Days 7, 8 & 9 of Camino, Portugal 2023

Day 7 - June 26, 2023

Joe and I got up and got on the road a little before 7 am. We wanted to get some miles in before it got hot, especially since there was some hills coming.

Josh and Wendie were going to have breakfast at the Bed & Breakfast we stayed at. Robin and Sea were hopefully going to be riding their bikes. The bikes were supposed to be delivered the evening before. 

We walked along the ocean for quite awhile and the day was beautiful! We had ocean breezes to keep us cool and lots to look at. 

We hadn’t been able to go to the grocery store the night before but we passed a gas station with a mini-mart and were able to get some snacks for the day. 

After about two hours we stopped for a break at a cafe. We were able to get some drinks and a light breakfast. Out Camino friend Irina was there so we got to visit with her. She was walking with Nick from San Francisco. Joe and the rest had met him on one of the days I didn’t walk. Very nice guy. Actually, everyone we have met walking the Camino have been super nice! 

RV/camping spot where we took our break.

I had to do a little redecorating with my blister bandaids on my feet. Then I made sure to use the cream I was given for my hip. So far everything was feeling pretty good. 

The lighthouse we could see from the trail along the coastline.

When we got to a little over seven miles we started heading up. This was when I would really see how my hip was doing. I kept it slow and steady the whole way up. The trail had lots of big rocks to navigate over or around so it was slow going anyway. 

It was pretty cool to start out with the lighthouse above us when we were down on the coast and then end up WAY above it when we got to the top!

The lighthouse but now looking down on it from the hill.

From the top we could see down to Baiona. What a great view. We had to go down and then tackle one more hill before dropping into the city to get to where we would be staying. 

We had just sat down for a break on some benches at the top of the hill when we heard “Caw caw!” Josh and Wendie had caught up with us! So we all took a break together and shared about our day. 

We were getting tired but the motivation was that we were staying in a castle for the night! Parador de Baiona. The hotel part was built in 1969 but the castle walls and fortifications from ancient days are still standing! 

We decided to get groceries and go to the pharmacy before we went to the castle so that we didn’t have to come back into town if we didn’t want to. It meant lugging the groceries a fair distance while still wearing our backpacks, but it was all good.

When we got to the pharmacy we bumped into Robin and Sea! Their bikes were not delivered the night before. So they took an Uber to the castle and were able to check in early. They explored Baiona for the day and the bikes came to the castle so they would be able to start riding the next day! 

When we walked up the street towards the castle it was suggested we go to the left instead of the more direct round to the entrance to the right. There is some disagreement about whose idea it was but regardless. We took the path to the left and it took us around the outside of the entire fortifications. Just another mile + at the end of the day. 

But I’m glad we didn’t go the direct route because it was really beautiful and I am pretty sure we wouldn’t have done it if we waited and then we would have missed out on seeing some cool structures and views. 

“I fart in your general direction. Your mother was hamster and your father smelt of elderberries…” (If you know, you know 😂)

We finally made it to the reception area of the hotel to check in. Josh and Wendie’s room was ready and they took off to clean up and rest.

Unfortunately our room wasn’t ready and we had to wait about 40 minutes. They had some lovely couches for us to sit on so we could be comfortable while we waited. We politely declined and went out and sat on a wooden bench just outside the reception area. They really didn’t want our stinky, sweaty bodies sitting on their cloth couches!!!

Here we sit in the foyer in front of reception. Dirty and sweaty with our backpacks laying on the ground next to us. Meanwhile all these people are coming in to check in and they are dressed to the nines with fancy luggage. Very hoity toity! 

Don’t mind the two vagabonds in the foyer. They aren’t actually homeless! Lol

Getting a shower felt amazing as usual. And being able to lay down on the bed flat. Ahhhhhh

After some down time we decided to get something to eat. The castle had a bar with a patio looking out over the ocean so we decided that would be great! Didn’t have to go far and we could be chill. Except that the kitchen had just closed so no food, only drinks. And when kitchens close in the late afternoon, they usually don’t open again until 8:00 pm!  We didn’t want to wait that long for dinner so we decided to walk down into the city. Joe had found a burger place that was close that sounded good. 

