Walking day stages out and back to Lisbon (Sept. 2016)

[HeidiL]

I'll be in Lisbon from September 26th to October 12th for work. That leaves me with two free weekends, and my Portuguese colleagues always leave early on Fridays.

So I'd say that this is doable for the first weekend: walking out from the Cathedral in Lisboa on Friday after work, walking as far as I can, taking public transport back to my rented flat in North Lisbon, going back where I left off the next morning to continue, sleeping in an albergue if available, walking again on Sunday - and then back to my hotel Sunday evening.

The next weekend I will probably have to stay overnight in two places, but I'd still only have to pack quite light - perhaps I could splurge on actual hotels, so I can forget the sleeping bag? I can also skip clothes washing supplies (washing machine in my flat), use hotel towels instead of carrying my own - and so on.

Anything I should think of? I do think I should manage to get a bit past Santarem...

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, HeidiL, Have you seen the forum guide in Resources? Depending on how early you can leave, the new albergue in Alpriate is about 20 km from the cathedral. But there are commuter train stops in a number of towns between Lisbon and Azambuja (listed on page 9 of the guide), which run more frequently than the regional trains, which you can get as far as Tomar or maybe even further north.

Not sure if you might have a couple of hours during one of the days to walk from the Cathedral to Parque Nacoes, that is only 8 km and is easily accessible back and forth by metro. Then starting out on Friday afternoon from there, the Albergue in Alpriate would be 12 km or so.

I was living in Lisbon the first time I walked the Caminho, and did day out and back stages like you are planning. I was able to do them up to Tomar. The only one that was a bit complicated was when I ended up in Golega and had to walk a couple of kms to a train stop, where only one or two trains a day come through. Coming back from Lisbon to start up in Golega, I took a train to Entroncamento (much more frequent) and then a cab over to Golega.

Sounds like a fun thing to do. Where is your apt. located? Do you know Lisbon well? I can send my list of favorite restaurants, especially if you like fresh grilled fish. Bom Caminho, Laurie

 

[HeidiL]

Laurie, I've been to Lisbon three or four times a year since 2012, and a couple of times before that. My favourite restaurant is Ponto Final on the Almada side, but I would love some recommendations!

I'll have to look for the forum guide. I've found a few things online, but I have not been able to find train stations near every place I'd like to go to.

Good tip on the Parque Nacoes thing - I can definitely do that some evening.

My flat's near Marques de Pombal - easy access to my workplace, near some good museums, often a bit cooler than downtown.

What about sellos? I'll bring a "neutral" credencial, but I'd love to have the Portuguese one...

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, HeidiL, good to meet another Lisbon aficionada -- three or four times a year makes you a near native, so maybe you can give me some restaurant recommendations for my next trip in March. For seafood cataplana, Adega Sao Roque, near the church. For fresh grilled fish, three place stand out -- O Mercado (under the 25th April bridge pylon), Adega das Corvatas (in the little old neighborhood of Carnide, you can take a bus that goes from Pombal up on Estrada das Laranjeiras. The metro stop is Colegio Military, but it's not very nearby), and Carvoiero da Palma, which is in another one of those little neighborhoods that time forgot, squeeZed in between the Eixo Norte Sul and AV. Lusiadas. I always stay in the charmless Marriott and this is the hands down best place nearby. For you, it would be a quick cab or metro to Laranjeiras and then a few blocks uphill. I have never had a bad meal in any of those places, but then all I'm looking for is fresh grilled fish. I do have a list of restaurants somewhere but the list may be a bit out of date. I'll look for it when I'm back at my computer.

I don't know if the Via Lusitana has yet made up their own credential, but I things are in the works. For now, I think the Lisbon cathedral is just selling the regular Santiago cathedral one, but it is worth contacting ViaLusitana via their website.

 

[amsimoes]

Adega das Gravatas, no Adega das Corvatas (Corvatas is Castilian)

 

[peregrina2000]

Adega das Gravatas, no Adega das Corvatas (Corvatas is Castilian)

Oh, my mixed up Portunyol! Thanks, AM. Would you agree with those choices?

 

[HeidiL]

My wonderful Portuguese colleagues already took me to the Gravatas place, warning my male colleague not to wear a tie, since he'd probably lose it. (The restaurant is decorated with cut-off ties.)

