May 27

Day 13

Sao Pedro De Rates

Last night just before I fell asleep, Caro in her sweet German voice  quietly said, “Goodnight mom and dad”.  We all laughed as even she grew up in Germany with her mom saying the same thing she had heard on the show, “The Walton’s”.  Then she said, “Goonight Jim Bob”.  Too funny...  

    The Room we were in at the Alburgue was so loud I didn’t sleep at all. Greg didn’t snore for a change but the plastic covered mattresses and squeaky beds were a killer. Every move anyone made I heard.  Not to mention every time someone climbed out of a top bunk to go to the bathroom. I sure do miss having a group that we know in a smaller setting. Caro found an Italian/American girl to walk with in the Alburgue. She’s an Italian girl whose doing her Internal Medicine Residency in Ohio. Both are solo walkers.  

    We have our dreaded goodbye breakfast with Michael. He will stay in Porto for the next 7 days and sightsee.  Starting today it’s just Greg and I.  Our plan today is to eat breakfast then Metro out of the city to a smaller village past all the industrial roadways and begin our walk. At breakfast we realize we need some additional information from our Alburgue Hostess and it’s a good thing because I’ve left all of my wash on the clothesline!  That could have been a disaster for me.  We walk just down the street to the Metro Station and tell Michael goodbye.  It’s been fun reconnecting and so nice having a European expert with us.  He will be missed. 

    We get on the Metro with our packs and Greg is looking dapper today in his new Panama hat he bought yesterday. Porto and surrounding villages are known for hats so he on a whim bought a new one. 

   We start our walk on the outskirts of Porto and immediately meet an Italian girl and 2 Brazilians who have had the same idea.  Paola is from Milan and is travelling solo. She’s early 50’s, married and has a friend whose done the walk. I didn’t catch the Brazilians names but he just finished the Francis Camino on bike and now his wife has met him in Porto to walk to Santiago. They are a darling younger couple.   We chat for a while then we stop for our 2nd cafe com leiti. 

    As soon as we start walking again I see the biggest pink single bloom on a hydrangea. One of mom’s favorite flowers.  My playlist starts playing Lonestar’s “Not a Day Goes By”.  It’s so fitting because reality is not a day goes by that I don’t think of her.  I miss my mom more than anything. I will always have a picture of her I carry in my heart. 

   The terrain this morning has been gently rolling hills and cobblestone streets. The uneven streets are so hard on our feet. An ankle could easily turn and the bottoms of our feet get so sore.  I hope this isn’t how our entire day will be.  My blister between my toes went away several days ago. I figured out that I had to do exactly my foot regime I did last camino to not get blisters. I just cannot wear the newest greatest 2 in 1 liner socks I bought. I’m so glad I brought 2 pair of my thicker socks and silk liners. Wearing those with feet covered in Vick’s is my ticket  to happy feet.  Greg has faired so much better than his last Camino as he has breathable lightweight shoes and the thinner double layer socks. It works for him but not for me.  It’s so personal and the single most important thing to get right before the Camino begins. Blisters ruin the experience.  

    We climb up and we climb down these cobblestones.  At one point entering a village we see 4 Brazilian  girls. They are happy and chatty and we take photos together. Today is their first day and they are carrying not only backpacks but duffle-bags to the closest post office to mail forward.  They are dressed in brightly colored tights and shirts. 

   As we begin one decent the ground changes to hard packed dirt and I’m elated. It feels so much better than cobblestones. Unfortunately it doesn’t last long and the bumpy road returns.  

    We stop at Vilarinho and have lunch. I’ve been craving a hamburger and get the nerve to order one.  It’s lettuce, tomato, ham, hamburger meat, fried egg and mustard. In the weirdest way it’s kind of good.  As we are sitting eating outside, Greg says “there’s another Pilgrim”.  I recognize it’s Lorenz.  Greg runs over and gets him to join us for lunch. I recognize his small straw hat! I cannot believe our paths have crossed since Porto. He’s already walked over 700K  from the bottom of Portugal.   He eats with us and we walk together the remainder of our day.  

  We have already seen more Pilgrims since Porto than we did the entire Lisbon to Porto leg. We knew this section would be busier but it doesn’t compare to the numbers seen on the Frances. We are walking the Central route which is supposedly more supported than the coastal. There are sections where the 2 paths meet.  

   We walk over ancient Roman bridges.  I huff and puff up the hillsides and cautiously walk the cobblestone streets down on this so called “flat terrain”.  Let’s just say this is definitely not the Texas definition of flat! There are several areas with the Camino seashell official emblem which say “detour”.  It’s a prettier, safer way but is usually a bit longer. We take them all. It’s very windy this afternoon and the wind seems to pick me up as I drift off into deep thoughts... I can only imagine...  The scenery is very much like Tuscany.  Pretty homes with beautiful flowers and lots of grapevines and gardens.  Picturesque at its best. 

    Paola, our new Italian friend we met this morning is sitting at a cafe alone. We join her and invite her to walk with us to Sao Pedro de Rates. Even-though there are more Pilgrims on this stretch, the idea of a woman walking alone just isn’t ideal. I never thought that way on the Frances. So many people always around. 

   The town of Sao Pedro de Rates is gorgeous in a sterile way. A Romanesque Church greets us and we go inside to pray.  The streets are empty, the buildings all stucco white and the religious symbols throughout are ancient. It’s Sunday and you would think we were walking into a deserted town. Literally no one is outside.  2 old people sit on the church steps but don’t utter a word.  The Alburgue is Donitivo which means donation. We simply pay what we want. It’s a nice layout with rooms of 10 beds each. I get stuck in an upper bunk of course.   

   After a Pilgrim dinner of soup, salad, rice, potatoes, steak, fried egg, bread, red wine and cream brûlée we go back to the Alburgue to crash. Our Pilgrim dinner was a whopping $7 Euro.  It always seems strange to me that rice and potatoes are always served together.  Mom would have said that was just not right! Ha. One starch per meal! Guess that’s how she always kept her girly figure. I better start following her example or I’ll be gaining weight after meals like these! 

Stuffed, sore and happy in my sleeping bag on a top bunk with wet hair and half dried socks, bras, underwear, shirts and shorts hung all around me. If you could see me now! 

Nitey nite!