We found the place easily and put in our orders and got some drinks. While we were talking we saw Irina walk by so we had her come over and we bought her a drink. It was fun to get to know her better. She can talk up a storm!! (Yes, even more than me!)

Irina, me and Joe! Buen Camino!1

After dinner we started making our way back to the castle. I decided I needed to go put my feet in the ocean before I lost my chance to say I put my feet in the Atlantic Ocean, especially the Atlantic Ocean on the Europe side of things. There was a beach/swim area right at the bottom of the road going to the castle so I walked down to the water, took off my sandals and walked into the water. The water was cold but not as cold as the Pacific Ocean in Oregon! 

I found a shell. 💕

Joe and I talked about the walk planned for the next day. It was going to be another really long walk and the weather was forecast to be hot. We were supposed to have breakfast at the castle but that didn’t start until 8 am. Which meant we wouldn’t start walking until after 8:30 am. 

14.2 miles for the day.

This is the extra bit all around the castle. 🤣

Day 8 - June 27, 2023

We woke up a little before 6 am and talked about it some more and decided to skip the breakfast and head out early. The more miles I could get done before it got stupid hot the better.  Getting up early had advantages. The sunrise from our room was stupendous!

The plan was to take coastal route so that we would avoid the really hilly route into Vigo. We had a great start to the morning. A beautiful sunrise, saw some Camino friends and just really enjoyed the morning. 

After a couple of hours, as usual, we stopped for a rest break and to get something to eat. Since we didn’t get breakfast we decided to have croissants. They were so good!! Those breaks to sit without the backpack on and take off the shoes and socks for a bit are amazing! Although it does take a bit for the blisters to stop complaining when we get going again. But after a little bit it’s not so bad. 

Replica of one of Christopher Columbus’s ships.

We started out again and had some hills to walk but nothing too bad.  We were walking down a road and we hear “Caw caw!” We turn around and here come Robin and Sea on their bikes!! The  bikes finally came and so they were getting their first Camino day together! 💜 We chatted for a bit, they let us know that Josh and Wendie weren’t too far behind us. Then they took off on their sweet rides and Joe and I began walking again. 

A little while later here come Robin and Sea again. The route took hikers down onto the beach, across the sand and up stairs. Just a bit much for people riding electric bikes (Those suckers are not light!)  They had to find alternate routes several times. 

Meanwhile, Josh and Wendie caught up with us and we walked together for quite a ways. At one point we followed the wrong arrows for the path we wanted and ended up on the hilly one going into Vigo. 

It wasn’t terrible at first. A lot of it was in wooded areas that were cooler and prettier.  Josh and Wendie had gotten ahead of us so we weren’t with them anymore. 

We saw this unopened beer & thought Josh would think it was funny. Trail beer! Turns out Josh had left it for Joe. 🤣🤣🤣

But then we dropped down into Vigo. 

We found a cafe for another break and to restock our water. We were both pretty much out and still had a ways to go. At this point, looking at the map, we decided to not follow the arrows anymore and just do a straight shot to the hotel. Basically down a main road in Vigo that would get us really close to where we needed to be. 

I was really struggling at this point.

Everything hurt. 

My feet hurt.

My blisters hurt.

My hip hurt.

My muscles hurt. 

You get the picture. 🤣

So now we are trudging along a major road in a relatively big city. Lots of cars and people. Not the cute little towns we had been walking through. 

And the best (worst) part?

It was freaking UPHILL THE ENTIRE WAY!!! 

Seriously. I don’t think the city of Vigo has any downhill at all. 

Those last five miles were a grind! Lots of little stop breaks in shady spots. But we didn’t take off the backpacks and shoes. Mostly because I didn’t think I could get going again if we stopped. 

We finally found the hotel! The desk person told us that all our friends were already there. Robin and Sea had gotten there about an hour before us and Josh and Wendie only beat us by about 10 minutes.

We ended up with 16.74 miles for the day. That was a tough one for sure. 

It took me awhile to cool down enough to take a shower. If I take a shower while I’m still hot and sweating, then I’m will still be sweating when the shower is over. So I need to cool down enough so that a nice cool shower actually feels refreshing after I’m done too. 

