Camino Clan-Day 3 & 4 (Also known as Change in Plans)

Before I start telling you about the last two days adventures, I need to tell one funny story from the first day out of Porto that still has me giggling.  

We were working our way down along the river in Porto.  There were lots of shops and people out and about.  At one point we were walking along the sidewalk on the side of the road by the river and we hear shouting.  

Looking over we see an older couple having an argument.  This is a straight out the movies, classic argument.  Arms are waving, fingers are pointing, words being said loudly and emphatically that we can’t understand.  They were very passionate about whatever it was they were arguing about.  

Now that was funny enough but then it got even better.  

The gentleman stormed across the street waving his arm at the lady with that “I’m over it” mannerism that is easy to recognize in any language.

Then they were both walking in the same direction on opposite sides of the streets while continuing their argument.  Complete with the arm gestures and everything.  

They gave zero shits who was watching or listening. It was hilarious.  We all got a giggle out of it as we continued on our way.  

Okay, now for the continuing adventure of the Camino Clan…

Day 3 - June 22, 2023

We left Vila do Conde around 7:00 am and headed towards the Camino and the yellow arrows.  We knew the weather was supposed to be much warmer so we wanted to get an early start so we could get some miles in before it got hot.  

Fountain in Vila do Conde

We were about five miles in and I asked for a pit stop because my blisters were really hurting and I wanted to see if I could adjust some things.  The pharmacy had given me some great bandages to use and when I asked if he had a needle or anything I could pop and drain the blisters with he handed me a syringe.  Lol. Not what I was expecting but it works!  

I had popped the blisters before bed and put the bandages on.   The bandages had stayed on really well but the blisters had filled up again and were pushing against the bandage and my shoe.  I decided to regroup, drain everything again and put on new bandages.  That was exactly what I needed!  This time the blisters were able to drain and the bandages were able to soak up the ick and protect my foot all at the same time.  Gross but effective.  Which is important when you still have a long way to go. 

We did not walk along the ocean the entire day like we had the day before. 

The boardwalk took us inland a bit.  Not far but enough to get us behind the hill so we no longer were getting the lovely cool ocean air.  This made things a wee bit hotter.  

At a pit stop to use bathrooms we met some fellow Camino travelers. There was one big group of ladies that were from the USA.  We chatted with them for a bit.  Then we met an awesome lady name Irina who was from Minnesota (but she had a really thick accent).  She was very excited that we were from Oregon because she has visited many times and done some endurance racing there.  She definitely spoke Josh’s language right there!  Lol 

The group with our new friend Irina. (In the red shirt)

We took off again down the boardwalk as things were getting hotter.  

Luckily we had stopped to have a lunch/snack and restock the water at about mile eight.  Because the Camino moved inland about a mile and a half later and there was nowhere to get anything.  If we hadn’t been stocked up on water before that section it would have been a very miserable afternoon.  

Just after mile 12 we saw a handwritten sign that said “bar” taped to an oil drum with an arrow pointing into this fenced area.  We looked through the fence and sure enough, there was a soccer field and a small bar that had drinks and a restroom.  They had a little bit of shade provided by the building itself.  It looked like they were in the process of building an awning to go over the entire patio area.  

Lots of really narrow streets, and yes cars go by so it gets a little tight.  Actually more than a little. 

Everyone that was there was sitting up next to the building to be in the shade but there was some room on the end so we squeezed into the spot.  We got more water and took our shoes off.  

We talked to a lovely lady from Germany.  When I took my socks off and she saw the blister bandages on the backs of my feet she said, “Blisters are shit!” in a fun accent.  Made us all laugh.  She was fun to talk to and gave me a new tip on how to get blisters to not close up so they will keep draining.  We had to figure out some of the words in English but it was fun.  Evidently you can take a needle and cotton thread and start at on end of the blister and thread through to the other end of the blister.  Once the needle is through, take it off the thread and leave the ends hanging out both sides.  The yuck will drain out the thread and the holes won’t close up.  She got stuck on the word thread. Lol 

We also met two young ladies from Rome who asked us if we would be willing to say Happy Birthday to their friend Francisca in a video so they could send it to her.  They definitely asked the right people because we love stuff like that!  So we did that for them and chatted for a bit with all our fellow Camino pilgrims.  

