Adventure in a tiny town

It’s 10.48am and I’ve just finished a 6km hike out to a waterfall outside of Caldas De Reís.  I’m sitting in the Botanical Gardens, beside the slow-flowing Rio Umia. The sky is blue overhead, there is a gentle breeze cooling me down after my walk and I’ve only been in town for two and a half hours.  There is a multitude of birdsong and many locals taking their daily constitutionals.  The only disturbing thing in this whole scene is the lingering of cigarette smoke because I swear that everyone smokes in this damn country!

My rest day in Pontevedra was truly a day of rest with just under 10k in the legs.  I started the day quietly writing yesterday’s blog in the local park, then decided to walk across a number of bridges in the town (there are plenty) and visit a local shopping centre for some supplies (translation I went shopping and bought empanadas at the local bakery) and then hit a few more bridges. 

Back to the hotel after lunch for a rest (and a sneaky nap), and before you know it I was walking to Burger King for dinner. Yep, it was a night for Western comfort food, and while the burgers were familiar, the fries, and dessert was not - but always nice to try a different country’s take on things.

Woken early by inconsiderate pilgrims dropping their crap and making a general racket chattering and packing, so I figured I’d hop the early bus and find a little more out of the way - although because we are staying at a private home, there’s no drop off of gear, so everything must come with me.

After a bit of a “not sure if this is a comedy or a drama” moment trying to find my bus stop, I found the right place and hopped aboard.  Even managed the correct money when asked so that’s a win in my books!

On arrival into town I stocked my bag with a croissant con jamón y queso (ham and cheese) and set off around town to spot the landmarks I’d set myself to explore. A couple of churches, the most of interest to me is the Igrexa de San Tomé Becket - a Catholic Church dedicated to Thomas A Becket. 

Now those who know my nerdish leanings will know I love English history and this man was a major player during the reign of Henry II - anointed as the Archbishop of Canterbury by Henry, but loyal to the church, Thomas was not the malleable pawn Henry thought he would be.  After one particularly annoying disagreement, Henry is said to have uttered “who will rid me of this turbulent priest”. Heard by four of his guard, this was interpreted as a sign to kill the archbishop and he was murdered, in his own church as he sought sanctuary.  His martyrdom was pretty much guaranteed after that.  Anyway…this is the only church dedicated to St Thomas in Galicia.

After giving directions to a lovely French woman and having a bit of a chat about the Camino (she finds the last 100km boring because she can walk in vineyards at home in the south of France), I started my walk to the promised waterfall. My only hope was that it actually was a waterfall and not a seasonal one that is empty after the snow melts.

Google maps had given me directions, but with 50m to go it directing me down a private road that had a very definite sign excluding anyone but “residentes”. So after a bit of investigation I found a separate path that lead me to the top of the falls (and a tunnel under the falls that looked muddy and wet, so I opted not to risk my sneakers).  Not only were they were flowing, they were rumbling.  Not only were there signposts showing me the way to the bottom, but also the surprise of the ruins of the old electricity factory (hydroelectric maybe) at the bottom. I don’t know how I missed that stack as I hiked in!

Many signs talking about the factory that I’ll need to translate but what a find, along with the waterfall, tunnel and a Roman bridge that was so overgrown it was difficult to spot.

All in all not a bad morning so far with 8km under the belt before 11!  Although as I was hiking in the middle of nowhere I did think what a stupid thing I’d done going off and telling no one of my plans. I didn’t see anyone else on my travels and made sure to be very sure footed when I was walking because I couldn’t even remember the emergency number!  Chalk that one up to experience and I’ll make sure I tell someone next time I go off script!

Only two more sleeps til I’m back in Santiago and then only one more and I’ll be back in Paris.  The anticipation is growing!

A few more Spanish days

Since our stop in Vigo, we have made our way closer to Santiago by two more towns and cities.

The first of those was a charming little town called Arcade. While there is an albergue in town, I think it is probably one of those places that people pass through but perhaps don’t stop in, which is a shame because it is a pretty town.

Early for check-in so after a Lomo (seasoned pork) bocata for lunch, I took myself off to explore the town. The bridge out of Arcade that pilgrims take was built during the medieval period and that of course needed to be seen.

It’s a single-lane bridge with just enough room for a car to squeeze past walkers - but of course some pilgrims are absolutely unaware of everything around them, so as a car approached to pass, I slowed to ensure I could safely walk as they went by me. The walker behind me promptly stepped into the middle of the road to take photos and proceeded to block traffic! The drivers here are much more patient than at home and didn’t even beep her - they merely waited and then drove by once she was done. I really hope she never visits Australia because someone will burst that little ignorant bubble for her in the worst of ways!

