Portuguese Camino

 

 Hi all! Thanks for checking out this blog. It’s almost time for another Camino. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 3 years since I walked the Camino de Santiago from St Jean Pied du Port into Santiago.

Such a lot has changed since 2019. It seems like a terrible time to be going to Europe, with the horrific events in Ukraine that hopefully will not lead to a larger conflict. The sadness and destruction that is on the news everyday is overwhelming. But, we have made the decision to continue with our plans. Maybe this walk will help us deal with feelings of helplessness and guilt. Like so many we have been donating money but it doesn’t feel like enough seeing what is happening.

And then there’s also covid to be concerned with. For this reason, we have opted to pre-book hotels and not stay in the more communal alburgue accommodations. We’ll miss out on meeting more people and sharing our experience, but I’m sure this trip will also be full of memorable days.

Yes, it’s true I  talked Peter into doing a Camino. I’m sure he’d much rather have gone somewhere to truly relax, but it’s so  nice that he’s coming along to share this experience.  I’ve even made him buy some hiking clothes.  He nearly drew the line at breathable underwear, but then gave in when I mentioned the risk of chaffing :) I couldn’t quite talk him into purchasing rain pants, so I’m putting my hands over my ears when he complains about the weather. Yes, there’s a bit of rain in the forecast. We’ve already decided if it’s absolutely pouring we will take a taxi. 

As with the Way of St. James which I previously walked, we will be able to get  Compostela certificate when we complete this walk. For this, we need to get 2 stamps a day from hotels or coffee shops on the last 100 km to be eligible. A few taxis at the beginning will be ok!

We’ll be in Porto for a few days before starting our Camino on March 20th.  It’s a quick 12 days with some long distances but not too many large elevation gains. Our route will take us a day up the lovely coast until cutting over to the Portuguese Camino Central Route. We will end our journey in Santiago de Compostela, where all Caminos end. The total distance  will be about 300km. A 12 day walk and then a bus back to Porto  in 3 and a half hours. Are we crazy or what!

So follow along with us as we try not to kill each other as we walk through Portugal 🇵🇹   and Spain 🇪🇸. I’m sure they’ll be lots of beer, pilgrim meals and Santiago cake. I’ll post a few photos for fun !