Category Archives: portugal & El Camino Portuguese

On to Bigger Blue

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Having not seen a blue arrow for 40 kilometers, I duck into a Casa Rural looking for a bed. The owner opens the door, and seeing me (female, alone, tired, pilgrim) and noting that complete darkness is on the fast approach, decides to take advantage of the situation by proposing 40 Euros for the night. I say thank you and goodnight and sigh in sadness. After all, I have a tent to sleep in. But HE has his conscience to sleep with. Hey…it’s not ALL golden on the yellow brick road.

I walk back into the night, scouting a soft spot for the tent, and there in front of me, the Blue Skipper has left his mark.

“Where have you been!?” I demand. “I thought you’d jumped ship! After I have spent one day following your madness in circles and then another doing the same — in the rain. Oh no. Don’t think you can just walk in and out of my life like this. Showing up right now…all bright and blue and determined. No. It’s over between you and I, Blue. I’m moving on to bigger and better blue! I’m off to the Atlantic Blue!” And with a kick of my boot, and a hastily blown kiss, I turn West, never looking back on Southbound Blue.

Like a raindrop, I always return to the sea. And it’s a quick walk, with the sea salt in the air like a carrot on a stick.

Everyone stares at the funny girl on the beach with the backpack and the clanking metal cup and the big walking cane with funny stones in it…after all, there are no pilgrims in these parts of Portugal.

I pay no attention.

I wade into the water, find a perfectly warmed rock, bask upon it, and rest my soul in the breeze of the sea.

And then I simply realize, “I’m done walking.”

And suddenly I feel the need to move….fast.

So I get on a bus, which takes me to the metro, where I hop onto a train, and then jump into a taxi –which takes me to a small youth hostel in the middle of a pine forrest on the beach of Central Portugal.

And in this hostel, I brush my hair for the first time in ten weeks. I take off the pants that I have been wearing for some 1,200 Kilometers and smile at the secret stories behind each stain, hole, hand-stitch and burn. And then I say goodbye.

And thus my walking pilgrimage has ended.

And my camino wanders on….

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Cheap Tricks

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Two cheap pilgrim tricks:

1. There’s almost always FREE and super fast internet available at the public library in every town.

2. There’s almost always an available bed at the…

Fire Station!

My visions of pretty, young, Portuguese men running around in nothing but black leather boots and red firemen hats wasn’t so quite right on though…

Hey. Can’t have it ALL in my dream world, can I.

*sigh*

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High on the Fumes of Fresh Paint

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Whoo hoo!

After a disappointing visit to the Tourist office; “Blue arrows? Noa. No blue arrows here. Sorry.” I did a bit of wandering around…

And guess what I found?! One blue arrow…and then another…and then another…and then another! Having no idea, nor any care, in which direction or on what Camino Portuguese they were leading me, I flew fast on the fumes of the fresh blue.

And it wasn’t until four hours deep into my trek that I finally ducked into a bar and found where I was on a map. Seems I’m taking the Southern Direct route. But I could care less.

Yesterday I climbed over mountains and under bridges, took a few skivvy dips in rivers, bathed under a small waterfall, slept in the warehouse of a bar where the owner made me the most delicious green been soup from the garden. The bars all give me free water, treats, lessons in Portuguese (which is coming to me quick!) and kisses of good luck to send me on my way. And Portugal is absolutely stunning!!! Best kept secret of Europe.

Odd though…sometimes I still get lost…and everytime I ask someone they say, “Noa. No blue arrows here. Only yellow.” I’m beginning to wonder if they aren’t also only a part of my little dream world?

(Finally got someone to take a picture of the happy pilgrim in Portugal…)

>More New Pics

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No Hue of Blue

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Ack! In Portugal! But where to go?!

There are five “official” caminos through Portugal, NONE with markers, NONE with pilgrim accommodation! I’m literally wandering around the pretty streets looking for a sign….ANY sign (preferably in the hue of blue)!

Nervous. But thrilled!

The “Blue Skipper” has not dipped his/her paintbrush in the bucket for the last 20 kilometers. But I see ONE small blue arrow on a billboard (see below) outside the window of this library. Very exciting…except for the fact that it points to a four way intersection and no splash of the ol’ blue hinting to which might be “the way.”

No worries. I’ll figure it out.

Adelante! Con animo!

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Frustrated Feet

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Ah…it seems my “every mile was a joy” brag (of the Camino Santiago) just got a kick in the kilometer ass.

For walking BACKWARDS along the Camino Portuguese means that for ever 20 kilometers I walk FORWARD, I walk 6 kilometers in circles or backtracking to find the right path….(b/c the person with the blue paint bucket was a bit of daydreamer also and forgot to mark half the turns in the path.)

But alas, it is only the 3rd day of my Southbound skip, and I will quickly learn the rules of the new game. And the path is brilliantly beautiful!!! And I own it all to my sweet self…not a single other pilgrim in the peripheral. Although I do have to go through this script every 20 minutes;

“A donde vas?! Santiago esta por alla!” (“Where are you going?! Santiago is the other way!”)

“Si. Yo se. Me voy a Fatima.” (“Yes. I know. I´m going to Fatima.”)

“Y de donde vienes?” (“And from where do you come?)

“De Francia” (“From France.”)

“ANDANDO?!….de Francia?!” (“WALKING?! From France?!”)

“Y Estas sola?!” (“And you are alone?!”)

“Si. Sola.” (“Yes. Alone.”)

“Y no tienes miedo?!” (“And you aren´t afraid?!”)

“No. No tienes miedo.” (“No. I´m not afraid.”)

(Old Spanish woman/man then throws hands in air and shakes them.)

“DIOS mio. MADRE de Jesus. Esta chica ES loca!”

Well yes. I AM a bit crazy. But it isn´t necessary to alert God and Mary to this fact. They already know :) .

I have no map and, in general, there exists VERY little information on the Camino Portuguese, (and nothing on a “pilgrimage to Fatima”) — so I just assumed the blue arrows on the back of the yellow ones were indicating the path for pilgrims returning from Santiago to Portugal.

Well one very happy tear was shed when I found this sign yesterday:

Dios mio! Madre de Jesus! *throws hands in the air* Did you know there are now 700 pictures in the Camino de Santiago Photo Album?! See the ocean here.

I think it´s time to start a new album…

*a gennie wink*

The “Pilgrimage to Fatima” photo album is now open.

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