LIVE from the Camino Slow and Steady

[grdemedeiros]

Day 1 Vila Nova de Gaia to Matosinhos: 12 K
9:20 - 12:40*
Highest temp** while walking: 72°
Pilgrims spotted: 8

Seattle-Newark-Porto, not an easy route, but that's the price we pay for living on the west coast of the US! We didn't sleep the entire trip, arriving early in the morning of June 26. Since we couldn't check in until 15:00, this meant a rough first day in Porto. We visited the Sé, bought hiking poles at Decathlon, and finally, got some rest.

Based on recommendations from folks on this forum, we walked to Matosinhos today (June 27), then took the Metro back to Porto. We'll get transport back to Matosinhos tomorrow, but that should be it for backtracking. After 3-4 days on the Coastal, we'll switch over to the Central, and then hang a left at Ponte Vedra for the Variante Espiritual.

We were glad we missed the rain storm eary this morning, crossing our fingers for another mild day tomorrow.

Say hi if you see me and @RodrigoD

Onward!

*We have the privilege of time, so are taking it slow and steady.

**Unfortunately we couldn't travel in cooler months (I work at a school and am confined to the district's vacation calendar). Since temps are something I worry about, I hope this info might help others in a similar situation.

 

[blathercamino]

Day 1 Vila Nova de Gaia to Matosinhos: 12 K
9:20 - 12:40*
Highest temp** while walking: 72°
Pilgrims spotted: 8

Seattle-Newark-Porto, not an easy route, but that's the price we pay for living on the west coast of the US! We didn't sleep the entire trip, arriving early in the morning of June 26. Since we couldn't check in until 15:00, this meant a rough first day in Porto. We visited the Sé, bought hiking poles at Decathlon, and finally, got some rest.

Based on recommendations from folks on this forum, we walked to Matosinhos today (June 27), then took the Metro back to Porto. We'll get transport back to Matosinhos tomorrow, but that should be it for backtracking. After 3-4 days on the Coastal, we'll switch over to the Central, and then hang a left at Ponte Vedra for the Variante Espiritual.

We were glad we missed the rain storm eary this morning, crossing our fingers for another mild day tomorrow.

Say hi if you see me and @RodrigoD

Onward!

*We have the privilege of time, so are taking it slow and steady.

**Unfortunately we couldn't travel in cooler months (I work at a school and am confined to the district's vacation calendar). Since temps are something I worry about, I hope this info might help others in a similar situation.

Hi there. My wife and I leave from Seattle (they are also a teacher) on July 4th. We are spending a bit of time in Lisbon and Porto and then beginning to walk on July 9th, so we will be way behind you. But wanted to say hi to a fellow seattelite doing basically the same itinerary!

Brooke

 

[grdemedeiros]

Hi there. My wife and I leave from Seattle (they are also a teacher) on July 4th. We are spending a bit of time in Lisbon and Porto and then beginning to walk on July 9th, so we will be way behind you. But wanted to say hi to a fellow seattelite doing basically the same itinerary!

Brooke

Sorry we'll miss you, but enjoy! Maybe we'll see each other sometime on a Seattle Pilgrims walk?

 

[naplesdon]

Newark is the absolute worst airport in the USA to transit for an International flight. I can not imagine what it might be like on a rainy day!!!!!

 

[grdemedeiros]

Day 2 Matosinhos - Angeiras 11.4 K
10:50 - 13:30
Highest temp: 70° F
Pilgrims: 35

A much later start than we intended today, but with cool, pleasant weather (even chilly at one point), it turned out just fine.

We saw a lot of fellow Pilgrims today, many couples, some solo, and two groups of three. (Plus one group of three bicyclists who flew by, I'm assuming they were on Camino based on their saddle-bags.) Cheers to Laura and Gabriel & Paula , fun to meet you and chat today!

Favorite sights: that flock of sheep grazing in a patch of green smack in the center Matosinhos (spotted from the metro).

Retirees gossiping on park benches calling to us to get a stamp from their favorite beachside shop.

Peixeiras (fishmongers) in their white rubber boots and embroidered aprons drinking coffee before they open their stalls for the day.

The mysterious blueish-greyish beach thistle? holly? growing in the dunes. (We later learned it's called "Cardo-marítimo".)

Delicious bites: is there anything better than ham & cheese sandwiches made from fresh Portuguese bread slathered with butter?

 

[CWBuff]

Newark is the absolute worst airport in the USA to transit for an International flight. I can not imagine what it might be like on a rainy day!!!!!

Within reasons I'll respectfully disagree, although I would have to add that I have never used it as a "transit" since it is almost always my departure point.
I know that like anything else in this life, folks have different experiences; heck - last time I was there the couple I met while relaxing in The Club had their LHR flight cancelled completely out of the blue (I was lucky to proceed to NCE with no issues) and for better or worse EWR does have a very bad reputation - had that for eons -
but I do not have any bad experiences with it. There was another thread recently and I have mentione don it that I do not like my own PHL at ALL and at the same I loathe to drive to JFK (although that will have the cheapest airfares of the area)

That said, I have sat in PDX, ORD, BOS, DEN and couple of other airports on a rainy day. I can assure you that chances are its not any different than either PHL, EWR or JFK

actually IMHO as of late they ALL are quite awful....

 

[Wooz]

Slow and steady just like the snails! I shall enjoy following along. We stayed off stage a lot as well because of our shorter distances but felt like we enjoyed every minute and never felt rushed. Great to get to your destination early to shower, wash clothes and still have time (and energy!) to explore the town.

 

[grdemedeiros]

@Wooz Exactly our thoughts! Today we're headed to Vila do Conde where we're looking forward to visiting the Igreja Matriz and the Convento de Santa Clara.

