Our Santiago

We know many fans of the Camino de Santiago. We have been asked by other people and ourselves about taking on the Camino. We could never warm up to the idea, see the point....

It took coming to Santiago for me to realize that we have been on our personal Camino for the past 10 past years. Every year we leave the comfort of our home, the security of my kitchen, to be in the world at large. Our travel is our Camino, our journey. For that matter, shouldn't we live our lives as if walking the Camino, deliberately and contemplatively, each and every day?

I liked Santiago de Compostela right away, as we fit in really well with our backpacks and boots, except we NEVER wield our hiking sticks in town. In Santiago I did not feel at all conspicuous. John immediately pointed out that is not an acceptable feeling for someone who is supposed to be on the Camino. Upon more reflection, I decided that my concern is mainly for the aesthetic harmony of a place, no need to shock the natives.

The surprise highlight of our Santiago visit was the Rio Sarela bridge to bridge trail. The trail is only 7 kilometers long. The rio is really a stream, more or less right in the city, since you are walking in the stream bed, it is like being in another world. The stream is clear and fast moving. The trail has a dozen types of surfaces. You walk by a dozen bridges of various ages. There are old clothes washing stands, mills, tanning factories along the way. It was the most enchanting walk ever! Because we were having a typical Galician spring day, we only got to walk one-half of the trail in reverse. I guess that's life too.

From Viana do Castelo we took the train to Santiago de Compostela, changing trains in Vigo, Portugal, home of the world's largest fishing port according to Wikipedia.






The Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela may just be the center of the universe. Under renovation until 2021, it is surround by 4 squares/plazas, and is pleasantly both lively and sublime at all times, inside and out...These folks just finished walking the camino and asked me to take a photo.








Cathedral Interior - the tomb of St James.


Folks assembling, under the giant pipe organ, for the daily noon mass.


The line of people waiting to hug the statue of St James.


There's a university in Santiago and the the first evening we were in town, the students were celebrating with speeches, chants, and song just around the corner from our hotel. Was it the end of classes for the year?


The Cathedral at night.








The Mercado, built in the 1920's, is cool.


The local cheese; in the shape of a woman's breast.


Mercado fountain with bovine relief.


City Hall at night.


Here are some shots from our walk along the Rio Sarela trail. The "tanks" are all for washing clothes. The buildings are mostly tanneries.






























Enjoy your Camino!

Viana do Castelo did not disappoint

Our Nazare landlady told us that the only other place in Portugal she would consider living is Viana do Castelo in the north. Viana did not let her down.

We arrived in the afternoon on May Day aka International Workers' Day. While Braga, at least twice the size of Viana, was all quiet, Viana was having a lively celebration with speeches, awards, and traditional folk dancing, while a mix of locals and tourists looked on. Viana city center has a lived in feel (people hanging out/going around their daily business) that many Portuguese city lack.

After a month in Portugal we finally caught on that almost every town has these hiking/walking trails that take you to see something interesting, a lot of times historical, that we rather enjoy. We took advantage of those in Viana. The first day we walked the PR9 around the hill above town. Part of the trail was on the old aqueduct; granite pipe rather! It was super fun. The second day we caught the train two stops north to Carreco to walk the PR7 back along the coast, plus the GR1. We have come across the Camino countless times, now that we are close to Mecca (150km to Santiago de Compostela) we finally saw people walking the Camino for the first time. The official Camino is actually further inland, the GR1 is much more scenic.

When we were planning, our whole Portuguese scheduled was based on staying through May 3 for the Festival of the Crosses in Barcelo. Now that we have seen some many processions, the festival didn't seem so important. Nevertheless, we took the train 40 minutes to Barcelos to check it out. We were much surprised by the festive atmosphere. The large fairgrounds and streets were fully decked out, granted it is a 10-day festival. On this day of the Grand Procession, it seemed like half of Portugal was in town. It was the most lively scene in our whole month in Portugal. John predicted that at the rate we are going, I would be tired of processions. Though this procession did feature a few elements we have never seen before, I can see how John might prove to be prophetic. In any case, it is a good way to end our tour of Portugal.

May Day in Viana do Castelo.




Our hike on the PR9 above Viana started at the Santuário de Santa Luzia with great views right to the Atlantic Coast and left up the Lima River Valley.




Another walk, another aqueduct. The PR9 follows the aqueduct north for 3 kms or so; most of the time the trail is on top of the aqueduct.






There were a couple of interesting side trails to watermills and water mines.




A tower with a view.


And don't get the PR9 confused with the PR10.




View from our apartment up to Santa Luzia.


Our second day, we rode the train - 2 stops = 9 minutes - up to Carreco, and walked 14 kms or so back to Viana. Carreco had a couple windmills, some ancient rock carvings, and a lighthouse.


We also made a new friend in Jose who was walking the trails with his dog who soon adopted us as part of the pack.






Old salt pans by the coast.






After walking around in Carreco, it was another 9 kms back to Viana, with great sea views, and a comfortable walking path.












And a few more windmills as we neared Viana.




And after a brief rest, we catch the train to Barcelos for the Festival of the Crosses.




It's a big festival; lasts for a week; the highlight is the Grand Procession of the Crosses. Wow! First, several floats come out of the church.




Then, a seemingly endless stream of crosses, each flanked by candles.
















Here's some video.


The video link is here.