We went to dinner at an Italian restaurant near the hotel. The food was really good. I just was to the point where nothing sounded good and I didn’t feel like eating. I had a salad and Joe shared his lasagna with me. It was all really good.

We walked back on the hotel and it was still really light outside. Sunset wasn’t until after 10 pm! So crazy!

I doctored up my blisters and we went to bed. 

16.74 miles for the day!

Day 9 - June 28, 2023

I was a little worried if I was going to be able to even start walking today. My hip felt pretty bad at the end of the day before. I had decided that if I woke up and it hurt like it did the day I tried to walk and only made it one mile, I would just call it ahead of time. 

But when I got up in the morning it felt surprisingly good. So I decided to go for it. 

It was supposed to be a shorter stage. Less than 10 miles which many like 12 or so. Mostly flat with a big downhill at the end as we dropped into the city of Redondela. 

The four of us hikers had breakfast at the hotel and were on the road by 7:30 am. Some hills to start with but we took it slow since the day before was hard on everyone, not just me. 

Navigators Extraordinaire!

In spite of not being in a huge hurry we ticked the miles off pretty quickly. We found a great spot for our first two hour break. A little waterfall area and a picnic table. 

The drop down into Redondela was really steep and my blisters weren’t too happy about that. Oh well! 

Sign in a church where we got our Pilgrim Passports stamped. 

Still smiling on day nine!11

Getting closer to Santiago!

We got into town and it wasn’t even noon yet. So we found a cafe to take a break and people watch. It was nice to be done so early, especially before it got too hot. 

10.62 miles for the day.

Then we found our apartment we were all sharing for the evening and sitting right down the road were Robin and Sea! They had taken a different route on their bikes then we walked so we never saw them pass us! 

Since we still couldn’t access the apartment we decided to go get drinks. I had a really yummy Sangria and the cafe owner also brought us Spanish tortillas. We were a little confused because we didn’t order them. When the guys went to go pay for the drinks and food she wouldn't let them pay for the Spanish tortillas. They were a gift for the Pilgrims. So very sweet!

We made our way back to the apartment and let ourselves in. Everyone took showers, got laundry organized because the place had a washer and then rested in our rooms. After a long relaxing evening we went and had dinner. Unlike the night before, I was hungry! I had grilled salmon and it was so good!!

Tomorrow is another longer day with hills. But the temperature is supposed to be in the 70’s so that will be nice. After tomorrow I’ll have a better idea of how my hip is holding up before I decide if I’m doing the big hill for the Spiritual Variant or not. 

Can’t believe I’ve gotten this far!

Feeling more badass every day. (And more tired!) 

Camino: The Journey Never Goes as Planned

Day 5 - June 24, 2023

My leg was much better but not good enough for the longest hike of the trip with significant elevation.  So even though it was very hard I made the decision to not join the rest of the group on the hike.  I would stay in the room and rest longer and then I had a few ideas for some adventures of my own.  The plan was to eventually make my way to Caminha to meet up with everyone at the hostel. 

It was hard to see them leave without me.  We went outside and I got a group shot and said one last goodbye before they took off for the day.

Heading out for the longest hike of the trip.

But it was easier watching them walk away while I was in a good place with a plan than it had been leaving them the day before in tears after trying unsuccessfully to make it work. 

The owners of the room we stayed were fine with me staying later than I had originally planned on.  I spent a few hours just resting and reading.  Then I started working on getting my stuff organized and packed away in the backpack.  Why is it that when I only have 20 pounds of stuff it still manages to get spread out all over kingdom come?

Around 10:30 am I checked out and wandered around the neighborhood that we were in.  So many beautiful things and places to see. 

This beautiful church was just around the corner.

This fountain was just around the opposite corner.

In the town of Viana do Castelo there is an amazing building high up on a hill.  You can walk a long winding road to get up there or you can take the Funicular de Santa Luzia.  This is basically a trolley car that takes you up to the top.  It cost 3 Euros and a car came about every 15 minutes.  I found my way to the place to buy my ticket and timed it just right so was able to get on one right away.  The little cars hold about eight people sitting down and three or four standing up.  We were pretty full and it was hot.

I mean sweltering hot. 

