We all walk our own Camino! Our reasons are different for being on this trek; some religious, some secular. In any case, I believe we all hope to find certain things which led us there in the first place. This cartoon appeared in the local paper just this week. I immediately thought of the Camino! It reminds me to try and not be judgmental regarding other pilgrims motives for walking. We all have important reasons for walking to Santiago. Bom Caminho!
We have had a number of inquiries as to where we stayed along the Caminho Portugués. So, although we posted it much earlier in this blog, here again is the list of towns and albergues/hostels where we stayed. In planning this trip two particular websites were particular helpful: 1) Gronze.com and 2) Mundicamino.com. Both have a lot of information on the accommodations you can find along the CP.
Our Itinerary
Day Town. Distance (kms) Accommodations
1 Flight from Montreal-Porto
2 Porto The Poet's Inn
3 Vila do Conde 26 Bellamar Hostel
4 Barcelos 29 Barcelos Way Guest House
5 Lugar do Corgo 18 Casa de Fernanda
6 Ponte de Lima 15 Old Village Hostel
7 Rubiaes 18 NINHO Albergue
8 Tui (Spain) 19 Alb. Tui Hostel
9 O Porriño 15 Alojamiento Camino Portugués
10 Redondela 15. Alfonso XII
11 Pontevedra 20 Slow City Hostel
12 Caldas de Reis 21 Alb. O Cruceiro
13 Padron 18 Alb. Corredoiras
14. Santiago 25 Hosp. San Martin Pinario
15 Porto Bus The Poet's Inn
16 Return flight from Porto to Montreal
About half way through our Camino, we reached the city of Valença. Located on the Minho River, on the border between Portugal and Spain, this huge hilltop military fortress overlooks the neighboring Spanish town of Tui just across the river. At the point when you reach the fortress, take the alternate Camino route that meanders you through the ancient cobblestone streets of Valença and its historical buildings. At this point, pilgrims have a choice of spending the night at the albergue just outside the fortress walls, or continue on another 3 km across the International Bridge into the medieval center of Tui. After our pleasant stroll through the fortress, we wondered on into Spain where we had made reservations at the Albergue El Camino close to the cathedral. On that first very wet evening in Spain we were fortunate enough to find a trendy cafe/bar for wine and jamon de Iberia.
Ponte de Lima was only four days into our Camino, but it was one of those spots where I could have enjoyed spending extra time. It's an old city on both sides of the River Lima connected by a 300m long medieval stone bridge. We stayed that evening at the Pension Beira Rio directly overlooking this great bridge. Being above a top-notch pizza restaurant was also a plus. From a walk along the river to an attractive central plaza to narrow cobbled streets and historical buildings, Ponte de Lima probably is chosen by many pilgrims as a place to spend an extra day before trekking on. Our room undoubtedly had one of the best views offered by any accommodation in the city at a very reasonable 30€ for two.
On a quiet forest path between Redondela and Pontevedra, one comes across this shell wall reminding us that many other pilgrims have walked here before. Since ancient times, travelers world-wide have left behind markers indicating that they passed through a place. So, how appropriate for this spot, probably seen by few other than pilgrims, to celebrate the Camino by a display of scallop shells left by weary pilgrims on their way to Santiago. This is just another reminder, as there are many, that this isn't just another long nature hike. As a symbol of Saint James, the scallop shell encourages a moment of reflection. For those who has passed before and those that will follow, we are all on this singular path for our own very personal reasons. Bom Caminho!
The Casa de Fernanda is truly one of the gems along the Caminho Portugués. Although Brierley suggests walking the Barcelos to Ponte de Lima Stage in one day, we knew that, adjusted for elevation, 35.8 km was way more than we wanted to take on. Plus, online recommendations for spending the night at Fernanda's were 100% excellent. Thus, on what turned out to be a wet and chilly day, we planned our stop at Lugar do Corgo to enjoy first class hospitality offered by Fernanda. We had called from the States to reserve beds since space is limited (12 beds in a dorm room plus a Private double room). From the moment we arrived until we left, Fernanda fed us like family. Although we had excellent accommodations all along the Caminho, no other place came close in warmth and true hospitality as that which we experienced at Fernanda's.
So many excellent images of Saint James can be found along The Way, but this is one of my favorites. On the main Praza do Obradoiro, this ancient carved stone image on the Colexio de Fonseca, faces out to greet every pilgrim as she approaches the cathedral. The signs of time and wear and tear are as evident on his face as is felt by many pilgrims after completing their Camino.