Our apartment for the night is a gorgeous newish build - with an elevator - yes an elevator (that’s how you recognise the new build!). It has been set up with bread and condiments and cereal and milk and coffee, all those things that make it feel like home for a night.

Next stop - Pontevedra and the 8 minute train ride was worth it just for the view. Pontevedra is another city with medieval roots and after arriving at my hotel and practising my Spanish (yo tengo una reserva para esta noche. Puedo dejar mi mochila aquí hasta check-in) I dropped my bag and began a long exploration of the city.

There are so many churches in these towns and cities.  I think I visited five yesterday, all resplendent in their own way.  I was also lucky enough to be in town for the opening hours of the ruins of the San Domingo church and monastery which dates back to the 14th century.  While most people came in, looked and left, in all my nerdish glory I read every sign and explored every nook and cranny of the site, learning a little more Spanish history as I went.  

From there I visited a number of churches before finding the Puente Burgos with its scallop shell markings showing pilgrims the way out of the city.  A little note on Google then suggested a side quest - the Illa de Esculturas - the Isle of Sculptures - a 70000 square metre park that has a sculpture trail set up with sculpture by 12 artists.  Accepting the side quest means I hit a 15km mark for walking today - so although I’m not walking the Camino routes, I am still hitting step goals in the cities I’m visiting. I think Arcade was my lowest count - I only did 12000 steps which is about 9kish I think for me.

After the sculpture walk I settled into a little panadería for a bocadillo (baguette) and a hot chocolate.  Here’s what was in the pre-made roll - ham, cheese, lettuce, tuna and boiled egg - how’s that for a protein filled roll.  Weird combo but surprisingly flavourful. And the hot chocolate - like a thick chocolate syrup - mmmm-mmmm.

Full and a little tired I checked into my hotel room - very modest by yesterday’s standard - and had a quick freshen up before meeting my travel buddy for drinks and a dinner of curry at a local restaurant.

Tomorrow is due to be a rest day and while I was originally planning a day trip to A Coruńa, I think it might just as easily be a sleep in, lazy brunch and sitting in the park with a book. After all, I am on holiday!

A travel day and a rest day

On Thursday we made our way in the rainy streets of Baiona to the wrong bus stop to wait for a bus to Vigo which would never come! You can generally trust Google with PT but AI can be a bit unreliable.

Anyhoo, we found our bus stop after seeing our bus actually leave so we caught the next bus after grabbing a drink at our hotel’s cafe.

The bus ride was scenic and winding, complete with people listening to music out loud, singing along to said music and just the general stuff you get on public transport worldwide.

You can still learn plenty while taking the bus - we passed a monument on a roundabout which was a propeller from a plane. Quick look on Google maps and it was a memorial to General Jose Santos Peralta, one of the first jet pilots in the Spanish armed forces. So even catching the bus I was learning some local history.

My travel buddy has a really bad case of blistering on her feet and we are welcoming a couple of rest days to recover her feet and decide next steps (pardon the pun!) so on arrival in Vigo, our first stop, right next to the bus station was a shopping centre, where I indulged in honey-glazed KFC while listening to the end of the Lions-Swans game on ABC radio. I can’t believe I can listen and watch Layo here for regular matches - just not the finals like in Leon in 2023.  Safe to say I was happy with the outcome but may have had a few raised eyebrows pumping my fists and hissing “yes” under my breath when there were great passages of play!

Our apartment is a lovely little place in old Vigo, with the only misgiving being five flights of stairs down to the front door only to have to walk 3 flights up to our front door.  After checking in at 3pm (on the dot), we set ourselves up for the night - my travel buddy with a Telehealth appointment to access antibiotics for her foot and me to the supermarket to buy dinner as we have a full kitchen and eating out every night becomes a bit expensive.

So after a hearty dinner of pasta and vegetables (with a pork sausage for me too), we settled down for the night.

Not a bad night’s sleep and after a lazy breakfast in the apartment (again, what a money saver), I ventured out to explore the town. First stop was one of the highest points in the city - the Castillo de Castro - huge old fort on top of the hill, overlooking the city. I don’t know how many stairs I climbed to get to the top - but if “a lot” was a number, that is how many I climbed. 

