Ponte de Lima to Pacos

After yesterday's persistent rain, today is drier ... a few showers, Sun showing his face from time to time ... early breakfast requested at Pousada de Juventude ... two bread buns, a chocolate drink to dip them in, coffee from the machine ... out a little after 7 and first stop 2 hours later at Codecal, coffee, two bananas, eclair for €2 ... and a photo from the 5 Barcelos based pilgrims, walking to Valanca today, returning to pick up the Way to Santiago later in the month ... biking pilgrims pass a few times, stopping for photo ops ... a pilgrim dog, this time a blond Labrador trotting between groups ... up the seriously steep climb before Rubieas, turning round to travel south with 2 Fatima bound peregrinas ...

The first bar after the mountain descent is an opportunistic affair ... a trailer with awning on the side of a house and a small orange juice produced apparently from one large orange, topped up with ice cubes ... the €2 price confirmed appropriately enough with two fingers, though no animosity offered or received ... half an hour later, beside the municipal Albergue at Rubaies a clear contrast with an elegant new building, offering filling snacks as well as fruit and veg for self catering pilgrims ... the biking group pass without stopping, Labrador trotting alongside ... Barcelos 5 arrive after lunch and stop for coffee ... slowing down in sunshine and occasional heavy showers, the heaviest dodged in a bar ... Pacos and the Quinta Estrada Romana comes soon enough, Driess, Paulette and Giuseppe checking folks in ... just two so far ... Barcelos 5 arrive looking quite tired ... Licky the Albergue dog poses for a photo, unlike the pilgrim dogs who always avoid publicity ...

A chat with Geoff, Canadian part owner, establishes possibilities for crowdfunded purchase of Albergue, farmhouse and land as pilgrim cooperative... a little complicated, so let's wait and see how that pans out ... meanwhile supper is a community affair, with Susanna, Peter and Lisa from Germany, plus Driess, Paulette and Giuseppe ... breakfast at 7 then maybe Redondela ...  

Barcelos to Ponte de Lima

Breakfast of muesli, fruit, croissant, yoghurt, juice and coffee means a late enough start at 8, though plenty of time for 35km ... light rain to start, wet weather gear working well as long as motion is maintained ... dampness inevitable from outside and inside ... plenty of pilgrims along the Way, most moving slowly, aiming for 20 km ... Dutch, German, Italian, Spanish, Danish ... Restaurant 2000 reached at 10.10 and Paulo, photographed last time, poses again ... Martin from Germany leaving and briefly mentions his Camino as stress relief ...

Rain persists and becomes heavier for a while, keeping legs moving until 12, noted from nearby church chimes ... 16km or so from a bed and ready for a long lunch, to rest, take on fuel, dry out a little ... soon a sign appears offering a short diversion to a restaurant where  €5.50 3 course menu is offered ... soup follows main course, though running order reversed on request  ... dessert a wonderful home made pudim flan, suitably acknowledged ... a chance to write a little as food settles, blood temporarily focusing on stomach and post lunch hour can be hard, especially when red wine rule is flagrantly ignored ... never mind, 3 hours steady plodge should do it ...

Woodland paths make afternoon pleasant enough as rain relents then returns ... Martin reappears for last hour into town and Pousada de Juventude, where Sara provides tumble drier for clothes ... 4 bed dorm shared with Andre from Moldova ... communication tricky since Moldovan and its close relation Romanian missing from the skill set ... he has some Portuguese as well as German and Russian ... motivation also missing ...

Organism reviewed and happy to report body in fine form, except for teeth .... mind also taking Sun and rain with equanimity ... spirit ...? Well, the ego still enjoys the attention for 50 km feats, so plenty of work to do taming the illusory self ...

