Day 9 Rabacal to Coimbra 30km

We keep saying how wonderful the Portuguese are, and so it continued today. We greeted a farmer working his vineyard this morning near Conimbriga. He asked us to wait and came to us with a bunch of grapes for each of us. Later, we were sitting in front of a church at Cernache and we were approached by (1) an old lady who gave us all a bunch of grapes, (2) a young man who asked if we needed water, and (3) a lady who called Mary into the church to sign/stamp our Camino credentials. Later again, in Palheira, when faced with a very full cafe where we wished to have a lunchtime snack, a man crossed the road to ask if he could help and advised us of another cafe 100 metres further down the road. Little things, but appreciated.

Very fancy Camino signs near Zambujal!

On the road by 6.45am. Got to Coimbra by 3.15pm. That is about normal for 30km. By the end we feel a bit wasted but we recover quickly. Coimbra is a city. We have a hotel room near the centre - it is basic but it is clean. It is on the third floor and there is no lift, so that's not so easy when you've completed a 30km walk. And the WIFI is very weak in the hotel so this is being compiled at a bar - any excuse!!

A lot going on here!

Our first view of Coimbra.

Mentioned this previously, I think, the Camino Portuguese is much more hilly than we were led to believe. We have struggled up some of the hills we've faced. Mary hates hills but approaches them with determination.

A hard working lady.

Tomorrow we are only facing 22km. Woohoo!!!

Day 8 - Alvaiazere to Rabacal 32km

Walking at 6.45am, starting with a sharp uphill for a few kilometres. While it was a slog, we all felt it was a nice day and we have arrived here in Rabacal to nice accommodation (Casa de Turismo do Rabacal). The walk continues to improve and has moved from just about endurable (Lisbon stages) to very enjoyable (rural stages), and the Portuguese continue to be so pleasant.

Grotto on the trail.

There are plenty of dogs along the trail but the majority are tied up and are therefore restricted to barking at us. However, at some spots the household has a couple of terrier type dogs running free who can menace you a bit. Waving the walking sticks will usually keep them under control, and pretending to pick something off the road will often send them scurrying (clearly someone has lobbed a rock at them before). Today we were attacked by a couple of nasties, one of whom was a slightly mongrel version of a pit bull. Anyway we got clear OK but would prefer not to have a repeat.

Yum!!

Our route today was very much dirt and farm tracks, and woodland trails, with little road, and so it was more like the Camino Francais. It was also very well waymarked. We stopped in Ansiao and had wonderful pastries (see photo) and we encountered a wonderful bar owner in Alvorge He showed us a photo of a pilgrim who had passed through the town yesterday, a girl - she is doing the Camino in a wheelchair - I don't know how she manages.

Sap collection in the woods.

Pumpkins.

All three of us have different footwear strategies. Mary just wears walking sandals - her feet are free of blisters. Fleur also wears sandals but with two pairs of socks - she has blisters but that is due to her relative newness to such walking - blisters from the initial days are now fading and she has no new blisters. I wear walking shoes with one pair of socks, I change into fresh socks after about 10km, and I change into sandals and no socks for the last 10km or so - I am free of blisters.

Mary sees a way past the water charges - prototype needs further development!

Another 30km tomorrow and we are at Coimbra - an old city, with 160k people. Should be good.

Billy goat (not) gruff in Alvorge .

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Day 7 Tomar to Alvaiazere 32km

The little we managed to see of Tomar last night left us with the view that it is a bit special and somewhere to return to. Dinner was in a restaurant (O Tabuleiro) which seemed to be favoured by locals and the meal was wonderful and good value (including Mary's black pig pork cheeks!!!). Our accommodation was in a hostel (Thomar 2300) which was very well appointed and spotless. There were six in our eight bed dorm, five Irish and a Bulgarian. Fleur says I was the loudest snorer - you raise them, give them everything, and then they turn on you ...............

Square in Tomar last night.