 

[blathercamino]

Sorry we'll miss you, but enjoy! Maybe we'll see each other sometime on a Seattle Pilgrims walk?

I wasn’t aware of such a thing. No hurry, but would love info.

 

[Wooz]

I wasn’t aware of such a thing. No hurry, but would love info.

Looks like you have a very active chapter in Seattle! Local chapters can be found on the Americans on the Camino website.

Puget Sound Chapter (Seattle) - American Pilgrims on the Camino

The Puget Sound (Seattle) Chapter of American Pilgrims serves the greater Seattle, Washington area. The first local chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino was established in 2010. The Seattle-area chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino hosts events and walks for people interested in...

americanpilgrims.org

 

[blathercamino]

Looks like you have a very active chapter in Seattle! Local chapters can be found on the Americans on the Camino website.

Puget Sound Chapter (Seattle) - American Pilgrims on the Camino

The Puget Sound (Seattle) Chapter of American Pilgrims serves the greater Seattle, Washington area. The first local chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino was established in 2010. The Seattle-area chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino hosts events and walks for people interested in...

americanpilgrims.org

Thank you!

 

[grdemedeiros]

Day 3 Angeiras - Vila do Conde ~14.4 K*
9:00 - 14:00
Highest temp while walking: 70° F
Pilgrims spotted: 7 en route, many more in town once we arrived. (We stopped counting!)

Today was much longer than anticipated. We knew about the detours** we'd have to take because some parts of the boardwalks are under construction, but we ended up going too far on one detour and had to backtrack. That added time and kilometers. We also stopped a lot to enjoy the views, air out our feet, and chat with locals.

Favorite sights: fields of corn waving in the sea breeze with a beach front chapel and the Atlantic in the distance.

The festival commissioners setting up their oil-drum open-air grill for the Fishermen's Festival of Vila Chã in honor of São Pedro.

A home decorated with mosaics featuring Porto FC (with a 3D dragon!), fishing, and several folk from the Bible.

The bird and nature sanctuary that was part of the detour at Mingelo. One part of this path - called the Percuso das Dunas - included a beautiful stream and shady grove. It was a fresh change from the seaside boardwalk strolling.

Delicious bites: Grilled sardines at Adega Gavina on the riverfront of Vila do Conde.

Despite the longer walk today, we had energy to wander around VdC, saw the view from the Convent of Santa Clara (now a fancy hotel), the aqueduct, and got our stamps at the Igreja Matriz. Are glad to finally be settling down into our place for the night!

*This includes an estimated 3 extra kilometers due to detours and our getting off track.

** If anyone would like more details about the detours, holler! I took pictures and notes, just didn't have the energy to write more tonight.

 

[trecile]

Newark is the absolute worst airport in the USA to transit for an International flight. I can not imagine what it might be like on a rainy day!!!!!

In June 2022 I lived it! It wasn't pretty. After we boarded the flight they announced that we would have to deplane because we had no pilots - they were still at Dulles!

 

[Mycroft]

Within reasons I'll respectfully disagree, although I would have to add that I have never used it as a "transit" since it is almost always my departure point.
I know that like anything else in this life, folks have different experiences; heck - last time I was there the couple I met while relaxing in The Club had their LHR flight cancelled completely out of the blue (I was lucky to proceed to NCE with no issues) and for better or worse EWR does have a very bad reputation - had that for eons -
but I do not have any bad experiences with it. There was another thread recently and I have mentione don it that I do not like my own PHL at ALL and at the same I loathe to drive to JFK (although that will have the cheapest airfares of the area)

That said, I have sat in PDX, ORD, BOS, DEN and couple of other airports on a rainy day. I can assure you that chances are its not any different than either PHL, EWR or JFK

actually IMHO as of late they ALL are quite awful....

Too right, CWBuff! I'm old and remember when airports were fun, and friends could meet you at the gate when you came in from disembarking the plane--even from front and rear doors! And you weren't considered guilty till proven innocent.

 

[grdemedeiros]

Day 4 Vila do Conde - São Pedro de Rates 14 K
8:20 - 12:40
Highest temp while walking: 67° F
Pilgrims spotted: Zero walking in the same direction as us for the bulk of the way, 7 once we connected with the Central at Arcos.

We were really grateful for the advice given on this forum about cutting across to the Central Route from VdC. @trecile shared the tool mapy.cz, which was awesome. While the first couple of kilometers leading out of VdC were marked (arrows on the curb, on walls, lampposts, etc.), we'd hit stretches that were unmarked. Having the offline map gave us confidence that we weren't going to veer off into paths Google thought were good for walking, but might not really be!

There were a few scary stretches and drivers but walking along the road wasn't as bad as we thought it might be. Maybe because it's Sunday.

We had several great talks with locals, including two men named Jose Carlos. The first we met at his bakery where we stopped for water. He proudly showed us his photo of John Brierley eating at one of his tables. The second we had originally met at a coffee shop in VdC, but didn't catch his name, then we came across him just outside of Arcos, where he was returning from an 80+ km bike ride. He recommended a place to eat in Rates, even calling them to make a reservation. Finally, coming full circle, Jose Carlos #1 just happened to be eating lunch at the same place!

Fun sights: Lambs chasing their moms.

A garden with roses and grapes and hydrangeas.

A school of aquaculture (might have been a museum).

The stone bridge that lead us away from the major road onto the smaller ones leading us to Arcos.

A family of 25 out to Sunday lunch.

 

[CMLangley]

Also from Seattle, glad you are enjoying yourself. I did the Litoral the entire way 2 years ago and loved it