May 26

Day 12

Porto

Psalm 139:9-10 

“If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

    if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

    your right hand will hold me fast.”

Today is a day of rest for us.  After yesterday’s grueling walk in the rain we are rested and ready to spend a day in this fabulous city we’ve heard so much about.  Porto is one of the oldest European cities and was a Roman outpost. The history dates back to 300BC with Celtics being the first inhabitants. During the time of Henry the Navigator in the 1500’s he discovered Brazil, hence Brazil is a Portuguese speaking country.  Another interesting fact is the Portuguese discovered “Tripe” which is a very popular dish in many areas of the world today. Michael and Mimi both eat it however I wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole! The population  of the city itself  is roughly 500,000.  The surrounding suburbs bring the population to over a million. It is filled with old, old buildings that are covered in beautiful Portuguese tiles and painted bright colors.  The city is filled with tourists and locals enjoying all this historic city has to offer.  It is very hilly and there are several vantage points where one can see for miles. The Douro River flowing from the Douro Valley,famous for its wine, spills into the ocean here.  Ancient beauty beyond description. 

      We share cafe com Leiti at an outdoor cafe with Mimi across from the train station. She secured her ticket for Lisbon, scheduled early afternoon, then we begin to walk to the Cathedral perched high on a hill.  We pass hundreds of shops filled with clothes, shoes, gifts, cork products, cafes, etc.  The European clothes and shoes are gorgeous and very cheap compared to America.  I tell Greg it’s a good thing I’m carrying a backpack because I could do some major damage here.  Restraint is a virtue I’m practicing today (and everyday). 

    We pass the cutest store. I’ve never seen anything like before. It’s a cereal  store!  The walls are lined with cereal boxes of every kind and all they serve is cereal and milk! It’s precious with little colorful outdoor tables and they even have Coco Krispies, a childhood favorite. Shortly we pass an outdoor market where all the vendors tables are draped in black and white linens and there are lounge chairs in the plaza all black and white to match. Its Saturday morning and every outdoor cafe is packed with people reading newspapers and drinking coffee. The weather is perfect and sunshine expected today. Thank you God. 

    Mimi and I are both itching.  Not sure if it’s dry skin are bites but thank goodness no signs of dreaded bed bugs.  We talk about putting Vick’s Vapor Rub, our daily foot cream, on our spots as it is helps everything! Mimi suggests that Vick’s should be produced in a squeeze tube to carry along in your purse for times like this.  What a great idea!

     As we continue to walk we see so many renovations going on. These buildings are all so incredibly old and it’s a renovators dream land. So many buildings have wash hanging from the balconies.  It’s comical to see someone’s underwear hanging from a balcony above a populated plaza with cafes below.  We walk past a corner where there is graffiti on a corner that says, “time to wander”.  WE are wandering around this big city today.  Someone passes us and I hear them say, “Pilgrims are so easy to spot”. At first I’m offended but quickly I change my tune and am proud to be a Pilgrim. It’s true!!! We are easy to spot!!! Hiking shoes, hiking shorts, no makeup, hair pulled back and hats on. A fashionista deluxe! Ha. I spot a couple of women who stand out as pilgrims with their backpacks and say Bom Caminho. They stop and chat and I can’t believe they are from Austin, Texas. Their names are Judy and Terry and they are starting the Camino here.  They walked the Frances in 2014.  I ask if either knows my dear friend Lois and one of them does! What a small world we live in. What are the chances? 

     As we continue we see street entertainers around every corner.  There are so many accordion players playing romantic European tunes. There are wine shops everywhere with wine and Port from the Douro Valley.  It is so cheap and delicious. We haven’t paid over $10 Euro for a bottle of wine yet and almost all Pilgrim meals come with wine. Michael and Mimi have been the wine experts and I’ll miss them.  

  Finally we arrive at the enormous Cathedral after walking 45 minutes and climbing tons of stairs. The views are magnificent. We can see a 360 degree view around the city and spot several huge churches with towers and bells.  We get our Compestellas stamped and go inside and quietly pray. I feel like a tiny ant in this place.  The Church was begun in the 12th Century but not completed until the 18th Century. Many renovations and additions took place. Even though the church itself is covered in gold and wood, I think the Cloister is even more beautiful. The architecture mixed with the blue and white Portuguese tiles is stunning.   There is a 16th Century statue of St James “the Pilgrim” referring to the Camino.  

     As we wait for Mimi’s uber to arrive we take in all the scenery surrounding us.  There is a single white dove on top of the cross at the tallest point of the Cathedral. I stand and watch it fly all around us in total dismay.  I turn around to hear and see a guy playing the guitar and singing underneath another cross. Mom and Ronnie have come to see me.  Mimi’s uber comes too fast and we have to bid our French girl goodbye.  We hug and kiss and tell her we will cherish the gifts of the red and blue roosters she has given us as a memory. They are little keychains to put on my purse or backpack which have meaning. So sweet. 

      We walk down to the river for lunch and I order a vegetarian salad with Salmon.  The waiter is amused and laughs at me. He tells me the meaning of vegetarian is no meat or fish. Ha! I knew what I was talking about... I guess it’s a Texan thing! Hundreds of people are walking about, having lunch, riding on boats.  The intensity of the city and ancient beauty is sense overload. After eating we walk over to a grassy area overlooking the river where people are sitting in the grass talking and having beer or wine.  We sit, people watch and talk.  Before you know it Michael and I are dozing and Greg wakes us up after a while. It was the best feeling in the world to be so relaxed I could fall asleep in the grass. When you are a tourist you have a checklist daily of what you want to see but as a Pilgrim you take life as it comes and see the beauty in everything. As a tourist you are on a time schedule but as a Pilgrim you take experiences as they come. I started to act like the “old Mo” and be sad I haven’t seen the top 10 tourist attractions in this city (especially the renowned most beautiful Library in the world).  I stop myself from these feelings and appreciate the gift that I fell asleep in the grass, in a park, in the beautiful city of Porto.  How awesome is that!

     We find our way across the city to our Alburgue and have dinner nearby. It’s a small Portuguese restaurant that sells grilled chicken and steak. The owner excitedly tells me he’s going to fix me the best chicken I’ve ever had. Greg and I share and both agree it is delicious!A European cup playoff is on television and every eye is glued to it. Liverpool vs Madrid.  When we walk back to the Albergue we settle into our room of 3 bunks and a foldout bed. The beds were assigned per checkin and Greg and I both have a top bunk. Poor Greg and the person below as he gets up several times a night. Michael lucks our with the foldout. 

     There are 3 young German girls staying in our room. Caro is below Greg, 25 yrs old and from Cologne.  She is traveling Solo the Coastal route and just flew in today.  The other 2 girls are college students, have already walked the Frances from Burgos to Santiago, and are from Nuremberg.  These young people always amaze me with their insight on seeing other parts of the world. Caro tells us she’s taking this journey to find herself. She like so many other Pilgrims looking for something.... they just don’t know what it is.  I wish her luck on her journey and will pray for her daily.  

     I go to sleep thankful for my day of relaxing and this beautiful old city I got to walk and my gift of 15 minutes sleeping in the grass. 

Nitey nite!