I spent a peaceful hour exploring the ruins from 9.30-10.30. After that, the tour buses started arriving and can you believe they drive all the way up and avoid the climb.  After the third group arrived I decided it was time to go, but not before one poor tourist took a tumble, almost fell off the ramparts and first aid had to be rendered - but thankfully not by me!

On the way down I took a few breaks in the cool shadows to let my knee calm down (she’s a little cranky today), and at one stop I got talking to a lovely Scots couple who talked about the escalators they caught to the top of the first hill and the new ones being built. Could not believe it when I spotted said escalators on the way to my next stop - the Concatedral - Basílica de Santa María de Vigo. Yep, another church. Who’d have thunk!  

Past the church and down to the waterfront for another hour of sitting in the cool breeze and watching people go by.  Found the monument to Jules Verne (there’s a connection but I need to translate the plaque to understand it) and then back through the centre of the old city where I now find myself sipping sangria and eating toasties for lunch.  

Nice to get some texts from folks back home while I’m here listening to a local busker and enjoying the wine. I think I need a siesta though so will pop back to the apartment soon to rest my feet and plan if there will be another outing this afternoon.

On a final note, there is a fabulous photo exhibition through the Main Street of 50 moments of history celebrating not just Spain but the world. They depict events like 9-11, Covid, same-sex marriage equality, the financial crisis, the EEU, immigration, natural disasters, accidents, famine - the entire scope of human events. They are out in the open and only two have been defaced in any way. One was positively defaced - a local activist who was assassinated has positive messages across his memorial photo “we won’t forget you”, “we love you” “we miss you” “you we are Spain” - and so many more like it. The other is a picture of the current US president. The comments and graffiti on his picture are much less positive and his face is almost unrecognisable from the way he has been drawn on.  (The photo I’ve added here is from yesterday. It’s even more written on today!) Yet the one of Barrack Obama is pristine. Read into that what you will!

Tomorrow we are off to Arcade - I don’t know what there is to find there but I’m sure we will find something!

Three stages complete - so what have I learned?

Missed a day of blogging yesterday, so it’s a two-for-one today.

We set off from A Guarda for Oia a little later this morning with a 9am start as the day was a little shorter and we could do with a sleep in.

It was a nice walk - a mix of alongside the road and off track beside the ocean and a little bit of forestry track.  Not a lot of towns to travel through, so when you find a cafe you just stop and eat, which we did at about the 8k mark. Lovely cafe with views over the ocean and a fresh breeze to revive tired bodies. 

It was about 5 hours on our feet, with about 160m of elevation gained and lost throughout the day.  Trudging into Oia, we remembered it was San Juan’s Eve - a festival night and a lot of the shops and cafes were closed as a result. We made a quick trip to a couple of stores for dinner and made our way slightly out of town to Casa Toni, our accommodation for the night.

What an absolute delight! Toni has set up her two apartment home so she can air bnb one of the apartments. We were greeted with a friendly “Hola” and she showed us the delights of the rooms - the highlight being the cold beers she brought out to quench our thirsts after our long journey.  She even offered to drive us into town if needed and invited us to the festival - but with a 12am fireworks display we probably wouldn’t get to that particular event!

Kicked back looking over the ocean and enjoying our beer and then just relaxing our weary bodies. After a rest I took a leisurely stroll down to the old monastery which is undergoing some work. The festival celebrations were well underway, with BBQs by the beach and couple of house parties pumping out the music.  A lovely way to end the day before returning for dinner and a good sleep (albeit interrupted by fireworks at 11pm and 12am). 

Up early today to walk to Baiona and Toni surprised us with her homemade rose water to freshen us for the day ahead. The water was beautifully scented and I can still detect a faint scent around my neck now.

18km under the belt today and it was a tough slog with over 325m elevation gain in a short distance - my highest point today was 357m above sea level - which is where we started today!  At times I was walking in the mists of the clouds of the mountain.  Highlight of the day was meeting a fellow Pellegrino - an Italian walker named Vanessa who we had been crossing paths with since Ancora. Second highlight was the three teenage boys who set up a lemonade stand at the end of a difficult climb in and out - best lemonade ever!

Thankfully the early start meant the real heat of the day hadn’t hit when we trudged into town. Our hotel was 3 hours away from check-in so I sat by the water talking to Brendon for a bit, before making my way to the beach and a change out of dirty walking clothes into my togs for an icy cold dip at the Playa de Ribeira - like an ice bath for the hips down.

