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| Map of the various Caminos in Portugal |
It took us 15 days, and on top of these we spent a few days in Fatima, Porto and Vigo.
Theme 1. Popularity
This Camino is becoming very fast a most popular one, and especially amongst the younger generation. Biya and I are boomers, born in the fifties, still with a vivid spiritual mind. The Camino de Santiago de Compostela (and its more than 25 different official routes) bears a distinct catholic content and tradition for both of us. We like to walk it with regular prayers and visits to churches, religious monuments and chapels.
Obviously, walking weeks on end through Portugal and Spain and mostly along the coast and rural areas this time, this Camino is like all the others: back to nature and interact in a positive way with fellow walkers.
The simple and pure joy every morning to get going, and feel and smell a natural environment always gives me a kick. In case I see early morning an open chapel that kick then gets another boost. Heat, rain, steep slopes and fatigue are all part of a Camino walk in the summer.
This was my 4th Camino and Biya’s 2nd. And we belong to those who shall always want to walk another one. Then walking the Camino as a medieval pilgrim to seek the everlasting blessings of San Thiago and do penance for the mistakes we made in our lives…that is only a small part of our walk. It is still there somehow but not vivid nor openly shared with the world as most pilgrims did until the secularization of the Western world started some two centuries ago.
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| Teenage Boy Scout walking with the cross |
I never expected to see so many young ‘caminantes’…between 20 and 35 years young. As a couple of 75 and 68 we did not meet more than three similar ones.
This (coastal) Portuguese Camino is a more recent track from the longer original Portuguese Camino that dates back to the 13th century. There are different routes from Porto and the distance to Santiago de Compostela is about 300 km. Doable in a short time. A bucket list item? A walking event that can be done within two weeks of holidays? An original outing with friends? And also this Camino is considered to be the easiest one: just a few hills, and lots of places to stay, so short distances can be selected. The weather along the coast is not as extreme as the Spanish meseta in the summer, although rain can be expected any time of the year.
I read in the local newspaper of Pontevedra in Spain that this year 162.000 walkers are expected to pass through this city of 84.00 inhabitants. I guess 70% of them are young and do what young people are used to do as well: earplugs while walking; popular music on their phones, collecting stamps along the way to put in their ‘Credencial del Peregrino’ (the Pilgrim’s passport/certificate). Since there are so many, the traditional greeting of ‘buen camino’ is more than once forgotten. ‘OK Anton, catch yourself; things have changed already! Don’t be an old fart’.
Nevertheless with the actual changes as noticed during this Camino, the more modern, individualistic and business/functional approach remains a fact.
Theme 2. The Walk
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| A view of the inland port of Porto |
From the start in Porto at the cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of Our Lady the route already offers two options: the coastal and the inland one; both merging at the pretty town of Vila do Conde some 40kms further North.
The authorities recently created larges stretches of boardwalks under the name of ‘ecovia’ that may be named the littoral route. This littoral walk goes all the way up to Vigo in Spain. It gives the pilgrim a great and constant view of the ocean and its dangerous and rocky coast (the Portuguese and Spanish shipwrecked coast).
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| Poncho day leaving Porto / day 1 |
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| The littoral route close to Vila do Conde |
We decided to take the inland route from the town of Caminha some 120kms North of Porto as the littoral walk adds a significant nr. of kilometers because of its winding nature. Most walkers take the ferry from Caminha to A Guarda in Spain. We took the inland route to Seixas and to the beautiful border town of Valenca with its large intact fort overlooking the river Minho and the Spanish town of Tui.
True to the bone we both suffered from the typical Portuguese cobblestone streets that link the villages. Sooo many walkers suffered from serious blisters; including Biya. The walk from Apulia to Castelo de Neiva included a stretch of 6kms cobblestones. Terrible!
Once in Spain this suddenly disappeared!
We continued to the town of O Porrino which is 102 kms away from Santiago. Then some 12 kms further North at the town of Redondela the littoral, coastal and the interior Caminos all join. Quite noticeable as the nr. of walkers suddenly increases big time. Biya and I had made the decision to walk a mix of the littoral, coastal and interior one.
Then we gladly took a bus on our way back from Santiago to Vigo for a few days and walked the littoral stretch from A Guarda to Vigo; some 60 kms, and possibly the most beautiful part of the whole trip.
Theme 3. Biya's Knee
‘How is your knee doing today Biya?’ I must have asked this question tens of times. A kind of rhetorical question with her answer nearly always being ‘OK, no problem Anton’.
Anyway, she kept going, at times with a pill against the pain, with blisters that needed to be taken care of. And with her two walking poles and knee supporters as assistants. Frankly I could not do it. Then my wife sports the average Korean spirit: keep at it, there is always a solution and get to the end of the day. And then rest and recuperate.
We had planned to walk a max. of 18kms a day but at times our next lodging was a few kms further. Biya would then walk with me for a few hours and then take Uber or bus.
