Walking the Camino de Santiago

Aug 31 – Sep 1

“When you’re happy like a fool
Let it take you over
When everything is out
You gotta take it in

Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life” – One Republic

I’ve walked a ton the last two days to reach Porto today, so I thought I’d merge the two days into one post. You don’t mind do you? 😉

The last two days have been fun and challenging. Many “hikes” versus “walks” going up and down various elevations. My journey took me through very quaint towns as well as my favorite eucalyptus forests. I intentionally decided to walk longer distances to reach Porto. I’ve been feeling great physically and have zero foot issues, the weather isn’t too warm, and everything just seemed to line up to walk further with the goal to reach Porto by midday Sept 1(today), which I did.

Along my journey’s I didn’t see too many pilgrims, although I did get the opportunity to again walk with Conrad for several miles. Such a nice man, and I also got to meet his wife who is equally as kind. However, because I was walking further than they, I bid them farewell once we had reached their destination for the day and of course wished them a “Bom Camino”. It would be fun to see them in Santiago.

Now that I’m ahead of Solange by a couple of days, I’m reporting back to her the terrain conditions so she can be prepared. We chat on WhatsApp at the end of our days.

Walking through these old towns, you can’t help but wonder what some of the estates and mansions might have looked like in their day. In particular, the town of Mourisca do Vouga had many abandoned homes that indicated they must have been “the place to be” at one time.

There was a good amount of pavement walking on day two of this trek. The Camino weaves through various roads, crosses a major highway, and then back onto countryside.

One of the highlights on this route was walking on the Roman roads. These ancient roads have had so many people pass over them. It’s crazy to think about the notable people who may have traversed on these paths over the years.

Finally reaching Porto, it’s beauty was evident from the moment it came into view.

It was so exciting to reach Porto today. It’s another big milestone on the Camino Portuguese and for me as well. I love this city so far!

I was fortunate enough to get connected with a friend of a friend today. Phoebe moved to Porto from the states and now lives here. We met today for a drink and had a great chat about Portugal, traveling, and various other topics. Phoebe also has a special pass to get into a world famous bookstore called Livraria Lello. Not only is the bookstore amazing on its own, it was also the inspiration for many of the ideas JK Rowling used to create the Harry Potter books. Rowling lived in Porto for some time. Many call it the most beautiful bookstore in the world.

From Porto onward the path is going to change. First, there will be a lot more pilgrims on the trail. Second, I’m going to be right along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean almost all the way to Santiago de Compostela. I’m looking forward to it.

My thoughts: I’ve had a great couple of days. Really happy to be in Porto. I could spend a couple of weeks here easily, so I’ve added it to my list to come back and savor the city more. Again, so grateful to be here and have the opportunity to walk across such a great country. It truly is a good life!