I had lovely chipirones (in Castillian), were they "lulas" in Portuguese, I wonder? I really don't speak Portuguese, but when they speak slowly and I speak slowly in Castillian, we seem to communicate well enough. Fortunately, my work colleagues mostly speak English - for those fine scientific distinctions..

My colleagues always take me to new places, I also have a favourite restaurant near Pombal, for when I land late and need food NOW - the restaurant next to the Film Institute.

 

[amsimoes]

I never eaten in the Adega Sao Roque. For the other two restaurants I agree with the suggestions (as you know I try to escape the tourist restaurants).
Still are some (few) good restaurants in Lisbon, but you have to go out of the city center, which is infested with tourists. I recommend Carnide because (I live there) to its wide range of restaurants, but there are other places in Lisbon.
The critics say that the place where you eat the best seafood in Lisbon is the restaurant "Ramiro", at Av. Almirante Reis.

 

[HeidiL]

I've eaten at Ramiro, too! GOOD food.

 

[peregrina2000]

Aside from Carnide and the little Cima da Palma where the Carvoeiro is, Campo d'Ourique is one of my favorite Lisbon neighborhoods (outside the tourist zone). I have eaten in Tasca da Esquina, which may now be out of favor, but when it opened up, it caused quite a stir. In Campo d'Ourique, there is also Stop do Bairro, and As Passarinhas, the latter an endless maze of rooms with lots of life and happy eaters. Aurelio, do you have any favorites in this part of town? I also like the restaurante right near the Amoeiras water museum entrance, but I can't remember its name.

 

[amsimoes]

Will be the "Casa dos Passarinhos"?
Rua Silva Carvalho 195, Ourique field.

In Amoreiras area there are many restaurants, but I know a few. I usually only eat lunch (when I have meetings) in the "Casa dos Passarinhos".

 

[peregrina2000]

Will be the "Casa dos Passarinhos"?
Rua Silva Carvalho 195, Ourique field.

In Amoreiras area there are many restaurants, but I know a few. I usually only eat lunch (when I have meetings) in the "Casa dos Passarinhos".

Yes, Passarinhos, not Passarinhas And I think the other local non-fancy restaurant I was thinking about over near Praca Amoeiras is Aguas Livres -- is that possible?

 

[amsimoes]

Hi Laurie

I know this restaurant (Águas Livres) but I never eaten there.

In Lisbon there are so many options, but usually we have a tendency to go to the same restaurants.

Aurélio

 

[HeidiL]

Many other things happened, but I'm happy to report that we (husband visiting for a few days) managed to get to Alverca this weekend. Some lovely stretches (Parque das Nacoes to Sacavem, Povoa de Santa Iria to Alverca), some rather boring ones, but I'm happy to say we didn't encounter a single one of the ugly stretches that are mentioned in the guides. Just a few areas where someone had dumped their building waste and old cars, but really, I've seen much worse on the Frances.

Wednesday turns out to be a holiday, so we'll walk together then, and then I'll have next weekend on my own.

Also happy to report that the train-back-to-Lisboa scheme worked very well. It is SO nice to walk with just a couple of kilos on my back, and my husband really enjoyed carrying nothing at all...

Met a pleasant Canadian couple while having lunch yesterday, otherwise, not a single pilgrim. This is the route for people who want to avoid the crowds.

 

[peregrina2000]

Great news, Heidi, so are you heading off for a few days from Alverca at the end of work?

P.S. Just saw that there were 347 people who arrived in Santiago from Lisbon during the month of September. That's a pretty amazing number all things considered.

 

[HeidiL]

The plan is Alverca to wherever on Wednesday (there's a new museum about to open that day in Belem with a big festival, so we'll take the train back for that), once husband is off I'll walk longer distances on Saturday and Sunday.

 

[HeidiL]

Alverca to Alhandra was fun - not THAT much highway walking. And Alhandra to Vila Franca de Xira was quite beautiful, the new path by the river was very comfortable, with a toilet, a water fountain, lots of benches, even some shade. And an outdoor gym, not that I felt the need for that...

From Vila Franca (where there was a festival, so the restaurant was sold out of almost everything) I went on to Castanheira do Ribatejo, where there is NOTHING, but the train station was fine.