When it was time to go I decided to put on my sandals.  We were getting close to being done (I thought) and I was just done with shoes and blisters and socks!

We ended up doing another 5 miles!  Lol  Good thing I have great sandals and they are super comfy to wear!  

We spent a lot of time walking through farm land.  Their corn is way past “knee high by the 4th of July”. It was taller than we were.  We saw all kinds of gardens, crops and greenhouses.  Looked a lot like home except for the orange tiled roofs peeking out.  

If we weren’t walking on boardwalk, we were walking on cobblestone roads and sidewalks.

Random things seen on the trail.

We took another short break in the small city of Fao in the shade.  One last sit down before we made the push to the hostel we were staying at.  

My hip gives me trouble off an on with my IT band.  Usually it’s just annoying when I am sleeping or when I first get up out of the recliner.  Everything is stiff and it hurts when I walk and put pressure on that leg.  

Today it got bad.  The last mile and a half of our day I was really hurting and it was hard to keep going.  But I pushed through it and got to the hostel in the beautiful little town of Esposende. 

We went a total of 17 miles and walked for 6 hours and 47 minutes.  I stopped the watch when we took breaks most of the time so that doesn’t count our total time on the road which was about 8 hours total.  That was a long hot day!

No melt downs so that’s a win.  😉

I was very glad that in this hostel we had our our room instead of the six to a room bunk bed situation we had earlier.  

We got cleaned up and then Joe worked on my IT band.  That HURT!  Like bad words coming out of my mouth and tears going down my cheeks.  Ugh.  Pain with a purpose but not fun.  After it felt much better so it was worth it!

We stayed close to the hostel for the evening.  First we went to the grocery store to pick up our morning water, breakfast and snacks for the next day.  When we got back and put everything away we went downstairs and had pizza at the restaurant right below the hostel.  

Convenient and delicious!

We all went to bed early since it was going to be another long hot day the next day…

Day 4 - June 23, 2023

The start of the day.

I wake up this morning and my hip is hurting again.  I keep thinking that it will loosen up as I’m getting ready and packing up my things.

But it doesn’t.

I take some Advil hoping it would help with the pain or to loosen things up. 

But it doesn’t.

I hope it will not feel so tight when we start walking.

But it doesn’t.

Wendie put some of her massage cups on my leg hoping that would help. 

But it doesn’t.

I tried for a little over one mile and it took me 30 minutes to go that far.  There was no way I was going to make it 15+ miles with elevation thrown in today.

So I made the really hard decision to take a rest day.  

That was brutal.  

Crap!  I didn’t even make it out of Esposende!

My clothes hadn’t quite dried so they were hanging on my backpack while I was on the struggle bus. 

My crew was 100% supportive and telling me I needed to listen to my body.  

I got strict orders from Robin and Wendie that I was not allowed to feel shame over it. (Easier said than done, but I’m working on it).

My part of the Camino today.

Definitely the right choice.  Even if it sucked.

I convinced Joe to let me take an Uber to the next town on my own so he didn’t have to spend the day taking care of me and being bored out of his mind.  

Everyone waited until my Uber got there.  Lots of hugs and a few more tears (mine) and I was loaded up and heading to Vila do Conde.

The Uber driver spoke English and we chatted the entire drive.  It only took about 20 minutes and he dropped me off at the door of the hotel we have reservations for.  

I decided to find a laundry mat and a pharmacy.  If I’m not walking at least I could have clean clothes and see what I could get to help my hip. So I use my map app to guide me around and while I’m slowly making my to the store I enjoy the town of Vila do Conde.  

While all the towns I have seen have a certain element that is alike, each one has also had its own vibe and unique characteristics.  Walking through a town to find a hotel you see more of that than when you drive somewhere. 

The entire street had the umbrellas hanging. 

I found a pharmacy to get some more blister bandages and try and find something to help with my IT issue.  The pharmacist was really lovely.  She asked great questions and I ended up with a gel to rub on the hip and some anti-inflammatory pills to help reduce the agitation.  

There were too little old ladies in the store ahead of me finishing up a transaction.  I don’t know what was going on but I’m pretty sure they got into a rather heated discussion on who was going to pay for whatever it was they were getting.  

It’s really remarkable how, even when you don’t know the language you can recognize the body language and intent.  

Then the same two ladies had a lot to say about what was the best gel or cream or whatnot to give me.  At one point I had two pharmacists and two little Portuguese ladies in a very spirited discussion.  

