Walking the Camino Portugese Porto to Viana do Castelo

I should actually call this the Part Time Pilgrim because I have not been participating in the walking very much.  My promise to myself before I left home was that I would listen to my body and not injure myself this time.  I am enjoying visiting the cities and towns along the Way but I don't always arrive on foot.  Don't judge - I'm trying not to.

The sky was overcast again as we left our hotel on Sunday morning and walked up to the Trinidad Metro Station - on the way I found 10 euros on the sidewalk!  My Mom would have made me leave it but I looked around and didn't see her or anyone else so into my pocket it went!

On advice from our Camino guide book we decided to forego the long walk through Porto's industrial area and take the metro to a stop out near the airport and walk the 3 kilometres to the coast.  The route took us through an agricultural area on narrow cobblestone streets past fields of corn and many barking dogs all the time planes flew low overhead.  Soon we could sense that we were approaching the ocean as the horizon expanded before us.  I love to be at the ocean so walking along this part of the Atlantic made me very happy!

There are many tributes along the way to the nautical life of the people on the coast including a memorial to the lives lost at sea.  Some of the churches are designed to resemble boats.  We went into beautiful church in search of a stamp for our passports but were told they didn't have one and were hurried out.  At first we felt a bit shunned but as we were leaving we saw a procession following a coffin into the church yard.  The behaviour suddenly made sense.    

The coast is also a holiday destination so there were great expanses of sunshades with beach bars and restaurants attached.  At this time of year there were very few sun bathers but the number of spaces available indicate that during the summer this stretch of shoreline would be packed with tourists.  The benefit to us was that there are lots of facilities (i.e. toilets) along the boardwalk that we walked along.  

We came across very few pilgrims along the coastal route even though we had read that it is becoming more popular.  Those we did meet were mostly focused on their task and didn't make eye contact as they powered along.  There are also very few yellow arrows indicating the direction to Santiago.  I guess it's obvious that you follow the boardwalk but the times we went into towns it was not always easy to find an arrow.

Our first night stay along the coast was in Vila do Conde at a little family run hotel with the kindest hosts.  Alfredo and his wife Odette couldn't do enough for us.  She helped me hang my laundry, he contacted the luggage transport people for us after he called ahead to Esponsende, our next stop, to book a room for us.  The restaurant he recommended was excellent and great value.  This is the kind of interaction with people that make travel so rewarding.  The world is full of kind people.

We found a repeat of this kindness the very next day.  The morning walk was once again along the shore and we enjoyed the sun and the cool breeze.  As the day wore on the heat built and my stamina waned.  I declared that I had walked enough and needed to find some transportation to Esponsende.  Andre continued on his way while Robert and I walked into a village to find a ride.  The streets were very quiet but we eventually found a bus stop with a young man sitting and waiting for a bus.  I asked him if the bus was going to Esponsende, it wasn't but he pointed us up the road, to the right and then to the left and "maybe" there we could get the right bus.  By this time the heat radiating up from the road and sidewalks was almost unbearable, and the boy's directions were less clear as we went along.  All the shops were closed and there was no one around.  Finally, I spied an open door to a small store with flowers and religious statues with three women inside.  The youngest spoke English, she explained that if we wanted a bus we would have to walk out to the national highway a couple of kilometres away and 'hopefully' a bus would come along.  We asked if she could call a taxi for us but her Mom called her over and offered to drive us to our hotel!  I cannot tell you how relieved I felt - I could have kissed her.  She refused payment but we left money on her dashboard.  

The next morning we walked for a short distance along the shore but soon the arrows took us inland. There were a few more pilgrims on the path and we managed a quick conversation with a couple of people who were part of a group of 18 Polish Pilgrims.   They stopped at a church and we didn't see them again - that day at least!

We crossed some fields and eventually worked our way up a hill to small villages with affluent looking homes surrounded by well maintained gardens.  There was an occasional bijou view of the sea through the houses and trees.  

Our destination for the day was Viana do Castelo, a city that is well worth an extended visit.  We decided to cut our walk short in the early afternoon and took a bus so we could have more time to see some of the sights.  It was a wise decision.  The old town city centre with its 1774 fountain, has many attractions all within a very short distance.  We visited the Cathedral, saw a display of antique tiles, a museum of traditional clothes and a beautiful little chapel.  

After we left the city centre we walked up to a funicular that took us to the top of a hill overlooking the city and the nearby seashore to The Saint Lucia Basilica.  The city guide says "The temple of the Holy Heart of Jesus built on the west spur of the Saint Lucia Mountain, from where is dominates and 'blesses' the city is, without any doubt one of the most famous and symbolic monuments of the country."  It is spectacular!

It was early evening when we came down from the mountain there was a fortress we wanted to see.  To get there we walked along the Rio Lima and out towards the sea where 15/17th Centuries Fort or Castle of Sao Tiago da Barra is situated.  It was closed, but we managed to peek in the key hole!