We were up at 6am this morning and on the road by 7am. Much of the day took us through small villages and hamlets, and it was a real pleasure. However, we experienced our first hills and with the sun in the high 20s we were fairly wasted by the time we got to Alvaiazere, a fairly forgettable place where we are staying in a quirky hostel that's a good distance from five star (Albergaria Pinheiro).

Oranges - a work in progress

Aside from tonight, the accommodation has been to a high standard. We have used more private rooms than dorms and these cost a little more, but they are clean and everything is supplied, and often include breakfast.

The bags get a rest!

On the Camino Francais, our blister plaster of choice was Compeed - you peel the cover of these, apply them to the affected area, and they effectively operate as a replacement skin, staying in place for days until they detach. A cheaper generic version was available before we left Ireland and we brought these, but they seem not to stick properly and we have reverted to Compeed.

Who said there were no hills on the Portuguese Camino?

These 30km walks are a bit of a slog, especially in the hot sun. However, we have only two more to go before we drop to a 22km, 25km and 16km. Can't wait!

Guinea fowl, geese and chickens.

Agriculturally, Mary thinks we are going through paradise these days. There are vines, olives, oranges, lemons, figs, apples, pomegranates, pumpkins, butternut squashes, peaches, and apricots. She sampled a few of these!

Olive tree plays host to pumpkin!

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Day 6 Golega to Tomar 30km

Mea culpa, mea culpa!!
The sequence of each day's blog posting has got mixed up. I was trying to insert the distance (48km) into the heading for Day 1 and 2 and then repost it, but it threw the sequence of each day and efforts to correct it made it worse. So, I'll leave it alone now.

Up at 6am and on the road by 7am. A lot of road walking but temperatures more bearable until mid afternoon, but we got to Tomar in good shape just after 3pm. It was Fleur's first walk into the 30 kms. We are staying in a lovely hostel, very clean and organised.

Statue in Golega!!

Some of us have experienced a touch of Montezuma's Revenge over the past few days. So we each had a brandy before going to bed last night.They were twice the size of a short in an Irish pub, but all three in total cost €3.60. Anyway, we all slept well last night - I'd put it down to the quiet street we were on!!! Tummies are good today.

Kieran and Mary on the trail.

Met an Italian lady and a Bulgarian man walking the Camino together today.

Quinta Cardiga ruins.

Most people walk the Camino Francais and some follow up with another, like the one we are doing here in Portugal. But other people get a bit sucked into it all and repeat them, five or six times perhaps. A fellow walker/pilgrim talking to us last night says she refers to these repeaters as the 'Camino tragics'!! That about sums it up.

San Laurenco chapel.

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Day 3 - Azambuja to Port De Muge 16.5km

The heat of the past few days made things very difficult, and while it is to cool a little (down to mid 20s), a new strategy had to be adopted. So we were on the road by 5.30am, walked about 17km and were settled in our hostel before noon.

In our preparation we leaned heavily on an excellent blog of two years ago by 'Magwood'. The area we are walking has many large gaps in suitable accommodation. To resolve this we used her solution,ie walk today's 17km, get picked up by the hostel owner in a big town ahead, and then get dropped back to that point again the following day. Mario and his wife Teresa of the Santarem Hostel did this for us. It is a truly wonderful hostel so we will stay here a second night.

Sun up at Azambuja

We used our head torches to find our way for the first hour today. When the sun had fully risen we found ourselves surrounded by fields of ripening tomatoes - they extended for kilometre after kilometre. We also saw our first vines - we have been told that it is expected that it will be a good year. The countryside is getting more attractive and we have pulled well clear of the greater Lisbon area.

Ostriches on the road to Santarem

 We met our French couple again today. We also met our first pilgrim going to Fatima - the Fatima and Santiago routes are shared as far as Santarem. When passing through the Valada area today there were lots of people who seemed to be a little alternate, maybe even a bit hippyish!

