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Published: November 19th 2017
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Porto McDonald's with chandeliers!I'm behind in entering my blogs, so if you've been worrying about us, we're fine. We're actually in Spain now, hoping to get to Santiago by 11/23
November 10, 2017, Day 2 Porto. We're enjoying hanging back, relaxing and catching up. I completed 2 blog entries today. We're near where the action is - the Luis I bridge, cathedral and railroad station. There are lots of tourists and tour buses here for the weekend. We made the mistake of having breakfast in the "tourist area" this morning. (Note to self - never eat in a Portuguese restaurant where the menu is also in English.) It was good, but pricier than we're used to. We took a walk around the area of our Airbnb apartment and bought some breakfast groceries and good bread and snacks. - after all we do have a kitchen. We also took advantage of the washing machine. I wanted something fast for lunch so we went to McDonald's. We almost never go at home, and some people think that going there on a European trip is terrible, but we find it interesting too see what local adjustments for taste are made in different countries (like Croque
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Porto - view out our irbnb McDo in France, Teriyaki Burger in Japan) Charlie had a McBufana - not quite as good as others he's had here, but passable. We also like the fried potatoes, a cross between steak fries and a potato chip. And of course you can get ice in your drink. We both had soup - cabbage for me and bean for Charlie. The Portuguese make the best soup! Even McDonald's. I worked on my blog and website all afternoon and then walked a few blocks off the beaten tourist path for a cheap but plentiful and good meal. Whoever said that American portions are too big never ate in Portugal!
November 11, 2017, Day 3 Porto. Well, today I did something I haven't done in a long time - I ironed. And it's something I certainly have never done on a Camino. A couple of weeks ago we had our clothes washed and dried, but the dryer setting was too high I guess, and our clothes came back to us all wrinkled and too hot to touch. I thought the wrinkles would wash out but they didn't. It's like they're permanently creased by the heat. So when I found an iron
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The Cathedral here I thought maybe the heat would un-crease them. We'll see. We were lazy this morning and then had some errands to run - ATM, Cathedral for another credencial (on the Camino you get your credencial stamped every day to prove you walked), pharmacy. We spent almost an hour at the Post Office trying to track down a package we sent from Lisbon to Santiago 3 weeks ago. It had been sent back to Lisbon and is now on its way again to Santiago. We had almost given up on it. We got to go to Mass tonight for a change - it's hard to find a weekend Mass in the small towns, or even one on the right day and time in the bigger ones. We'll hit the road again early tomorrow, hopefully refreshed and renewed for a new phase of our Camino. We've been to Porto before so we didn't feel the need to sight-see. We could have gotten out more but we really enjoyed our cozy apartment.
November 12, 2017, Pension Casa Vehla, Perafita, 18kms. It was a pleasant, but foggy walk out of Porto. I don't know why some people skip this part, but as
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Morning fog leaving Porto soon as we got to where the river Douro joined the ocean, the wind blowing in from the ocean was strong and cold. Hmmm. I hate being cold. We're on the "Litoral" (Seaside) route which hugs the coast for most of the way until we cross into Spain. At first hoards of joggers and cyclists passed us and later it was lots of families out for a Sunday morning walk. There were lots of activities along the way - food tents, things for the kids and even surfing lessons! Apparently not everyone was as cold as we were. We stopped in the Matosinhos tourist office for a stamp for our credencial and got lots more information about the route. All day we walked along wide promenades and boardwalks along the beaches. There's something magical about being at the ocean and breathing in the salt air. We're again the only ones where we're staying, and the heater is woefully inadequate, but the sheets on the bed are fuzzy, sort of like fleece baby blankets, so we'll snuggle in.
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WaynenSam Miller
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Good job, y'all!
Thanks for the blogs! Very informative and well written. Seems as tho' this trip has been a bit easier than last. Praying you meet your arrival goal. Love & Blessings!