May 29

May 15

O Comforto Albergue

To The Morning 

             by 

Dan Fogelberg

“Watching the sun

Watching it come

Watching it come up over the rooftops

Cloudy and warm

Maybe a storm

You can never quite tell

From the morning

And it's going to be a day

There is really no way to say no

To the morning

Yes it's going to be a day

There is really nothing left to

Say but

Come on morning”

Yes! I feel it... it’s going to be a day!  Drizzling rain and 34k to walk today as we are going past Ponte de Lima, the suggested stop. Lorenz has figured out if we push for next 6 days we can walk all the way to Santiago on this last leg instead of moving by taxi. The guide book suggested 11 plus days and we only had 7.  Today will be our longest day so I’m carrying my smaller pack and moving my big bag pack forward. At this stage there are several well organized backpack transporters for 7 Euro. Much cheaper than the 30 Euro I paid twice from the Lisbon leg. Thank goodness Michael shared that fee with me.  

    Last night I was still laughing inside about the Oreo story. Just before we tucked in, a German lady next to Greg asked him to please move his stinky sandals out of this room! Ha. I was trying to hold back the laughter as he explained he lost his sense of smell over 12 years ago. She goes on to tell him she has the strongest smeller in the world and cannot stand the smell of his sandals. Quite frankly I don’t even smell them but he quietly takes them outside. We aren’t allowed to have our hiking shoes in rooms because they do smell but sandals are permitted. Laughter is good for the soul! I’m so glad it was Greg and not me!

     The rain today is more like a constant cool mist that gets everything we own wet so we have to break out the rain gear. I tell Lorenz the story Frances told me on my 1st Camino about the rain. He said, “ you can’t have rainbows without rain”.  That makes us all realize it’s a blessing to be able to walk in the rain. Regardless of rain, I don’t want my time walking to end. The younger Pilgrims last night couldn’t believe the distances we have been walking. They all started in Porto and are licking their wounds of sore muscles and blisters. Specifically they cannot believe that I carry my backpack and am able to keep up with the guys. It’s the first time I’ve ever really felt I was looked upon as older but I don’t let it bother me.  So many women older than me are much better walkers. 

    Last night I had a dream that my eyesight was failing. I went to the doctor and he told me it was because I was fat and I’d  have to lose 10 lbs to see again. I’m w thinking I must have dreamed that because before I fell asleep I was thinking about all the food we consume! Ha. Crazy

    As we walk in the rain I’m listening to nature. Running streams, chirping birds, bells of goats, and an occasional rooster.  I look at all the beautiful flowers, trees and grapevines and realize today God is watering his garden here on earth. The raindrops that once in a while hit my face as I look up to heaven are simply wiping away my tears. Greg senses I’m deep in thought and kisses me. Above us on a wire a perfect white dove sits and coos.  We round a corner and see 3 large stone crosses on top of an ancient church.  My playlist plays “Praise You in the Storm”.  God is so good. 

     As the rainy mist let’s up my rain suit is making me swelter. I feel like I’m in one of those old outfits people would wear to lose weight. At our first stop (at 13k) I take off the jacket and risk getting wet. My fleece is so much more breathable.  We see so many at the 1st cafe and almost all are German. On this leg of our walk this has been the longest we’ve gone without provisions available. The trail this morning takes us close to other villages but mainly on gorgeous paths thru Forest and farmland.  I’m not complaining at all. It’s heaven on earth. 

    A few hours after we leave we run into the 2 Brazilians who were in our room last night. They are the younger couple, Orlane and Guillherme. They are so cute, he’s very tall and handsome and she’s tiny. I learned yesterday that she is Vegan as she was cooking her own dinner at the Albergue while we ate Pizza. They have travelled a lot around the US and have seen more National parks than I have. She’s a lawyer and he left a job as an IT worker after 17 years because he didn’t like it. He decided to take a year off and travel and figure out what he wants to do. They actually met in New Zealand on a vacation by chance on a bus. Darling couple!  The funniest thing is he calls her Houston! He tells us when she doesn’t pay attention to him he says “Houston, we have a problem”.  Ha I just love stories like these. Lorenz laughs at me that I ask so many questions and better yet remember the smallest details about people I’ve met even from my Camino 3 years ago.  I’m fascinated by people and their stories and I’ve learned that you only need to ask one question and people often will bare there souls.  

    I take tons of photos and conveniently have my cell phone in my right pocket.  Music playing and every once in a while I dance as I walk. How often do we get to dance in the rain?  Life is too short not to. We pass by Fernanda Casa which we’ve heard so much about. It’s an Albergue that you have to reserve in advance. I had tried but they were booked. I’ve heard on the trail of Pilgrims  booking months in advance. I take a photo of the sign to send Nick and Lou who stayed there last year. It’s a very special place where the owners totally cater to the Pilgrims.  

