“Take the time to enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things”. Robert Brault

We had Hills again today and the gang said they were not as bad as yesterday but I felt they were worse. It’s funny how your body changes from one day to the next and how you are feeling. We are all experiencing this a little bit differently.

If you are wondering why the scallop shell everyone carries, here is a good explanation from Google: Pilgrims would collect the shells as proof of their journey, and they would often attach them to their backpacks or hats as a sign of identification. Additionally, the scallop shell also served as a directional tool, as they would be placed along the path to lead the way for other pilgrims. Now you know….

As we get closer to Santiago de Compostello there is an increased number of pilgrims on the trail. We believe it’s because a lot of them just started their Journey at towns close by as you only need to travel 100 km (about 62 miles) to officially complete the Camino de Santiago.  I’m sure as we get closer and closer we are going to see a lot more.

Weather is still cooperating but as we are moving Inland we’re noticing the temperatures rising, and it is expected to get in the low 90s tomorrow. We are probably going to get an earlier start and walk in the dark.

Here are some pics from today. Hope you enjoy

Buen Camino!

“Aim for the sky but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. It is all those little steps that make the journey complete.” Chanda Kochhar

Well, that’s what I get for saying today would be like a rest day and only 11 miles. Turns out it was 12.7 miles and we encountered some pretty steep hills. Good news is, what goes up must come down and we had a nice descent into the town of Redondela. The weather has still been cooperating and it was very cool in the morning and just perfect later in the day. Tomorrow is showing about 13 miles with some more hills as we move inland through Spain. Was very disappointed in our food choices today but had one of the best cappuccinos since Porto. Getting late here so until tomorrow.

Buen Camino!

“It has long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things” Leonardo da Vinci

After some good drugs from the Spain Farmacia I was able to get about 12 hours of good sleep. Woke up feeling much better today but still a tad under the weather. At least I got to walk with the group today. It was a nice walk with a lot of variety. Some hills but not too bad, some rural areas and the finishing stretch was through Vigo which is a bustling City. I’ve been asked by Tina and Dave why the last 2 miles always seem the longest and it did seem that way today as we walked the last couple miles through the city streets. Our housing tonight is the second floor of a high-rise apartment building and so far all of our accommodations have met our hopes and expectations. Tomorrow should seem like a rest day as we only have about 11 miles to walk.

Here are some pics from today. Hope you enjoy.

Buen Camino!

“See, life is a journey and every chapter is very interesting.” Zeenat Amen

Sleepless in Spain. Another day late blog. Being sick kept me awake most of the night, coughing, etc., so I got very little sleep. The crew left without me as I wanted to try to rest a bit more before heading out. Feeling terrible I wasn’t sure if I would even be able to do it. I headed down to the hotel lobby, and a lady (her name is Jennifer) we met the night before, and is traveling solo was standing there, getting ready to leave so her and I walked together. As we walked, I kept getting text messages from the crew that the climb over the mountains was very difficult, but we had yet to see any hills. Jennifer and I had been talking so much we weren’t paying attention to where we were headed and so when I checked our track on my GPS we had missed our turn and it was quite a ways behind us. Oh no we thought except not in those exact words. We were walking along the coastline and realized we were on the Camino bike path, not the walking path. We soon realized we could continue on that, so that’s what we did, and it was fairly flat all the way. This was the best mistake I have ever made because I had zero energy and going over the mountains would have been extremely difficult. The Camino delivered! Once we caught up to the rest of the gang as they descended the mountain they had a few choice words for how difficult it was. Their view was much better, but they paid the price. Other than that it was a pretty much an uneventful day but beautiful nonetheless. We still have a few members battling with their blisters and I am grabbing drugs at Farmacia to try and get some sleep.

Buen Camino!

“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come without leaving happier.”

Mother Teresa

We have crossed the river into Spain!

I am still fighting something and must have sweated out a litre of water last night in my sleep. Woke up to soaked sheets and had to place bath towels down in bed to stay dry. Good news is once I start walking I feel better. Today was a shorter day and all along the coast so fairly flat. Same view most of the way but very beautiful. We started the day out with a boat ride across the river to Spain and that was at high speed and we got dumped off on a Sandy Beach. Once we arrived on the beach the boat captain said to get out and told us that we were on our own. Vamamos,vamamos!! The beach was deserted and we felt like contestants on the TV show Survivor 😂

It was a very cool day but very windy. Walking long mileage everyday takes it’s toll but we are doing OK. Darrin and Tina with blisters and overall we are all just a bit tired. Looking forward to tomorrow as it is only about 12 miles.