All while I’m standing there trying not to giggle over it all since I can’t understand any of it.  

General consensus was stick with the gel.  Which is what the pharmacist had started with anyway and I’m pretty sure she pointed that out.  Lol

Once I was done there, I went just a bit farther and found a laundry mat.  It had three different washers that were three different sizes and two big dryers.  That’s it. Each washer cost a bit more when you went up in size. I picked the smallest one.  For 3,50 Euro I washed all the clothes I wasn’t wearing and one set of Joe’s things that I had.  Our clothes hadn’t dried all the way the night before so he had them hanging on his backpack to dry.  When I left I took them so he would have that weight to bother with while he walked.  The washer included the detergent!  I literally dumped the clothes in, shut the door, dropped in the coins and it was going.  

Then I paid 1,50 Euro to dry the clothes. 

Easy peasy.

While I was sitting there I organized my backpack a bit.  Then I messaged the hotel to see if they would let me leave my backpack there.  I was going to wander around and find somewhere to sit and people watch until I could check in at 3:00 pm.

Never got a message back but I figured I would just stop by and see what they said.  

The tiny hotels and hotels are more like bed and breakfast places back home.  Small homes that have been converted into a place for people to stay.  So sometimes finding them is like a scavenger hunt because they often will have a very small sign by the door that is easy to miss.  

I found this one and rang the door cam bell. I got an automated message saying to wait (I think).  Then another one saying to keep waiting (again, I think.)

Finally a man’s voice asked if I needed something.  So glad he spoke English.  I told him I was checking in today but was hoping to leave my bag.  He said he had gotten my message and they cleaned my room first so I could come in and get my room!

I had to go next door to the shop and tell that lady I needed into the hotel.  She called another lady and then walked me back to the door and handed me off to her.  

The room is on the third floor so that was a bit much but I made it!

She didn’t speak English but we used our phones to translate things and figured it out.  I am incredibly appreciative of how patient people are while I’m figuring it out.  An abundance of kindness!

Once she left, I got a few things out of my back pack and then laid down on the bed. 

I crashed for over 90 minutes.  The bed was so comfy and I was physically and emotionally wiped out.  More than I thought evidently.

When I got up I decided to use the time off the trail for some self care.  

This is the best room we have had so far.  The bed is memory foam and so comfy.  There is air conditioning.  It has a little kitchen and a mini fridge.  But you would never know it at first

This is where the bathroom, kitchen and fridge are locate.

Great use of space!  

I took a long shower and enjoyed not having to hurry because someone was waiting for me or might need to use the bathroom.

I fussed with my hair. Took the time to put on lotion. 

Basically just had some me time.  

Joe texted me and asked me to grab some groceries so that he wouldn’t have to when they got done.  Luckily there was a store really close so I was able to go pick up a few things and come right back.  I sent Joe a picture of the doorway of the hotel so he would know what to look for.  I also tied my purple bandana to the rail of the balcony.  I let him know that too. 

The hotel door is to the left, the business on the right is owned by the same people and the entrance is around the corner.  😆

View out the window from the bed.  You can see the bandana tied on the rail.

I actually heard the crew talking outside when they were looking for the place so I was able to come out and say hi.  They got ahold of the owners so they could come in and get settled.  Robin wasn’t feeling too hot so I helped get her air conditioning going and settled.  Josh got the laundry situation figured out.  The hotel took all the laundry and did it for us. They provided a drying rack to dry them too.  Evidently dryers are not a thing here so everyone hangs the laundry to dry.  But at least no one had to wash their clothes in the sink which was nice. 

We all went to dinner and had a great time sharing our day since I was apart from them all day.  I sure do love all these people.  I have made the decision to take one more day off since tomorrow is supposed to be longer than today and just as miserably hot. 

Seems like the smart thing to do but it hurts my heart a bit.  Sometimes the smart thing isn’t necessarily the easy thing.  

I really want to be doing the heart thing.  Which is being out there kicking ass with my husband and friends.  

Sigh.  

On the flip side, today was lovely as far as being chill and getting to just be.  Tomorrow I might take in a few sights.  I’m going to try and be open to the new adventure.  Even if it’s very different from the one I had envisioned.  

I’ll let you know what the next stage of the adventure looks like soon. 

Thanks for following!