Porto to Barcelos

Conditions conspire to create a 55k day ... rain free, breakfast free, mostly flat, firm surfaces and last night's outlier, Barcelos wasn't written or spoken of ... Thomas meeting a friend flying in and aiming at Sao Pedro de Rates, Manuel starting at 6.30 and nursing sore feet the 27km to Vilarinho ... leaving him dressing blisters, out at 6.30, street lights sufficient to see arrows and light arrives before the conurbation ends around Maia ... where an arrowing dispute is evident ... painted arrows pointing right, official posts left ... local cyclists at cafe say they converge after a kilometre or so ... and that Barcelos is now just 40 km ... at 9 am that's surely doable, giving more accommodation options and a mental leap to break the 50 barrier ...

Corrine, from Le Havre, is soon collected and congratulated since she was at the albergue last night ... she took the metro to Maia, something known here, though the suburbs not dodged this time  ... and cities worth experiencing at 5 kph too ... Greater Porto, crossed south to north over two days, takes 5 hours in total ... the Way in worse than the Way out ... a diversion is proposed before Vilarinho, official signs offer the direct way, which is dangerous, and a safer but longer alternative ... an experience not to be repeated as hard shoulder goes missing on blind bends ... a fatality or two needed to persuade officials the dangerous historic route needs pilgrim protection or remove the unsafe option altogether ... at Vilarinho, Corrine pushes on and info is found at a bar ... Sao Pedro de Rates ( the a is short) about 8 km and since it is 11.15, perfect ... Rates for lunch ... though the next safety diversion is sensibly selected, the 8 possibly optimistic and Sao Mamede arrives at 12.30, with Rates still nearly 7 away ... at a bar, two Belgian pilgrims, with trolleys for baggage (sorry no pics) discuss options and bar owner helpfully points out proper posh lunch place nearby ... gladly accepted, an hour to rest the legs, fill the stomach, including the best chocolate mousse tasted for years, a risky red wine, three courses plus coffee €6.50 ... and reset for second half, now maybe 20 to Barcelos ...

At Arcos, a perfect photo op as Leah, law student from Heidelberg rests on the church steps ... she is nearly done, stopping at Rates tonight, while Paul from Amsterdam arrives with a light pack, having sent luggage forward ... he is staying in Arcos, so has finished already .... meanwhile, some of us still have 4 hours to walk, so they are left enjoying the Sun ... Rates soon comes and goes ... a pair of German peregrinas pass on bikes calling Buen Camino, when a chain breaks ... and a bike push to Barcelos ahead ... next come Peter and Barbara, from Port Elisabeth ... nearly at their hotel and knackered after their first day ... then Hannah and Jill from Scotland, college friends and young mums having a break while the fathers take the strain ... they are going to Barcelos and ending the walk at the Spanish border ... lending some energy for the last 10 k into Barcelos, or, to be precise, Barcelinos, before the river and BWay, visited before ... not cheap but welcome luxury after a long and sunny day ... tomorrow normal service resumes, with clouds followed by rain predicted ... 7.30 breakfast, 34 km to Ponte de Lima and the Pousada de Juventude. .. a shorter day ...

Sao Joao to Porto

Another damp start to the day ... plenty of carbs at breakfast ... out by 8, prepared for rain, which comes and goes ... a fair pace and brief rests means midday lunch at Grijo, just 15km left for the afternoon ... which includes more back roads beside old main road to Porto, before an unexpected rural hour, climbing steeply on old Roman road through a forest ... a brief glimpse of the city ahead and coast to the west ... conurbation arrives soon enough and goes on for a couple of hours before the bridge over the Douro ... Porto heaving with tourists and Camino arrows swiftly picked up without climbing to Cathedral ... well marked out of the centre and since there are a couple of hours of light and legs willing to escape the crowd central hostels skipped until the Porto Pilgrim  Albergue appears ... which seems a good solution to the total absence of pilgrims all day ...