Revived with a burger and a cool drink and a quick stretch in my hotel room I went for a short walk in search of Pepsi Max (it doesn’t sell everywhere here) and now just waiting for it to be late enough to have dinner - because we are now well and truly on Spanish time now, with restaurants closing between 5pm and 8pm for everything except cocktails.

So to the question in the title - what have I learned?

I’ve learned my body is amazing and recovers pretty well between stints of walking. I’ve learned to repeat a mantra when it gets tough. My mantra means a lot to me - it’s “every step I take is a step for the ones I love who can’t step for themselves anymore” - namely my mum and my son, who now mobilise in wheelchairs.  Every time it gets tough, I remember that I have the good fortune and health to be able to do this, and I think of them and they drive me forward. There may have been tears, but I’ll never tell.

Most importantly there is one thing I already knew before I started, but which I’d forgotten (or repressed).  I don’t really enjoy walking from one town to the next, arriving exhausted and dirty and not being able to enjoy the new place of discovery.  This is not the ideal holiday for me, so it may be the coming days will feature public transport once again to move from town to town so I can enjoy the things in town once I arrive.  Time will tell! And this time I’m not disappointed- I like to think I’m insightful enough to recognise it and own it!

Back on the Camino

If you’ve been on my blog posts for a while, you will be well aware of the disastrous time I had on my Camino de Santiago walking the French Way. My feet were bad, my brain was worse and I was disappointed that I didn’t really get the experience I was hoping for, although I got the opportunity to explore our stops each day and people-watch to my heart’s content. I also got to see my friend Rachael complete the entire walk which was pretty amazing.

My work colleague (and now travel buddy), Jyai told me she was going to the midwifery conference in Lisbon and was keen to walk some of the Portuguese Coastal Camino. I immediately said “let’s do it” without a thought for how things worked out last time or for the words I said to Rach last time - “I just don’t think walking from town to town is for me.”

We have 9 stages planned over 12 days walking from Vila Praia de Ancora through A Guarda, Oía, Baiona, Vigo, Arcade, Pontevedra, Caldas del Reí, Padron and finally into Santiago.

I wish I could say I was confident and had trained hard, but unfortunately my training was sidetracked by two osteo-arthritic knees that required some management four weeks out from my trip. As a result they don’t have many miles in them, but they do have more support and strength than before. So now the proof will be in the pudding.

The coastal walk is a lot flatter than the French way and of course not nearly as long as my last venture at reaching Santiago. Today we began with an optional route that was dependant on how we were feeling at just over halfway.

The first 8km was along coastal paths and through small sea-side villages as we made our way to Caminha, where we would need to take a ferry across the river Minho, which is the border between Portugal and Spain. The regular pilgrim ferry is closed on Mondays, and me being me, I was a bit worried about not being able to get across, so I spent some time googling options and finding a suitable alternative.  Paid my fare online, joined the What’s App channel and started to get Google map pings on where to meet for our crossing.  

We had given ourselves two and a half hours to find our way there and made it in plenty of time, even with a stop to stamp our passports at a local laundromat in Modello.

Not sure how many seats the boat had, but there were at least 10 on the boat - we all had life jackets to wear and squeezed into a tinnie to cross the river and the border. Spoke with a couple of other passengers - two best friends from Canada who were also walking - but much longer distances each day!

Safely delivered to the Spanish side (A Pasaxe), we had a quick stop to eat and manage foot repair and then away we went for the rest of the stage - along the longer, but flatter path.

We made it into A Guarda just before 1pm and dropped our bags at our accommodation for the night - a former convent of San Benedicto, beautifully renovated into hotel rooms.  This one was a bit of a luxury stay but one I was keen on - our first stay on the French way in Roncesvalle was also part of an old monastery.

We spent a couple of hours down near the beach just recovering and waiting for our rooms to be ready, had a lovely late lunch at a local restaurant and after a short rest had a walk around the main part of the town.

I continued my walk through town along the waterfront and back along the beachfront, then looked around the church next door and now am firmly tucked up in the hotel lounge enjoying a tawny port and a bit of local pastry.  Next stop will be the convent museum and finally to bed to rest my weary bones.

Phoebe - one of my other bucket list items was to walk any stage of any Camino, so now I’ve ticked off another one for the year.  The others are all so much easier!

Another travel day to start the next adventure

Early-ish rise today as we are out the door and on our way to acquire something we need for the next leg of our journey. 