At times I started earlier than she did because I had to secure sleepers in the albergues where one could not book. These ‘albergues municipales’ function on the basis of first come/first served and normally open as of 1pm. And of course in the dormitories we wanted the lower bunkbeds.
From O Porrino on she walked all the way to earn her certificate. And the last couple of kms in the 30 degrees heat of the day close to O Escravitude village, she was about to cry, for the pain had reached an unknown level. She thought maybe she had destroyed what was left over of the internal tissues holding her knee in place….Fortunately I was able to meet her to share her burden and take her backpack during the final km of that day. And it was a relief to know I had secured two lower bunkbeds already: ‘Villa Vieira’, a hostel/dormitory with a swimming pool and aircon!
All of this taught me patience/paciencia, since Biya’s speed was about 2 to 3 kms an hour. The final 100 kms she did very well as we started every day a bit earlier (around 8 am) and I then walked with her for the first hour(s) and then took off to check into the next sleeping arrangement.
Nevertheless a serious check-up will be planned soon after her arrival in Korea end of September! A new knee, continue to live with the current situation, or perhaps a ‘wearable device’ that adjusts to shocks while walking. The Chinese already put such a device on the market!
Theme 4. Quality of Sleeping Places
Since ‘corona times’ the quality of the hostels and the dormitories (and the prices) has gone up. My first Camino was in 2023, just after the heaviest corona period. And the different kind of bedbugs against which the pilgrims were usually warned, frankly I never saw them, never experienced them, and never heard people talking about them anymore. Gone with the corona I assume. These days in each dormitory you receive a one-time use pillow and bed sheet to put on the mattress. I then crawl into my sleeping bag and that’s all. Case closed!
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| The private albergue in Porrino |
Some of these dormitories with their usual bunk beds are limited to about 12 to max. 15 people. The new ones with curtains, a lamp inside and a stand to put your phone on with a socket…like a ‘pod’. Makes a big difference with the large and dusty dormitories I encountered on the Camino Frances and the Camino de la Plata. Prices also went up perhaps 100% as we paid at times around 25 euros p/p for a lower bunkbed in a modern dormitory!
Then, sadly, although sanitary services are clean in general more than often, there aren’t enough toilets or showers. This being the main reason that Anton boy gets up before 6am to have a quiet shit, shower and shave!
Personally I find the booking mechanisms quite challenging. Even Biya, who does this as a norm spends a lot of time getting our reservations done. And then the Portuguese Camino along the coast receives plenty of tourists that all need a place to stay / and more and more cyclists (90% on e-bikes too!). I predict that within five years from today finding a place without digital reservations will be hardly possible! But by then in 2031 Biya and I will be done with the Camino de Santiago. Definitely.
SNIPPETS
In the village of Carreco we went for lunch to a restaurant called ‘O Sergio’. The man himself (bottle of Super Bock at hand) cooked for us and served us with his two Indonesian waitors/helpers. It was around 3 pm, end of lunchtime. Wow….I believe we received the last bits and pieces but the following was served to us for 12,5 euros each: 1. as appetizer cold shrimps and mussels 2. deep fried ratatouille 3. vegetables soup with bread 4. beer and wine to accompany 5. a huge platter with a large portion of grilled sea fish, green beans and fries 6. flan pudding with coffee and 7. Aguardente velha CFR for Anton, and Licor de hierba for Biya.
We could hardly walk back to the hostel and then rolled into bed for a long siesta!
- At the duty free section at the airport in Porto I then bought a bottle of ‘Chanella’ premium Aguardente velha which I already tasted and it received my approval; and a bottle of ‘Mariquinhos’ Licor de ginja de Obidos (sweet and sour cherry liquor).
- Fellow walkers we shall always remember are Maurizio, a large and very helpful and friendly Italian from Milano and Marina, a pretty, young and sparkling lady from Porto / both on their first camino. I predict that Marina will come and visit Biya in Korea!
- In Porto we ordered once (and never again) the local specialty ‘Franzinhos’ / we got a fatty substance of white bread slices filled with some third rate cheese and undefined pieces of meat; covered with a dark sauce. I finished it but not heartily. I can imagine that some centuries ago the labourers that worked on the river Douro to ship the wines abroad would need such a protein and cholesterol rich dish. But not now anymore!
- Surprise, surprise! Only in the small coastal village of Azurara did we come across a sidewalk restaurant where we could buy freshly grilled sardines. This used to be the traditional food for the poor in Portugal some 20 years ago. Or was it not the season? As everywhere else on our planet, we noticed sadly more and more fast food places.
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| Free food stall/delicious pears close to Castelo de Neiva |
- The song ‘I am a pilgrim’ and its version by the Byrds is well known and resonates with the spiritual component of the Camino. Now here is a suggestion: listen up to the harmonious version by the gospel-blues group ‘the Soul Stirrers’ from 1962.