Sweat dripping down my back hot.

Sweat dripping down the back of my knee hot.  

No air, how much longer is this going to take hot.

Fortunately it is less than 10 minutes to get to the top. It was such a relief to get fresh air.  

Oh boy was it worth it!!

This is the Santuario Dosagrado Coracao de Jesus.  Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  It is also called the Basilica de Santa Luzia and is a treasured monument in Portugal. It is an absolutely stunning building, inside and out. It was started in 1904 and completed in 1959.

View to the west and the Atlantic Ocean.

View to the south and the Rio Lima.

One of the stained glass windows from the inside.

Beautiful ceiling.

I wandered around the grounds around the basilica and just enjoyed looking at everything and all the views.  It was amazing.  Soon I took the funicular back down the hill.

View from the funicular, looking down.

At least this time I was ready for the ridiculously hot car to ride in.  

I decided I should probably start working on making my way to the next town to meet up with everyone.  I was exploring my options and thought the train would be a fun experience and very inexpensive.  Only 3 Euros to get from Viana do Castillo to Camhila and it would take me about 20 minutes.  Sounded awesome.  And bonus!  The train station was near where I got off the funicular.

I made my way to the train station and went to the ticket booth.  Unfortunately there have been strikes going on and off for months with the train workers.  There were no trains because of the strikes.  

Well darn!

Then I tried the bus because it was also inexpensive and wouldn’t take much time.  But when I tried to buy the ticket for the buses in the early afternoon they were sold out and the one I could get tickets for was late in the evening and I didn’t want to wait that long. 

I decided I had better try to get an Uber.

That took a bit.  No one was picking up the trip.  Finally someone did.  He wasn’t the most pleasant Uber driver I have ever had and he was the first one who didn’t get out and open the trunk for me to put my bag in.  He just barked at me to put my backpack in the trunk and then got impatient that I wasn’t figuring out the latch to open it.  Needless to say, I sat in the back and didn’t chat with this driver like I had with the one the day before.  

**Side note.  We have done without cellular service this whole trip and just done Wi-Fi in the evenings at the hotels.  But when I was alone I really needed to be able to access stuff like directions, bus tickets, and that sort of thing and needed that extra connection to information.   Very different feeling when you are by yourself in a different place than when there is a group of you.  Getting lost with 5 people feels different than getting lost along.  

He got me to the hostel we would be staying in, pulled the car over and said, “This is it”.  So I hopped out, went to the back and retrieved my backpack.  I had hardly had the trunk shut and he was driving off.  Obridgado!  (Thank you in Portugese).  Guess being a jerk isn’t exclusive to Americans.   Lol

It was about 1:30 and I knew that everyone wouldn’t be arriving for several hours.  So I wandered down to the city center and found a cafe to park in.  I got a stamp at a store for my Camino Passport.  I may not be walking but I’m still traveling!  Then I had some lunch and people watched, texted with a friend, located a grocery story so it would be easy to find later.  Then I had a margarita and read my book.  

It was rough.  😜

It got to be later in the afternoon so I decided to head back to the hostel.  The gentleman running the place was happy to let me hang out on the couches by the window while I waited for my hubby and friends.  When I got to the hostel the lady we met a couple of days ago name Irina was there.  Talking the ear off of the person running the hostel.  

Joe and the gang showed up maybe 20 minutes later and we got all situated in our bunks.  Yep, another bunk bed situation,  lol. I’m pretty sure I’m WAY too old for this shit.  We got all showered and situated and Joe and I went out to the common area and visited with other guests.  Since I had been alone all day I enjoyed the conversation and being social.  Irina was there talking a million miles a minute.  I talk a mile a minute and I thought that it was a lot.  Irina makes me look like I’m thinking too long before I speak. But she has a very kind spirit so it’s all good.  I met another gentleman that Joe had met on the trail named Mark.  He was from England but had lived in Seattle for awhile.  I enjoyed talking to him as well.  

Soon it was time to go to bed.  It was pretty hot in the rooms but I managed to get some sleep.  

Day 6 - June 25, 2023

I got up in the morning and felt really good.  Today was supposed to be just a little over 10 miles so it would be a good day to see how my hip was feeling and how it stood up to a long day of walking again. 