    Last night Lorenz shared this with Greg:

    “Do you know Antoine de Saint-Exupery? He is the author of a known book entitled The Little Prince (a book that I love) He actually wrote this prayer in one of the roughest periods of his life. ( I just actually saw this while browsing the internet and why not share it with all of you) ....If you are also in your roughest period of your life, read this and it will actually give you strength and it will definitely make you feel lighter.

    Lord, I’m not praying for miracles and visions, I’m only asking for strength for my days. Teach me the art of small steps.

Make me clever and resourceful, so that I can find important discoveries and experiences among the diversity of days.

Help me use my time better. Present me with the sense to be able to judge whether something is important or not.

I pray for the power of discipline and moderation, not only to run throughout my life, but also to live my days reasonably, and observe unexpected pleasures and heights.

Save me from the naive belief that everything in life has to go smoothly. Give me the sober recognition that difficulties, failures, fiascos, and setbacks are given to us by life itself to make us grow and mature.

Send me the right person at the right moment, who will have enough courage and love to utter the truth!

I know that many problems solve themselves, so please teach me patience.

You know how much we need friendship. Make me worthy of this nicest, hardest, riskiest and most fragile gift of life.

Give me enough imagination to be able to share with someone a little bit of warmth, in the right place, at the right time, with words or with silence.

Spare me the fear of missing out on life.

Do not give me the things I desire, but the things I need.

Teach me the art of small steps!’ 

    At 28 years old Lorenz is wise.  He also enlightens me to the history of the Fanta orange drink story.  It was a drink invented in Germany in 1940 by the German Coca Cola bottling company during WWII because there was no shipping between America and Germany. They have Fanta drinks all along the Camino.  I’m so used to Americans sitting at a cafe ordering a coke but here quite often Pilgrims are ordering Fanta.  Interesting fact!

     We have lunch in Ponte de Lima where most Pilgrims are stopping today. We eat at a beautiful outdoor cafe called River View. The owner greets us. Darling guy in purple slacks and a blue jacket. He tells us he is Portuguese and worked on Wallstreet but gave it up to come back home and have his restaurant. We feast on a Pilgrim meal for 9 Euro.  I eat delicious vegetable soup, fish, rice, salad, nata for dessert and coffee. It’s our big meal today and tonight we will eat very light. We are all famished and clean our plates. As we leave we walk over the long ancient bridge over the river and pass the Hostel where so many we’ve met are staying. Their colorful backpacks are lined up against the wall waiting for 4pm when it will open. We chat with Orlane and Guillherme and exchange numbers for WhatsApp.  When we see them we yell “Hello Houston!”

   The walk towards our home tonight at O Comforto is an additional 10k. The path is thru forest, grapevines, farmland and birds singing melodious tunes. There are the biggest wild Hydrangea bushes and most are lavender blue....my favorite color for them. I see a dove perched on a roof watching our every step.  We meet a guy walking the opposite way. He is tall and cheerful. His name is Antonio and he’s Brazilian. He’s walking 2200k.  He’s walked from the middle of France to St Jean, Santiago, Finisterre, Muxia, Santiago and now to Lisbon. Wow! We are amazed and I take Greg and Lorenz’s  photo with him. What an inspiration he is and so happy!

    As we walk up to our Hostel for the evening we stop at the last mini market and buy bread, tomato, wine and chips.  Lorenz has sausage and bread he’d already bought and we are having small sandwiches for our dinner.  I’m a sight walking uphill with a bottle of wine under my arms, my sticks tucked under and holding a bag of BBQ Potato chips.  Up, up, up 1K.  Seems like 5. 

    The Hostel is perched high looking down on the beautiful countryside and a church in the distance. We share a room for 5 with 2 women who are travelling together. Patricia is from a Northern Ireland and Aya is from Germany.  The luxury of this place is not only the breathtaking view but the toilet has a seat!!!! The bad news is there is only one bathroom which includes the shower to be shared by 12 people.  This should be interesting. 

     We meet new Pilgrims tonight... mostly Germans, 1 Irish girl and 3 older men from Switzerland. We all sit under a covered area and make our food for dinner. The German girls, Aya, Sylvia and Anjelica and Patricia from Ireland make a big salad of fresh vegetables they’ve bought at the market and have 3 bottles of Green Wine. It’s famous in this area. Patricia laughs and says it smells like Caw so she won’t drink it. After several attempts to ask her what Caw is we finally realize she’s saying Cow. We all laugh. We both speak English but our dialect is far from close. She is a hoot and I love watching and listening to her tell stories. 

   I go to bed tonight on a top bunk, window open with cool air pouring in, snuggled under a real sheet and warm blanket. What a Blessing today has been. I pray for peace for a dear friend, peace for our country, the world, families and all prayer request sent my way. 

Nitey nite!