Walking the Camino de Santiago

Aug 23-

“Its gettin hot in here
So take off all your clothes
I am gettin so hot. I wanna take my clothes off” – Nelly

Woke up bright and early this morning and shot out of my hotel like a cannon. It was so hot yesterday I wanted to make sure I didn’t get caught in the heat as I headed to Tomar. Tomar is rich in Portuguese history, and was one of the major scenes of the Knights Templar. I’m excited to see the city and equally as excited to have my first rest day. I’m ready for it. I know my body is.

Sometimes on the trail you find you’re in a silly mood and the need to entertain yourself.. or perhaps entertain your two hiking poles, Harry and Larry 😉. So was the mood of todays trail. I’m sure if people could have seen some of the crazy antics I was doing today they would have thought I lost my mind. Starting with making up songs to famous tunes and belting them out. That ultimately turned into dancing on the trail listening to actual music. It passes the time and makes for a fun adventure… at least for me! I also was encouraged by many town folks today. People who wished me a Bom Camino. I also had two different cars honk at me and tell Buen Camino out their windows as they drove by. It’s nice to be such a welcome celebrity (at least in my mind)😂. I just tipped my crown and kept chugging along.

Todays trail would lead me through multiple small hamlets, up and over some strenuous rocky hillsides on rough terrain, and onto asphalt streets with some blistering heat radiating from the ground. While it was hot, and I had sweat dripping off my body, it felt like the Camino I know. It’s familiar being on rocky dirt and huffing and puffing up and over hills. Funny how those memories and techniques come back quickly. Lucky for me I’ve had a week of walking under my belt to be ready for it.

As the sun began to rise, of course so did the heat. I had walked about 3/4 of the way on my journey today when I felt shade was required.. and soon. I was going to have to stop under a patch of shade and cool off for a bit. The sun was really beating on my back. No sooner was I singing “It’s getting hot in here”, the trail took a turn to a shaded forest of eucalyptus trees. In recent years, Portuguese farmers have covered vast stretches of land with these non native trees, especially in central Portugal. They’re simple to grow, three times as lucrative as cork (which is native to Portugal) and can be harvested within 12 years so it’s easy to see why. This shaded trail would continue for 6 miles through groves of eucalyptus trees before taking a turn into the city of Tomar.

It’s funny what a memory can do. Once I hit this trail, I was brought back to my days on the Camino Francés last year. The rocky path, the smell of the trees, and even the impending climb I was going to have to make. This I could do. This makes me feel like I’m on the Camino.

I had heard the flat paths would begin to change getting closer to Tomar and they weren’t kidding. It’s always impossible to show how steep these things are in photos. But it was steep. Luckily I had Harry and Larry to help me up and down the ranges.

This path was stunning. It was shaded, serene, and really so calming. I’d climb a steep path to a flat ridge and then the forest would give me a little break of flat land and beautiful surroundings, and the up we’d go another steep path. I didn’t mind. There was no sun searing my skin and the shade, combined with a cool breeze, felt perfect.

Once the forest had come to the edge of the road, my trail diverted to asphalt streets for the remaining 3.5 miles. And it was now hot (96 degrees) with zero shade to be had. In the distance I could see a small chapel with shade, and I made it my mission to make it to that chapel for my next and final rest/shade break before proceeding on into Tomar. Once I arrived at the chapel, the exterior was in full shade and I took off my pack, drank from my water, and ate a small snack of nuts, along with a tomato I had been carrying in my pack for a couple of days. Just a little bit of needed energy to keep my engine running.

I was enjoying the shade so much. I took out my travel towel, spread it on the granite floor and decided it was the perfect spot to take a little rest. With the shade, there was a nice cool breeze running over me and it felt great. I closed my eyes, and took a little nap.

After leaving the chapel, I felt great! Refreshed, cooled off, and ready to go. It wasn’t long before I reached Tomar. My destination for today and my first rest city. I won’t be back on the trail until Friday!

I’ll share more about Tomar on my rest day. But take a look at my dinner tonight!! Yummmm!

My thoughts: What a gift it is to be able to see the beauty of Portugal this way. One that I appreciate every day; even when it’s hot; even when my feet hurt; even when I’m hungry. So blessed.