A lower bunk bed in the dormitory is found, with resident cat making itself comfortable ... Manuel from Seville is dressing his blisters, Thomas from Stockholm, who also left Sao Joao this morning, is on the phone to home ... more pilgrims about and 10 arriving from the Philippines tonight at 10, which should provide a late night entertainment ... their itinerary for walking also worth checking, since some albergues barely hold that many and options elsewhere sometimes limited ...

Agueda to Sao Joao da Madeira

Some balance is restored as pilgrims are engaged ... though not at breakfast, since the €12 dormitory doesn't include it and €5 is considered a little expensive ... good value with juice, coffee, fruit, yoghurt, muesli, bread, cheese, ham, croissant, cake ... though consuming it makes the long shot 45km look unlikely and Oliveira at 37 more realistic. .. Loren is spotted leaving before breakfast and soon caught for some philosophy and coffee, and news of light romance with cycling peregrina Hannah from Seattle and walking peregrino from London via Newcastle, Bristol and the west of Ireland, Killian finding each others' company so convivial the bike has been pushed instead of pedalled for four days... before rain begins in earnest at 15km, Loren abandoned and Killian and Hannah collected for midday pilgrimming in increasing rain and proper thunderstorm, which contributes to arrow error in the forest, as marked mucky track is skipped for road on assumption that they run parallel ... meaning a few kilometres in pouring rain to return to route ... Hannah cycles ahead to get warm and is met an hour or so later enjoying coffee and cake ... a Camino love affair? Well, let's say "like" affair ... they are abandoned at 30 km and heading for Oliveira too, though on arrival a bed is elusive, friendly local bar owner suggests more choice at Sao Joao, now just 10km away and energy levels high enough to raise the pace in the drier conditions and arrive by 7pm along with another heavy shower. .. first priority is a proper meal, huge bowl of vegetable soup and some chips, with a glass of red wine, plus the information that the church albergue is close by ... wifi enables further choices and combination of nearby hostel with single room and wifi for your blog and reluctance for the austere 12 bed dorm (possibly already full at this time, nearly 8pm) means another night of relative luxury ... and breakfast included at 7.30 am ... the bar this morning set rather high ... Porto possible tomorrow ... let's see what the morning brings  ...

Coimbra to Agueda ...

Early easy exit means Mealhada is reached by midday, in time for a good lunch, alcohol free since part two is also over 20 km ... first stop at 10km offers a welcome coffee and two ripe bananas, one for the pack, one for the stomach ... then promised rain arrives slowly and increases enough to demand second stop to change clothes and don cape ... and take a 50 cent coffee with a complimentary shot of bagaco or firewater ... after lunch the clouds clear and some sun dries the clothes and warms the body ... while the mind has been considering the excess weight of Harald's boot ... it finds a suitable spot for a permanent exhibition, though without attribution ... it's a 5 hour plod to Agueda, and an arrow error at Anadia adds a bit to that, and enables engagement with two locals who point the way ... Agueda sounds like it may be pronounced with 3 or 4 syllables, but it turns out to be only 2 ... Agda. .. which arrives slowly, the well advertised Residential and Albergue on the far edge of town ... a single room tempts a very tired pilgrim, who has written nothing so far ... pilgrims, missing all day, are in the hostel, but they can wait for the morning ... after nearly 50k on the first day, a hot shower and a sandwich of the bun saved from breakfast with butter and jam, plus banana stashed at first rest stop is plenty after the large lunch and with breakfast included at 7.30 ... maybe another 45 needed for a bed tomorrow ...

Today's musings include awareness that some proposed projects dwell in the realms of fantasy ...maybe better to focus on the lonely cottage in Stanhope ... anyway, the Quinta Estrada Romana is a week away .. . let's see how that idea looks then ... the other insight is that despite enjoying the company of pilgrims and other humans, sometimes opportunities are missed carelessly ... like tonight ... maybe slowing down a bit will create some space ... as for the 60 km challenge, it will need an extra early start, perhaps a companion and some pre-dawn walking ... could not find another 10 in the legs this evening without more rests anyway ...

