A friend of mine in Sydney suggested I try the Bacalhau or Cod fish as most know it by and have it with a white wine, so I did. I firstly tried the whole fish with vegetables which I found delightful. Last night it was in its flaky form mixed into rice with oil and herbs. I did not find this so good maybe because I like to choose what to mix it with myself [...]
We left town on Easter Monday where the celebration of Christ was in full swing. There were older people dancing in the square where the main street’s decorations culminated. The fireworks that sounded like large gun fire continued from the day before, as did the music. Also on the day before we were greeted by a Priest and a dozen locals of all ages offering a huge gold plated Christ for us to kiss and [...]
Dinner was very expensive at our hotel even though we get a huge discount on our lodgings, so decided to look around this small village. We found the one place in town on the village road, so close that it also took up the footpath space. Two younger Dutch women said hello and sat next to us where that footpath should have been. Our food was superb and we shared it with a bottle of [...]
We left this unusual village with a multitude of roads meeting in the grassy town square. Our lodgings were the only reason we needed many exits in case some were blocked. It was freezing cold and we wanted a heater (which is obligatory in the cheapest of accommodation) but our host insisted the cabinet was full of blankets to wrap around ourselves. Maybe a small thing but we still need a camino to sort out [...]
It was an out of the way village and Dolores seemed to be the only restaurant in town. This was a good thing because the food was the best cooked food we have experienced in Portugal. From the most tender beef to the tastiest chicken (hard to find) with vegetables (don’t often see), a fresh salad, a beautiful wine, and a home made version of creme brulee for a stunningly low price from engaging hosts [...]
No more washing today, the streets are clean but wet, and the big dryer is about to emerge from its slow shifting cover. We’re on the move again venturing out into a perfect day. As we opened our guide book to check directions I thought of the delightful young Canadian woman and her new Camino friend, a young Italian man. We met them in Porto resting on their first day off since Lisbon and fell [...]
The streets of Porto were washed for us once again as we searched for a special cafe. We walked in and out of our first one, but soon returned after failing to find a decent croissant in another. The barista in the ‘rejected cafe’ seemed to be waiting for us, as he gave us a ‘what took you so long’ look. Corrie was also getting her share of rejections. After getting into trouble asking for [...]
There was no accommodation inside 25 kms and at this stage we decided that it would be too risky to walk with a leg well below full capacity. We scanned the maps eager to see other possibilities, but the patchiness of distances, many over 20 kms, was too vast. From Porto onwards there appears to be closer distances between sleeps and a much larger support system to give both of us peace of mind. In [...]
Another misty morning greeted us as we opened the curtains on Tomar’s last performance. We had balcony seats so we also felt the touch of the cool air as we strained to see the castle we never saw. The others had already made a start so it was off to breakfast to join them and talk about the day ahead. We had a meeting and agreed that distances are too far at present and rail [...]
Well we explored a bit of Tomar and started to get an idea of why it is most revered. First it must be noted that Portugal has a very large catholic population dedicated to the church and its loyal protectors. These professional soldiers, known as the Knights Templars were made up of an elite fighting force (around 10%) with their support staff, admin team etc. making up the other 90%. The Knights Templars were most [...]