All in all, a bit hot, but a pleasant, short day. I met an Austrian pilgrim, but he was getting ready to take a break just as I was starting, so we just had a little chat. The rest of the day, not a s ingle pilgrim.

 

[peregrina2000]

Alverca to Alhandra was fun - not THAT much highway walking. And Alhandra to Vila Franca de Xira was quite beautiful, the new path by the river was very comfortable, with a toilet, a water fountain, lots of benches, even some shade. And an outdoor gym, not that I felt the need for that...

From Vila Franca (where there was a festival, so the restaurant was sold out of almost everything) I went on to Castanheira do Ribatejo, where there is NOTHING, but the train station was fine.

All in all, a bit hot, but a pleasant, short day. I met an Austria pilgrim, but he was getting ready to take a break just as I was startying, so we just had a little chat. The rest of the day, not a s ingle pilgrim.

Looking forward to hearing where the weekend takes you, Heidi. Have a great Caminho.

p,.s. I've been to Castanheira and it does have a little old core hidden behind all nondescript modern apt. buildings. The train stop is a few km away, out in the middle of the flatlands, well situated for pilgrims though since it's right on the Caminho!

 

[HeidiL]

Yes, it was the train stop I referred to.

Had a look at the info over lunch in the office today (I love this project!), and I'm trying to plan for the weekend. I'm not certain how I'm going to do it, but will stuff a clean t-shirt, a toothbrush, my phone charger and fresh contact lenses in my daypack in case I decide to stay overnight in Azambuja and start really early on Sunday. There don't seem to be any places to go back to Lisbon from between Azambuja and Santarem, and if I'm to walk 32 km on Sunday I don't want to have to start the day with at least 1 1/2 hours of metro/waiting/train before I can get started. The metro doesn't start very early, anyway.

I could also, if I feel very energetic once I get to Azambuja, phone the pension in Valada to check for space, then walk there before I stop for the night.

(If someone knows about transport from Reguengo or somewhere, please post here before I start walking tomorrow morning!)

 

[HeidiL]

Google maps gives the walking distance from Azambuja to Santarem as only 26 - but that's along the road, not the river paths. Heading out once I've had my shower, ready for staying the night in Azambuja or Valada...

Thank you for trying to help me, Albertinho! I'm really enjoying visiting your country so often, and my colleagues at INSA are the best.

 

[HeidiL]

Checking in from Azambuja, lovely day, including 12 km with Paco from Cascais - lovely opportunity to practice Portunyol, plus bonus pictures of cute grandkids. He went on since he's planning to get to Fatima improbably soon, walking 40 km days...

Azambuja's ethnographic museum is open till 6:30 most days and free - good things for a little post-shower amble around town.


Edited to add: Paco walked MUCH more than 40 km days, and actually got to Fatima on Monday! A madman of 65 who walks to Fatima twice a year but never has walked to Santiago - I'll start my Facebook campaign on converting him...

 

[HeidiL]

Got my 32 km from Azambuja to Santarém in on Sunday, nice and not too hard on the knees, except the last little bit getting into town.

And then I discovered that there's another "#¤% 2 km ¤%&/( more to walk, steeply downhill, to get to the train station, and that there are no signs anywhere. If I hadn't had my phone GPS, I'd probably still be wandering around the town.

By the way, every single one of the restaurants listed after Reguengo was closed. The GPS found some on the way, but they were things like the private airstrip kiosk (closed except for special functions) or so far from the path, through brambles and across canals, that I didn't chance it. There was, however, a public toilet under the railroad bridge in Muge, and fortunately I refilled my water there and had some extra food along with me.

 

[HeidiL]

No, from Santarém I went back to Lisbon by train - to be in the office at 9 on Monday morning. And now I'm at home in Norway again!

I walked from Porto to Santiago several years ago, and remember appreciating my poles from time to time...

 

[HeidiL]

...and there they go, inviting me to speak in Lisbon while my husband is off from work in February. And I have holidays left to spend. A paid flight for me and a free hotel room for both is quite nice for the family budget.

My husband stopped in Alverca the last time, I stopped in Santarém - the sensible thing is for both of us to walk from Santarém, and after 6 days of walking together, my husband can fill in the bit he missed between Alverca and Santarém while I'm working.

