop off thousands of tourists daily, and this means lots of things to do. George and I found a swanky little patio that overlooked the water, and had our first Portuguese Beer.

We walked the town, found one of the oldest and important Cathedral’s in all of Portugal. Honestly, we had no idea that this was the case until we started reading about the history of St. Vicente Cathedral.

The original Monastery of São Vicente de Fora was founded around 1147 by the first Portuguese King, Alfonso Henriques for the Augustinian Order. Built in Romanesque style outside the city walls, it was one of the most important monastic foundations in mediaeval Portugal. It is dedicated to Saint Vincent of Saragossa, patron saint of Lisbon, whose relics were brought from the Algarve to Lisbon in the 12th century.

The present building dates from the rule of King Philip II of Spain over Portugal from 1580. The monastery church was thought to have been principally designed by the Italian-born architect, Filipe Terzio and constructed between 1582 and 1629 with other buildings added up until the 18th Century. It also happens to be the starting point of The Portuguese Way to Santiago.

As we left this Cathedral, Tui, the Tour Guide spotted us. He introduced himself and proceeded to take George and I on a two-hour tour of all things Lisboa. We heard of the historical events that were significant to Portugal becoming a country. Between the Moorish and the Spaniards, there was much fighting that occurred before Portugal became its own. Such a brilliant story of a people who knew that they were Christians and kept to their roots.

Tui took us to Alfama, Home of Fado Singers and Music. We walked in the narrow streets were cars cannot drive. The Locals must walk to their homes and nearby shops and restaurants, which keeps them in great shape. Not an overweight Portugues anywhere. We tried a Tart Cherry Liquor named Ginja that is poured into edible Chocolate Cups. They have been making it for over 100 years!

Tui commandeered the finest Fado Restaurant in Alfama, reserved us the best table and we proceeded to have an exquisite dinner! It was a seven course meal with olives, creamy local cheese, bread along with garlic clams, rice dish with squid and shrimp, flat-iron steak on a rock salt stone, along with Cappuccino and Almond Tart. Afterwards, we found a taxi who took us to the wrong barrio. With the help of Google Maps, we made our way home, collapsed and slept till the next day.

Welcome to Portugal! It is going to be an entertaining journey with much to see, plenty to eat and drink, and lots of exploring. On Day two of Lisbon, we walked close to 8 miles, ate and drank some more, purchased new hiking poles and a few last minute items. Ends up, we have already hiked a large portion of the first leg of the Camino by mere fact that we walked from the Airport to our Apartment. So we knocked off a few more miles today, without our packs, and plan to officially start tomorrow on Wednesday.

We have met a few Pilgrims yesterday and today. Mary from Pennsylvania, just finished her Camino from Porto to Santiago and gave us plenty of tips. She was giddy with excitement. The biggest takeaway I received from her was never be concerned with the time, leave your watch at home (which we did), don’t worry about the miles as they will come, but just enjoy each moment as you journey north. Great words of wisdom from a fellow pilgrim.

We have one last night of rest before we put on our packs and walk. Hopefully we have left our burdens at home, leaving ourselves to be only concerned with the mandatory single step ahead. No worries of where we will be from one day to the next. No reservations booked but only a path that will most definitely lead us to peace and harmony in the days that follow. Until we reach our starting point, we will rest and enjoy our time together in our private room in the quaint quintessential barrio of Alfama. I look forward to posting the wonderful and incredible adventure of The Baraga’s. Until then, Adeus (Goodbye in Portuguese).