We are taking a bus to Vila Praia de Ancora today and will be starting day 1 of our Senda Litoral Camino (Portuguese Coastal Route) tomorrow. However I have read that the office that sells the passports is closed on Sundays and opens late on Mondays, so we need to make the time this morning to climb the hill in Porto to get one here.

The walk to the Pilgrim’s Office is a steep one but so worth it as the lovely person manning the office was friendly and helpful and before we knew it he had registered us and handed us our passports, freshly stamped with his Porto stamp.  He gave us some advice about the ferry from Caminha and the trains in Porto stamp- both pieces of information that were helpful - but more on that later.

We both marvelled at the patience of the volunteer as he was interrupted multiple times while multi-tasking giving directions, answering questions and issuing passports and scallop shells.

After successfully acquiring all we needed, we rode the two Metro lines needed to get to the bus station, had a bite to eat at the station cafe and before you knew it, we were on our way to Ancora, a beautiful little seaside resort town. It was quite interesting waiting for our keys to our apartment as we weren’t sure who was bringing them or even what time they might get there, but eventually our host arrived, gave us the grand tour and left us to our devices. 

First order of business was lunch, so Jyai and I went for a walk through town, found a food kiosk that sold freshly cooked “calamares fritos” fried calamari and washed it down with a lovely sangria.

We then just explored the coastline a little more and after a quick stop at the supermarket, decided a cooked meal at home was in order.  Back to the apartment for a rest then down through town the other way to enjoy the ocean views, although the haze coming in over the water blocked a lot of the blue sky and gave a dreary feel to our photos. There was a lovely, fresh wind blowing that took the bite out of the sun and we ended our walk with a jug of sangria sitting in the town square, listening to a local busker and just kicking back and relaxing.

Pizza cooked at home for dinner and an early night ready for the next day’s walk - but more on that tomorrow.

Getting to know Portugal a little better

Today’s itinerary is brought to you by Jyai, who found a fabulous working tour of Porto for us and then some other offerings for the afternoon.

But first stop was a cafe close to where we would meet our tour guide, high on the top of Porto’s first hill. Just when we thought we had left the climbs of Lisbon behind, Porto proved it had a few tricks up its sleeve.  We slowly made our way up and ordered coffee and breakfast - I chose the beef croquette option, which proved to be a great choice.

Following breakfast, we met Andre our guide outside the former prison that has now been converted to the Museum of Photography. For three hours we wound our way around the streets of Porto, enthralled by the tales Andre told us.  Next time you see me, ask about the Portuguese flag and I can tell a little story about its design.

We had running commentary about history, about places, about political regimes, ruling monarchies, republics and democracies.  All with views of the beautiful Porto monuments and skyline. 

Andre recommended a delightful tapas restaurant for lunch (Bia) where we enjoyed shared tapas plates and a white port and peach cocktail.  They have perfected the “portonic” - a cocktail mix of port and tonic with other flavoured liqueur added in. Very refreshing and a lovely flavour.

We had hoped to walk across the Dom Luis I bridge and do a river cruise and cable car ride in the afternoon, however with the Invictus Airshow starting at 3.30pm, the bridge, river and highest points in the city had all been closed to accommodate the show. 

So we booked a Fado tutorial and show for the early evening and made our way across the Douro by Metro to Gaia, where we found ourselves a quiet spot on the grassy hill to watch the acrobatics of the airshow. It ran from 3.30pm-7.30pm - we stayed for about an hour then went back to our apartment to freshen up for our evening’s entertainment, making a quick pit stop at Manteigaria – Fábrica de Pastéis de Nata - deemed to be one of the best makers of this national treat.  They did not disappoint!

Fado is a Portuguese music genre characterised by mournful tunes and lyrics. The Portuguese guitar is used in this art form - a 6 double-string guitar with the musician only using the thumb and index finger to manipulate the strings. It was a beautiful evening of music and learning, punctuated by the planes still spiralling overhead!

Dinner was at a little restaurant just down from our apartment- “Intrigó” - more tapas, this time more croquettes (possibly the best I’ve ever had), cod fish (Portugal’s national fish dish) and aubergine.  Served this time with cider for me, it was the setting that made this an amazing find - looking out and across the river from the top of the hill as the golden hour started to kick in. Not long after we went the long way home via the gelato store where the banana dulce de leche was a great way to end the evening.

Tucked up in the living room watching a movie before bed, I am so grateful for the opportunity to travel and experience these beautiful cities. Portugal was never really on my list, but it’s firmly there now for a return visit and further exploration.