Fields and fields of tomatoes

 We are suffering with various aches and pains but are making progress. Fleur has pick up some nasty blisters so took the train today and may need to do this on and off again for the next few days until her feet recover.

Tomato harvest in full swing

Days 1 and 2 Lisbon to Azambuja 48km

Our trip started with a couple of days in Lisbon (we will return, what a place) and included the first seven km of the walk while we were there. So, our first real day on the Camino Portuguese was today, Friday 28th August 2015.

DAY 1 Parque das Nachoes to Alhandra (26km)

We set off along the Tejo estuary at 7.15. Lots of early morning joggers, on a wonderful morning. During the day the temperature climbed to 33 degrees, so we found it very tough.

We had heard that some parts of the walk just north of Lisbon were on busy/dangerous roads - we experienced some of this on a stretch of the N10 south of Alhandra.

We walked to Alhandra but stayed a few kilometers north of there at Villafranca de Xira. We were offered free accommodation and meals with the nuns in the old peoples home but skipped on that as we felt our time had not come!! So, we opted for the very nice DPHostel.

Dinner was wonderful. It was at the tapas restaurant 150 Gramas, where the chef\proprieter spoke good English. He even advised us where he thought we were over ordering, and he was right.

 English speakers can be difficult to find and are usually the young, but everyone is so helpful and tries to respond with a mixture of other languages, shrugs and grunts.

The locals appear not to drink a lot, however, alcohol seems to be very cheap, especially when we got clear of Lisbon. A brandy, half pint of beer and a fizzy water cost €3.60 last night.

First Camino arrow at the Cathedral in Lisbo

Boat in the Tejo estuary Lisbon, early morning

Day 2 Alhandra to Azambuja 22km

We are using the John Brierly (Irish guy) guide book again. It is a fine guide and the most popular of Camino guidebooks but sometimes the distances don't seem quite right, and of course the route keeps changing so hard copy guides don't remain current. One section today beyond Villafranca De Xira was way different from the guide (mine has a 2014 issue date).

Temperatures at 33 degrees again today (subsequently heard that this may be understated by us and have been nearer to 40). So, it was a very tough day.

We finally met some fellow walkers. A couple from France - she walks and he rides a bike next to her, and an Irishman from Greystones who seems to be walking about twice as fast as us.

Azambuja is just about OK, so we are looking forward to Santarem which looks bigger and more attractive.

Day 5 - Vale De Figueira to Golega 23km

Had a lovely meal outdoors at a restaurant last night. The menus are becoming a little more understandable, the staff are so friendly, and it is always so warm.



The Santarem Hostel was much busier last night. There were pilgrims from Belgium, Australia, Holland and Germany. Also, the owners sons were home (with their Irish friend, a guy from Naas). It is such a classy place - sorry we didn't take some photos of it.



We took a taxi forward on the camino this morning to the point we got to yesterday - Vale De Figueira. An very nice Australian lady shared the taxi with us - her back pack is really big so I don't know how she manages. We were walking by 8.15am at a temperature of 19 degrees - it crept up to the low 30s during the day.

Kieran and Mary tuck in!

We have really left the tomato fields behind and didn't see so much in the way of vines. But really the day was all about maize, field after field of it.



Walking kilometre after kilometre in 30C can be hard going. However it is worse where you are directed off the main track for reasons that appear to relate to commercial politics. The waymarking (which was really excellent today) took us off the mapped route to the town of Azinhaga - so rather than being 5km from the stage finish we were 7km - when you're tired this is not good news, and it also resulted in us spending more time walking a dangerous road rather than across farmland.

A Camino waymarker on a cork tree.

If our accommodation the last two nights was super, tonight in Golega is as good. We have a two room suite in a period property, with breakfast, all for €60, see picture below.













Big walk tomorrow. Hope to walk 30km to get us to the ancient city of Tomar. With the heat we have shortened our walks a little, but it would be good to make it to there tomorrow. So, we hope to be up by 6am and on the road by 7am.



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