In closing tonight my thoughts turned to two young girls I met on the Camino yesterday from Ukraine. They told me right before they left to come here their city was bombed.  As peaceful as this Camino has been, I am reminded of the harsh realities around the world. Please be kind to one another.

Buen Camino!

Did not get this post written yesterday because I (Ron) took ill (flu like symptoms) the night before and did not have the strength to sit and write, especially after a very long day of 18 miles and about 8 hours. The Camino took us inland a bit with Cobblestone roads and more of a forested area. It was a beautiful day but definitely my toughest.

We have only completed 5 days and the people we have met and spoken with has been extraordinary. About eight US states, the UK, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, Slovakia, Ukraine, France, Italy, Austria, Germany and of course Portugal and Spain.  All have been very friendly and nice.

We had one team member (HE asked to remain anonymous) that got lost and after walking a long ways out of his way and arrived at our accommodations almost 2 hours later. He will remain anonymous but I will just say it wasn’t Darrin or I.

We were all hurting at the end of the day, so I purchased Tina a massage while I did a salt soak on my feet while sipping a cold Super Bock (Portuguese beer). We were all tired but had to wait till 7:30 for the restaurants to open. We ate and then I hit the wall. I had been feeling okay all day as I walked, but it finally caught up to me and my flu-like symptoms returned. I went back to the room and crawled in bed only to wake up a few hours later drenched in sweat. Oh no!!! Stay tuned…..

No Pic of the day. We will choose two tomorrow.

” Enjoy the journey and try to get better every day. And don’t lose the passion and love for what you do” Nadia Comaneci

Jennifer is our winner for pic of the day

Just got back from dinner and it is 9:00 p.m.. Restaurants here in Portugal don’t open till late, some as late as 8:00 or 9:00. Today’s walk was good but with more Hills than expected. We walked through some forested areas today and little Villages that were very quaint. A lot of cobblestone streets and a little difficult walking. Once we arrived at our accommodations, we took a bolt (ride share service) to Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus / Mount of Santa Luzia which sits upon a moutaintop overlooking the town. It was beautiful and the views from there were amazing. It was closed so we were not able to go inside. Viana do Castelo has been our favorite place so far, very European. Tonight’s dinner was not Portuguese, but pizza and chicken wings which were all fabulous, different from the states. All in all, a good day and looking forward to tomorrow. Enjoy the pics

Buen Camino!

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” Greg Anderson

Darrin is our winner for pic of the day.

Today we got an earlier start and the weather was quite cool, in the 50’s. Our route took us away from the coastline some today so we had a bit of everything, corn fields, small towns and villages, pine trees and bamboo. Saw more pilgrims today and as we move towards Santiago we expect to keep seeing more. What I had plotted for our course was supposed to be 15 1/2 miles and we ended up over 17, over 7 hours including food and drink stops. We have 1 team member (Dave) with a sore knee and another (Darrin) with blisters. I asked Darrin along the way “How is your blister” and he said, “Which one?” Me:,”Oh, you have more than one? ” Darrin: “Every toe” Me: “How big are they?” Darrin: “It depends on which toe”🤣

Staying at a nice Hotel tonight with a swimming pool and the water was very cold which felt great on the feet. Drank some beer and wine, had some dinner and it’s time for bed.

Buen Camino!

Continue reading “Day 3 September 8th, 2024 Vila do Conde, Portugal to Esposende, Portugal 17.2 miles 38,478 steps” →

This is an addition of day two post. The five of us are having a picture contest to where we all vote on the best picture of the day. I forgot to post this yesterday. Here is the winning Pick for day two, won by Mr David Claridge

The day started with a slight drizzle of rain and very cool weather. Walked a nice wooden boardwalk a good portion of the way along the Atlantic coast, that is, until the detour sign. We had to go inland for a bit which added about a mile and a half and we were not to thrilled about. All in all it was about a 7 1/2 hour day with food and beer breaks and about 5 1/2 hours of walking. The weather was beautiful all day and a great day along the coast of Portugal. We have 2 apartments for tonight that are very nice with clothes washers to get the stink out of our clothes. God knows we need that. Had a nice dinner of fish and pork and then some ice cream. Have over 15 miles tomorrow so will try to be on the road a bit earlier than today. Loving the friendly people from Portugal to the other pilgrims along the way. Buen Camino!