We had a quick breakfast and headed to down to the river.  First thing we had to do was cross the river.

Today we left Portugal and entered Spain.  

We bought tickets for the ferry across. 

Now when I think “ferry across” I think of a ferry boat like we have at home.  Really big, and holds people and cars.  There was one sitting right there and I thought that was what we would be riding on.  

Nope.  

We went in a little boat that could hold maybe eight people tops. 

The boat in the background was what I thought we would be riding in. 😄

It was interesting getting into a boat that is moving up and down while wearing a backpack that makes your center of balance all out of whack.  

The crossing was about 1.25 miles and didn’t take long at all.  When we were coming up to shore I couldn’t figure out where we were going to get out.  He wasn’t pulling up to a dock or anything.  He was coming along side a stone wall.  Then I saw it.  Stairs in the side of the stone wall.  Narrow stairs.  Lol. I was so glad I didn’t fall in!

The boat and the steps we disembarked from.

We got situated and decided to take a little bit longer way around the coast line so that we didn’t have to go up and over a big hill.  

I’m glad we did because it was very pretty.  

I was enjoying myself immensely because my body felt so good overall.  Some twinges from the blisters but the awesome blister bandages I have work amazing so that was totally bearable.  

We cruised right along and didn’t take a break until about mile eight in a town called A Guardia.  That town was so perfect.  Joe and I talked about how we could totally see living there.  Small, but cute and a great city bay/beach area.  

As we were leaving A Guardia there was a castle (what I called a castle) and I was taking pictures of it when I saw people coming out a doorway.  I was so excited that I might be able to go inside.  I went and checked it out and they had a small maritime museum in there and a place to get our Camino passport stamped.  Made my day!  

When we left A Guardia we all kind of split up so Joe and I were just the two of us most of the day.  After missing the last two days of hanging with my guy during the day I enjoyed having him all to myself.  There was lots to see and we chatted throughout the day.  Or just walked along in the quiet, which is awesome in a completely different way.  

As we have learned, the mileage we have and the mileage we actually do are not the same.  We were supposed to do around 10 and I got 13.5 on my watch.  It was not as hot as the days before and we had a lovely ocean breeze, quite brisk at times, that helped it not feel quite so hot.  

I cruised along doing really well overall until about mile 12.  My hip started having a niggle and I knew that if I didn’t pay attention to it I would end up right back where I had a couple of days before.  So I ended up undoing the hip strap on my backpack so that I didn’t have anything pressing on the top of that right hip.  And I slowed down.  Both of these things helped keep the niggle from getting worse so that was good.  Of course, not having the hip strap on meant the backpack pulled on my neck and made that sore. 

There is always something. 

We made it to Oia and found our bed and breakfast.  It’s a sweet building and the rooms are beautiful.  Although I don’t quite understand how two twins or one full (double) bed are the only options everywhere we go.  Joe and I can barely manage a queen size bed without bumping elbows and knees all night long.  

Robin’s wife finally made it to Spain and was waiting for Robin when she arrived.  I know Robin was missing her wifey a lot so that was a good thing.  ❤

Joe and I showered and hung out in the room until we could meet the entire crew for dinner at 8:00 pm.  The restaurant closed in the afternoon at 4:00 pm and reopened for dinner at 8:00 pm.  Way different from home for sure!

Joe and I went and watched the sun go down in a garden area that belongs to the bed and breakfast that looks out right over the ocean.  Beautiful!

Tomorrow is supposed to be just under 11 miles.  So I’m figuring on 14.  There is a pretty stout hill that will really help me know how my hip will handle elevation for the rest of the legs.  Then I will have to make some decisions on how to handle that if my hip isn’t up to it.  Joe and I had a good “what if” conversation this afternoon and we will be able to figure things out tomorrow when we see how it goes. 

But today was a really good day and my body did WAY more than I thought it would be able to do. 

So I’m smiling!  

Officially we are 76 miles in with another 103 to go.  

Unofficially the rest of the crew has done WAY more than 76.  But that’s okay.  They are badass like that. 

Looking forward to more adventures tomorrow.  

Thanks for sharing in my journey!