We had walked past fishing boats tied up for the night with their gear all prepared for the next day.  There is also a hospital ship that served for decades as support for the cod fisher fleet which was on the Newfoundland and Greenland banks.  It was converted in 1998 to a museum and has apparently had over 400,000 visitors since it opened.

A statue of a golden breasted woman with flowing hair stands near where the river and the ocean meet.  We never did find out anything about her but it was an impressive image so here she is!

We capped off our evening with a delicious dinner at a sidewalk cafe on a quiet side street.  The owner treated us to his homemade grappa!  That made the walk back to the hotel interesting!

Porto

I find myself in a modern apartment in the city of Redondela in Spain on a Saturday afternoon.  I’ve taken a day off from walking and want to write about our experiences so far.

We arrived in Porto on the morning of September 6 after over 24 hours of travel.  Our driver met us at the arrivals area.  We decided last trip to Europe that we are happy to spend a bit of money to be met at the airport and be driven to our hotel.  It is such a relief to not have to worry about wrestling luggage on public transit and to arrive in a swift manner to our destination!

The skies were over cast as we left the airport, our driver said that was normal because of the proximity to the sea.  By the time we arrived at the hotel the sun was shining in bright blue sky.  Although we were desperately tired our room was not ready for three hours so we took to the streets on a mission to find SIM cards and something to eat.   

Our hotel was in the same area we staying in in 2012 and things were familiar so we found a restaurant that we had eaten at before and stopped by for a coffee and snack.  They told us that there was to be a Fado performance that evening so were reserved a table for dinner.  

We had a delicious dinner and thoroughly enjoyed the young woman who sang the Portuguese traditional folk music with emotion and beauty.  It was hard to decide what was the best part of the evening - the music or the almond pie with pistachio ice cream and 30 year old Port!

The next day we had booked a free walking tour so we woke early and made our way up one of Porto’s many hills to meet our tour group.  Eugenia was our guide, and as I have experienced before with walking tour guides, she loves her city and was so happy to share it with us.  She was knowledgeable and funny - a pleasure to spend the morning with.  The tour took us to the Cathedral so we were able to pick up our Credentials.  These are our passports for the Camino.  They identify us as Pilgrims and we collect stamps along the Way to show where we have been.  Our tour ended on the banks of the Douro River where Robert and I had a quick lunch and then took a river boat tour of the 6 bridges of Porto where we witnessed daring feats - young men diving into the water from dizzying heights!

Dinner was near the hotel and we settled in for an early night as we hoped to go back to visit some of the places Eugenia had shown us on our walking tour.  One of these was a bookstore that is considered one of the most beautiful in the world.  It is outstanding, but it’s real claim to fame is the fact that when JK Rowling lived in Porto she often visited this bookstore and it influenced her description of Hogwarts - the moving staircase in particular.  This notoriety has put it on the tourist map so you have to wait in line to buy a 5 euro ticket and then wait in another line to enter the bookstore where there are throngs of people all trying to photograph the exquisite interior of the shop.  It you purchase a book your 5 euros is refunded in the purchase price so we picked up a couple of small books on the history of the store. The photos really don't do it justice but you get the idea!

We wandered into some beautiful churches, walked the streets enjoying the variety of street art and did some window shopping - no room to actually shop!

Our friend and travel partner Andre arrived in the late afternoon so we were soon off again to show him some of the places we had seen and to discover new places together. First stop was to the Sao Bento train station situated just around the corner from our hotel.  It is considered to be one of the most beautiful train stations in the world - according to Eugenia.  We visited the Cathedral again, spending more time there before walking over the bridge to Gaia, the city on the other side of the Douro where the Port Cellars are situated.  We took the gondola down to the river bank, had a Port tasting and went strolled along the river in search of a beer, dinner and Fado.  There was no Fado to be found but we did find a huge market with many food kiosks were we found all we needed to eat and drink.

We walked back along the river bank and across the lower level of the bridge then took the funicular to the top of the steep hill and wandered in the warm evening towards our hotel.  It was Saturday night and the streets were very busy.  In the square in front of our hotel there was a huge crowd gathered to listen to a local Symphony playing beautiful classical music.  The free concert went on until midnight with many curtain calls and even then the crowd was reluctant to disperse.  

The next morning we took some time to appreciate the Art Deco touches in our hotel.  They seem to be in the process of restoring the hotel, there are some lovely original stained glass pieces and beautiful wood work in many nooks and crannies.  There was also a very little, very old man who  would appear out of no where and yet seemed to be everywhere in the hotel.  It was as we were leaving that he finally noticed us and gave a small nod in our direction.   

Since our last visit to Porto there have been huge restoration projects and many more currently happening now.  It is a beautiful city with magnificent architecture.  I believe last time I was in Porto I compared it to an aging beauty queen whose wrinkles were shown, it is so good to see that money is being spent to restore to its original glory.  Tourism is its main industry and it is much busier than six years ago so hurry and go before it is completely overrun by the hordes and their cameras!  Oops!  I guess I need to include us in that!