Tag: caminho Portuguese

Po.10. Sernadelo – Albergaria-a-Velha

Today I write again in my almost not perfect English. I wake up this night at 04.30 to go to the toilet, went back and tried to sleep more. A bit difficult because it seems that my hours asleep are the same as at home. But here I sleep earlier which means I wake up also earlier. Even after a long walk…..

I start walking at a quarter to 7. And I don’t know yet where I will stop today. When following the books and Gronze it will be again a short day, but I already decided to walk longer, how much I don’t know yet.

The sky is blue with white and some darker clouds, the temperature is ok. So walking, walking and the train starts to leave the station….

I get a rhythm like a Diesel locomotive, it’s going on and on and on. I pass some other pilgrims, new pilgrims and familiar pilgrims. At 9.30 I stop to buy some water and a lemonade, a bit further 2 paô Bico to eat during my walk. I haven’t seen any walking pilgrims anymore, but several on bics.

The weather stays good. Warm and cooler and warm, it is not as hot as yesterday.

At noon I arrive in a village where I could stay for the night, just walked 26k….. but it’s still early…. I take a lunch at a cafeteria and go on, the next place to have a overnight is 12k ahead, 2,5 hours of walk, just ok with me, I still feel good.

Half way this last stretch I see also an albergue….. but this is just a very very small village, I will walk on.

In Albergaria-a-Velha is an albergue at the center of the village, I will stay there for overnight, my real first night in a dormitory, a room for 7 and you’ll need to use your sleeping bag…… The first time… Lucky I am the first in this room so I can choose my bed, near the window with side table and socket.

First phone home, then take a shower, do the laundry (lavandaria). Just waiting now for the wash to finish, then in the dryer, some shopping for tomorrow, go back to the albergue and wait to go to the restaurant for a small diner. Albergue closes at 20.00 so I have to be on time back……

 

Po.09. Coimbra – Sernadelo

This time I write in English and not Dutch. The previous days I wrote in Dutch and let Google translate it to English. The reason so many people wrote me about my poor English..😉

My fifth day this year on the Caminho and 9th on the Portugese in total. Leaving a big city and moving on to the last big city in Portugal, Porto, but that one is still ahead.

Just left the overnight stay at 7.15 this morning because it’s going to be a short day, only 25 km.

According to what I have read the stretch would be long. And when you follow the most guides they make a stop here.

It looked cloudy this morning and the forecast was rain in the morning, that was what I read yesterday. Today the forecast is rain after 13.00.

In the first Street I already see a pilgrim and walking out of Coimbra 2 more. Later on I meet a group of Americans, some with and some without backpacks.

At my first stop I meet the 4 from Verona again. When I pick up my trail I meet a man from Rotterdam who’s walking his 5th Camino. After a second break a walk a bit with a Frenchman who walks pretty quick.

I arrive at just 10 past 12 at the albergue, a bit early. I get my room and have a short break. Lunch at the restaurant and take a shower. Water from the Mercado as well as some food for breakfast. In the evening I just have a small diner, make my report and go to sleep. Tomorrow another new day.

 

Po.08. Rabaçal – Coimbra

Today I woke up early by noises in the albergue. It was half past 5, still a while dosing and then got up anyway. Around 6.30 started out of stage four, actually number 8 ….

 

There are already pilgrims and there are also still in the albergue, but now one less. I’m the thread where I left off yesterday and walking again so the Caminho to continue to walk on gravel again after a piece of asphalt. Now there are also some more vines along the way in the field.

 

The road to some small villages and after a half hour I see already the first pilgrim, Korea is walking again in front. Will she find her purpose at Camino what she is looking for?

 

It still goes back tough up and down. The hill to Coînimbra is spicy. There is mentioned along the way that you can get a stamp at the ticket office … .. But then I have to wait at least one hour until to 10 o’clock.

 

It gets busy here there is a trailrun which will start at 9am. So I walk on otherwise I might run with them .. In a cafeteria take coffee, sweets and water. Here I talk with the four men from Verona, they each speak a dialect, 2 can speak a little bit English.

 

Not too long I must continue on to the next stop. The sky shows dark clouds and sometimes white … .. Does it dry or is there still some showers.

 

Fortunately it remains dry, only later in Coimbra I feel a few drops. The road continues alternating, asphalt, gravel, rock and mountain. Around 11 pm I am back for a drink, help the local cafeteria. The man who served me also speaks three words Dutch: Well thank you.

 

If I continue going to get the two young German women inside that I already had seen earlier today and yesterday in the albergue.

