My Camino

 Day 5:  Camilha to AGuarda, SPAIN!!!!:  3.32 miles.  Yes, you read that right.  Just 3.32 miles between towns today but I have a 20 mile day tomorrow.  I should have asked Camino Ways to fix this but I didn't.  It did provide me with a day of relative rest.   I left Portugal on a water taxi this morning and headed to Spain.  There was a Portuguese gal at the dock who interviewed me and took my picture! She is asking pilgrims why they are doing the Camino.  If she posts my interview on instagram I'll let you know. I had a VERY SHORT hike over a hill to reach the town of A Guarda but that didn't stop me from getting lost in the woods.  The markings were so clear, until a certain point, then they weren't.  Anyway, I bushwacked my way back to the trail and carried on.  I am officially done reporting on the times I get lost because it will only bring you worry and what's the point of that? I made it to A Guarda in an hour...

 Day 4: Viana do Castelo to Caminha.  Another 18 mile day (I no longer believe any mileage info provided by Camino Ways, though, to be fair, we got lost today so that added some mileage). ***Mom alert - you might want to skip this entry, Mom.  It's going to cause worry.  But don't worry.  I've got this******* So today started well.  We (Christine, Barb and I) decided to take the "Litoral" route instead of the "Coastal" route because the "Litoral" route literally travels along the ocean and is relatively flat while the "Coastal" route climbs up into the hill country and tries to kill you.  So we began our day gazing up at a Cathedral on the top of a mountain that we knew we would never visit because we weren't going to do that again today. We waited at a cafe on route for a friend, who had been on her own yesterday and gotten lost.  Once Gena joined, we headed out along the ocean. We decided to take an alternate route to avoid ...

 Day 3 (AM):  I have a few minutes before breakfast so I thought I would answer a couple questions that have been asked.  Soreness.  I really left you all hanging didn't I?  After my first day I rated my soreness a 15 out of 10 and then never mentioned it again.  Miraculously, it went away. The extreme muscle fatigue and soreness I had after walking 18 miles was basically gone the next morning.  I did follow Leighton's instructions regarding how to alleviate it that night and it worked!  Thanks Leights! Accommodations on the Camino.  For the most "authentic" pilgrim experience, people stay in Albergues.  These are communal, hostel-like dwellings with bunkbeds, a sink to wash your clothes in, sometimes a kitchen, shared bathroom, etc.  This offers the greatest opportunity to mingle with fellow pilgrims and share every aspect of making the journey.  For those of us who don't want to backpack (my hand is up), like privacy and quie...

 Day 2:  Today I walked from Povoa de Varzim to Esposende, which was only a little over 11 miles.  It was a light day and a great day to meet people.  I only walked alone for a couple miles and then met a woman from Vancouver, Washington and twin sisters from CA.  We talked for the rest of the 4 hours and then had a leisurely lunch before going our own ways for the evening.  The path started along the ocean and then headed into the forest for a bit, passing a beautiful church and an interesting wayside stop where we got stamps for our Credentials.  My new friend from Washington state has a grandson with severe autism.  She described a fairly chaotic and crisis-filled existence for her son and daughter in law.  Apparently, the services available in Washington state are extremely limited.  They get very little support and have only nursing home placement as a residential option for their son.  It made me feel very lucky to live in Mar...

 Day 1:  The itinerary said 15 miles BUT it was actually 18!  Makes me slightly nervous about an upcoming "18" mile day!  Needless to say, I'm sore (about a 15 on a 1-10 scale).   We'll see if my legs work when I try to get up from this very nice bed at Hotel Casta Verde.  Only 11 more days to go!! Enough complaining, it was an excellent day.  Not a cloud in the sky, temp in the 60's, the beautiful Atlantic Ocean to my left.  I spent a lot of time on boardwalks by the ocean but also walked on some narrow cobblestone road through one tiny fishing villages.  It felt like I was walking through people's front yards as there were stacks of crab or lobster traps on my left and people sweeping off the entryways to their tiny abodes on my right.   The Portuguese people I have met have been very friendly.  Everyone says "Buen Camino!" as they pass you on the trail.  I have not encountered one American thus far but had a great ...