In the last few years, I've been doing my Camino'ing piecemeal - I do hope I'll have time for a nice long one soon...

 

[HeidiL]

We'll both be in Lisbon late on February 16th, taking the train to Santarém to start walking the next morning.

There's NOTHING as wonderful as holding a fresh plane ticket in your hand...

 

[HeidiL]

Plans still holding firm!
I've e-mailed a hotel in Azinhaga to ask for a room for the first night, since I think starting with 31 kms after taking the metro + train to Santarém that morning sounds a little too ambitious. We'll have second breakfast in Golega on Saturday, then head for Atalaia.

 

[HeidiL]

All our stuff is now on the living room floor. It took me about half an hour to find everything, now I'm just skipping back and forth and looking forward to starting.

I'm afraid I will NOT be a good, attentive Eurocrat at my project meeting in Luxembourg on Thursday, when I know I will be flying to Lisbon the same evening to meet my husband - and start walking the next morning. (Please don't tell the Commissioner!)

 

[HeidiL]

...and I'm back in Lisbon, after walking from Santarém to Conimbriga in six days. If we can find a long week off some time in the future, we can finish filling in the stretch from Conimbriga (great museum, by the way) to Porto.

I loved this walk, but decided to "cheat" a bit when I discovered that the GPS distance between two places on the route was 6.2 km, while the pilgrim booklet gave a route of 9 km, all of it climbing up and down hills. (I blamed my arthrosis and went the shorter route.)

 

[peregrina2000]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Heidi. Did you get up to the convent and castle in Tomar? And I'm wondering if the Roman villa near RAbacal is still open for tourists. When I was there, the little museum in town took people out to the villa and gave a tour. The mosaics are pretty amazing out there.

I will be doing an update to the forum guide later this year, so if there are developments that might slip your mind between now and then, feel free to comment here! I'm assuming signage was not a problem, since the Via Lusitana seems to have done a lot of work recently.

 

[mspath]

Laurie,

The Roman villa/museum at Rabaçal is still open for tourists.

See more here --http://www.centerofportugal.com/museum-and-roman-villa-of-rabacal/

and here--
http://www.rabacal.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=190&lang=pt

 

[LesBrass]

...and I'm back in Lisbon...

Me too How long are you in town?

 

[peregrina2000]

Laurie,

The Roman villa/museum at Rabaçal is still open for tourists.

See more here --http://www.centerofportugal.com/museum-and-roman-villa-of-rabacal/

and here--
http://www.rabacal.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=190&lang=pt

Great news, thanks mspath. I know it had been really hurting with some budget cuts, but maybe Portugal is out of the woods now. This villa is really a beautiful spot. And the story of how it was a village labor of love (with people of all ages from Rabacal working over the summers with the experts during the original excavation) was a nice human story. I remember that the young man who took me out to the villa from the museum told me that his interest in this place developed as a child when he spent a lot of his summer vacations out there helping out.

 

[HeidiL]

I'll be in Lisbon until Sunday, and my husband is here as well. We have plans for Saturday, but are available for dinner Friday evening after I'm done working at 17.00.

Yes, we saw the castle-convent in Tomar. We were there by car three years ago, but some parts were closed then.

The Roman villa in Rabaçal is open for tourists, but the archaeologist in charge said she NEVER swept the sand away from the mosaics, because it is bad for them. (Clearly someone else does it; there were traces in the sand.)

 

[LesBrass]

@HeidiL we're in Lisbon tomorrow taking in the sights. We're free anytime and it would be lovely to meet and say hello... for dinner, or coffee or a Vinho Verde... just tell us where and when!

 

[HeidiL]

I'm sorry I missed this - my colleagues kidnapped me for an imprompty celebration and I didn't have any time off after all.

Next time we're in the same place!

 

[HeidiL]

Those six days I mentioned, the stretch between Conimbriga and Porto? That walk will take place in February, because we just got excellent prices for tickets TO Lisbon, FROM Porto, when my teacher husband has a week off from work.

I love planning our walks, and started working on an Excel file in my lunch break yesterday...

Very open to recommendations; I understand the Convento Santa Clara is a particularly nice place to stop? And that we might want to take half a day off in Coimbra for tourism?