Serendipity in Coimbra. ...

Yesterday evening's chance encounter with Mariana and Joao is revisited at breakfast with an exploration of synchronicity, the main topic of their supper, often cynically and cruelly challenged by logic limited minds, determined to measure everything and dissect it in order to measure it better ... denying magic, they point out how all those moments when coincidences don't occur are rarely noted as "not synchronicity" ... a clever if bleak observation ... though their trap lies in the insight from quantum physics, that the observer and the observed are inseparable, suggesting that the observations of a limited mind are limited and disallowing mystery most likely to preclude  possibilities of which we may otherwise only dream ...

Of course, delusion lies in all directions, in monochrome and madness, clear perception tricky ... nevertheless, recognising the conditioned mind, conscious and sub-conscious, at least enables some humility in the endeavour ...

Anyway, Mariana and Joao appear enthusiastic for the idea of crowdfunding a quinta and Albergue along the Camino ... acknowledging the need for local involvement (the Algarve already sold, they say, no longer Portuguese) ... whilst national identities still exist, Erasmus notwithstanding, sensitivities need to be addressed and the big idea is develop cooperative models of sustainable communities involving a truly international cast ... Joao's area of work in Lisbon turns out to be crowdfunding ... probably just a coincidence ....

Returning briefly to Stefan in Tavira, he name checked a neuroscientist called Gerald Huther,  who proposes the power of emotion to cement neuronal connections and conscious development of the Compassionate Brain (also the title of one of his books in English) echoing similar research from Paul Gilbert, author of the Compassionate Mind, working with Tibetan Buddhist meditators at Samye Ling ....

As for the potential pilgrim Place to Be in Portugal, between Rubieas and Valenca right on the Way, is the Quinta Estrada Romana, currently for sale for €500k ... shouldn't be too hard to raise that through pilgrim networks ... imagine, a resting place in the parallel universe of the pilgrims, collectively owned by them ...

After all this early excitement, Mariana and Joao return to Lisbon and the exit route for tomorrow is researched ... and discovered after the kind of delays not enjoyed en route, especially if the morning brings rain, as predicted ... nearby a park alongside the Rio Mondego offers a sunny stroll and spot for writing ...

Loren (spelling to be confirmed) heads north, hopefully without arrow error ... internet enabled apps exist for such exigencies, apparently .. . since he reckons on 20 or 25km a day we are likely to meet again before Porto... though he is a professional forester,  witty analogies with chainsaws are avoided ... the snoring was not that loud and anyway soon faded enough to allow sleep, perhaps also delayed by the long day sitting and the risky early evening complimentary coffee ...

On the food front, for geographical and not culinary reference, the large 24 hour Mcshite is right by the Camino marker post, whilst in a more touristic location in the old city on a winding path up to the ancient university (devoid of students at Easter), a quiet little restaurant promoting itself as serving Healthy Food, attracts attention, though avoiding corpses is still necessary, the definition of what constitutes healthy food open to interpretation ... in this case the name of the place and the Acai juice, a reputed super food from the Amazon, are the same ... the wrap with melted cheese, tomatoes, leaves is tasty and the conversation with Eduardo and Graca warm and informative ... including possibilities of a wet week ahead hmmm ... a trip to the Cathedral establishes location and that the doors are closed. .. Easter Sunday ... hmmm again ...though the nearby new cathedral is open for business ... and all buildings, ancient, modern, religious, secular are fair game for folks with opinions and cans of paint ...

Diogo arrives after his traditional Easter family lunch and his extensive Erasmus experience is discussed, especially his involvement in the Youth in Action programme ... maybe a piece of the jigsaw ... maybe a piece of another jigsaw altogether ... great to catch up and see more of his home town ... Tuesday he heads off to Switzerland for 3 months work to finance future travel plans ...

Back at the hostel the dorm is snore free ... early breakfast requested ... looking forward to being back on the Way, rain or not ...