“An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” – Thoreau
First, I’m going to show you a picture of last night’s sunset because it was absolutely stunning and I forgot to include it in yesterday’s post.
Oh, baby! Today was such a great day for walking. The weather was a tad bit windy and chilly but it just helped me to walk faster. And oh boy, my feet feel amazing. I think I’m over the blister drama. Every day is getting better and better…and I feel happier and happier. I’m getting exactly what I need from this Camino.
The landscape and panorama were beautiful today! We were on nature paths for most of it and I just love waking in the woods and by the vineyards, olive groves, and fields of wildflowers.
There were a couple of nice stops along the way to grab a coffee including a fun homemade site with coffee and tea for a small donation. There was a comfortable sitting area with lovely furniture to relax on and take off our shoes.
Sadly, I had to say a sad goodbye to Marky Mark today. Australian Mark has to be in Porto by a certain date to meet his brother so they knew they were going to need to skip a stage at some point. Well, today was that day. We hugged and Australian Mark gave me a lovely Australian flag pin to remember him by before they hopped in the taxi.
Guess what prompted their decision to go on ahead today?
They didn’t think the one hostel that was available in this town looked good from the outside.
So when they texted me to tell me they made it to their location, they asked how the hostel was so far. I sent them these photos. Rule #1: Never judge a hostel by the front door.
In tonight’s hostel, it is just me and one other woman from where else? Australia. 🇦🇺
The most bizarre item I’ve seen on the Camino: Australian Mark bought one of those (creepy) wax feet in Fátima to take home to Australia. The poor thing is already melting in the heat! He said he will try using a hairdryer to reshape it.
Check out this video I made of why the Portuguese Camino might be a better choice at the moment than the Camino Frances.
It’s your lucky day because you get two videos today instead of just one. This video has a fantastic tip from a local doctor about how to add extra padding to your shoes and remove moisture from your feet while hiking. Check it out.
Goodnight and much love from Portugal! 🇵🇹
Scenes from Day 13
I’ve only seen one vineyard so far with roses planted around the edges. I learned on a wine tasting tour in Tuscany that they use roses as a sort of litmus paper to know when there will be an insect infestation. The insects will always attack the roses before the vines. The more you know…am I right?