FATIMA
A special mention is reserved for our visit to the town of Fatima. In 1917 three young shepherds from the Cova da Iria area experienced several appearances of the Virgin Mary who gave them three in part wordly secrets. The Church authorities as well as the legal authorities at the time were extremely skeptical. The children were even briefly locked up by the authorities and pressed to change their stories (which they did not).
Then Our Lady told the children that on 17th October 1917 there would be a ‘Milagre do Sol’ (a wonder so the sun would change its appearance). More than 50.000 people witnessed this at that day as the sun came down as if descending from the sky. Clearly this could not have been a mass hallucination or a special weather phenomenon as not only in Fatima but also in the surrounding area/villages people witnessed this wonder.
From all over the world Christians continue to flock to Fatima to see where the Virgin Mary had appeared and where the children had lived.
Biya and I found it fascinating. Pilgrims do penance by praying the rosary and shuffling on their knees some 200 meters to the place where Our Lady had appeared. We attended mass in the basilique and joined the nightly candle procession. All quite impressive.
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| Evening candle procession in Fatima |
We also attended mass at the Priesterbruderschaft St. Petrus church in Fatima (an originally German order Anton supports since many years).
The story of the children is an outstanding one (the three secrets all became real/true). As in Lourdes, France the appearance of the Virgin Mary remains no doubt convincing for practically all Catholics….especially when one has read the details.
Our itinerary was as follows:
August 20 - evening flight Ryan Air Eindhoven-Porto, stay at airport a few hours.
August 21 - early morning Flixbus/Monbus to Fatima - stay at hotel Crisol Pastorinhos (good) where they offered us a free breakfast on the occasion of my 75th birthday the 22nd. Visit Fatima and Cova da Iria hamlets.
August 22 - mass at Basilique and travel by Monbus to Porto and stay at Sunny Oporto Trindade apartment (good).
August 23 - walking around Porto and visit the beautifully decorated railway station.
August 24 - start of the Camino to Matosinhos / 19 km with heavy rain (5 drops in the icon) / overnight at Manuela Alves private house (good).
August 25 - Matosinhos to Vila do Conde (19 kms with some rain) stay at boutique hotel ‘Venceslau’ (good).
August 26 - Vila do Conde to Apulia with some rain (18 kms) stay at Santiago da Costa Hostal (good). August 27 - Apulia to Castelo de Neiva (22 kms) no rain and weather warmer/better. Stay at Dom Nausti Hostal (dirty, noisy, crowded dormitory with limited showers/toilets).
August 28 - Castelo de Neiva to Carreco (22 kms). Stay at bungalow in Casa do Adro Hostel (good).
August 29 - Carreca to Seixas (26kms) stay at albergue Sao Bente (good).
August 30 - Seixas to Valenca (28 kms) and stay at Hotel Val Flores (good).
August 31 - Cross into Spain at Tui and walk to Porrino (17 kms). Stay at albergue El Cristo dormitory (good).
September 1 - Porrino to Redondela (19 kms) and overnight at Jumboli Hotel (good).
September 2 - Redondela to Pontevedra (19 kms). Stay at Hostal Peregrino (brand new, good).
September 3 - Pontevedra to A Seca (17 kms). Night at Barosa hotel (good).
September 4 - From A Seca to Aldea de O Pino (16 kms). Stay at albergue Municipal Valga dormitory (very good).
September 5 - From O Pino to O Escravitude (15 kms) A hot day! Stay at Hostal Villa Vieira dormitory (excellent).
September 6 - O Escravitude to Ames (12 kms). BandB hotel Milladoiro (very good).
September 7 - Ames to Santiago de Compostela (8 kms). Arrival around 10.30 am and collect Certificates. Pray in from of the Cathedral. Departure for Vigo and the village of A Guarda by bus late afternoon. Stay overnight in Hotel Playa Area Grande (bad experience-no food-window cannot open;shower complicated/ but seaview was great).
September 8 - from A Guarda to Oia (16kms); stay at Alojamiento Camino Portugues dormitory (good).
September 9 - From Oia to Bayona (17 kms) stay at hotel Pinzon (perfect with a balcony and sea view)
September 10 - Bayona to Vigo city (28 kms). Stay at Ipanema hotel (very good).
September 11 - Visiting Vigo (harbour and fort) then with night Flixbus to Porto airport.
September 12 - Morning flight Ryan Air back to Eindhoven and bus to Leende.
I walked on my Merrell MOAB 3 series / goretex boots with vibram soles / size 47. Very comfy but the water gets through anyway when it rains heavily. Then the advantage is that these boots dry fast.
Biya carried 6kgs in her backpack and I carried around 10 kgs.
We spent the two of us all included (plane tickets too) from August 20 to September 12 = 24 days some 2450 euros. Walking remains cheap!!!
I walked just for the Camino Portugues 277 kms; and in total with the coastal walk from A Guarda to Vigo 339m kms. Biya did some 15% less. Anyway we succeeded!
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| Porto to Santiago de Compostela 277 km |
Happy to be home again!