 

I follow my path again, it will now continue to Coimbra with a steep slope there, according to the maps. It is a descent because we have to cross a river. Yes we are, I walk back with Fred, the last half hour we are together again. As we cross the bridge he needs right at the end and I left.

 

Bye for now …. We do not know when we’ll meet again. He has no idea where it stops tomorrow, I do not. But I feel like number one can so keep in touch.

 

The room I reserved have been run in a guest house in an old building by older couple. Nothing fancy, but old but clean. Later explored the city and in the evening Italian.

 

Tomorrow at 7 am on the road, it is only 25 km.

Po.07. Alvaiazere – Rabaçal

And again there is a new day … .. We have again completed a stage. Why everytime we, it’s me … .. I am now in  Rabaçal. Tomorrow the road to Coimbra, going less then 30+ kilometers … .. Today I awoke again at 6 am and already left after 30 minutes, so at half past seven.

 

The morning walk until my first stop was little uphill and downhill. And the first pilgrims I met, walked to Fatima. Later today I heard that there are now 1.5 million pilgrims in Fatima.

 

At the first stop, after about an hour, coffee taken with something tasty and paid of course.

 

Then continue and saw the woman from Korea again. A bit further on a mother and daughter from the Netherlands. They take it easy they have all the time and just want to walk around 15 kilometers per day.

 

The afternoon stop was a small lunch eaten with lots of drink and water bottles. The last part is about 10 kilometers and basically no ability to get anything.

 

The last piece again on and off nobody’s seen. But the route was ok and mainly went on paths with some asphalt roads. And today also the first Portuguese windmill spotted, unfortunately not running.

 

In the albergue are many people from Germany, Norway, USA, Spain, Korea, Portugal and do not forget: Netherlands ……

 

Later still a pilgrim menu and my vlog …. The internet seems to be quickly enough. My blog about yesterday I had this morning already at my first stop uploaded …… …….

Po.4a. Restarting Caminho Portuguese

This morning I was taken to the station by Maricon. Then I went by train to Eindhoven, then by bus to the airport and then flew to Lisbon. And in Lisbon I went first by metro and then by train to Riachos, near the starting point of my restart of the Caminho Portuguese. Walked from the station to Golegã where I reserved a bed, after freshening up I checked if there was something to eat but the restaurant that was recommended was closed so I did some shopping and made food myself. I’m not the only one in the Inn, in another room is a woman from Korea…… A deja vu of the highest order. 4 years ago there was also a pilgrim from Korea, I met her at the end of my 1st hiking day. Tomorrow start on time with walking, on to Tomar.

 

 

Po.51. Vila Nova da Cerveira – Valença

Finally, the first day of our walk on the Caminho Portuguese together. Didi woke up earlier than me, I got up at 7. We need to prepare our big backpacks and bring them down to the reception area before 8, because TUITrans will pick them up between 8 and 8.30.

After bringing our packbacks down we go back to our room, breakfast is starting only at 8.30. The breakfast buffet is “closed”, the woman behind the counter is serving from behind the counter, due to COVID-19. After we had breakfast we went back to our room to pick up our smaller day-backpacks.

Luckily the train stopped, so we did not need to wear our poncho’s. Yesterday we saw the markers in front of the church, so we went there and started to walk. We missed a market, but according to John Brierley’s book we had to go to the Ecopath to follow that trial to Valença.

Once we found the trial, it was easy for the 90% of our walk. Just follow the red “carpet”. It is a bike/pedestrian path, sponsored by the EU along side the Rio Minho. This river is the border between Portugal and Spain.

We passed by cornfields, Eucalyptus trees, small forrests and some boats. The only bar was closed, only open during summertime. At noon we took a break, eat our lunch which we bought the day before.

In a small village just before Valença we stopped for coffee, jus and a croissant. And a stamp in our Camino passport. And just another 1,5k to our hotel. It’s easy to find, we can already check in and our backpacks have arrived already.

We take some time to rest from our walk and around 16.00 we went out to be a tourist, visiting the Fortaleza of Valenca. From the walls of this fortress you have a nice view of the river Minho and of Tui, the city on the other side of the river in Spain. The Cathedral of Tui is rising above all othet buildings in Tui.

We stroll through the narrow streets and.look at the many small shops, some churches and other tourist. Around 18.00 we start looking for a restaurant to eat. For Portuguese people way to early, but not for us. We are not used to eat late.

After diner we did some groceries for the next day and went back to our hotel. We blogged and vlogged, had a video call with our daughter and went to bed.

Do you know that you can watch our vlog on Youtube, just search for the channel PTX Camino Geleen.

And we like to read some comments too…..😉