Pretty tired today. I stayed up last night updating pictures for the 3 days they wouldn’t load up. They are now all there, and if people want to, when this post is opened, just select previous entry, and go back to Vigo and check out the pictures on each post. I was going to do it today but I started it , thought it was easy, but the time flew away on me. This morning I did a little googling and located a place where Sue could have a pedicure, so a walk across town was our first trip for the day. When I say first trip, it was 10.30 before we left the Monastery, after breakfast and a little clothes washing. Peluqueria Beymar is located up a dark tiny mall, just over the road from ... read more

I hope people arriving in Santiago are not expecting the ‘premium’ pilgrim experience. Sue and I had decided to fill in the morning by going to the Santiago Market, sorting out a bus tour for tomorrow , and visiting the Cathedral before attending the midday mass, in order to see the Botafumeiro swing in a smoky arc across the alter of the church. The Botafumeiro is a larger version of the smoke filled chalice that people would be more used to seeing at mass, with the priest waiving it gently to spread the sweet smelling pine smoke throughout the church, ostensibly to ward off evil spirits and cleanse the church, with smoke. The Santiago model is propelled through the air, controlled by 5 men dressed in monks robes, who keep the momentum going by the rise ... read more

Does anybody else think Airbnb’s, hotels and apartments should have scales in the bathroom? My approach to eating could be described as a challenge at times. I don’t care what’s on the plate, I’ll eat it. I don’t care how much they give me, I’ll eat it. And that’s not including the ‘in betweens’; the coffees, ice creams, pastries and....lollies. I’m a chip off the old block; my dad was the same. If I could at least assess my weight at the start of the day, I might have a day off. As it stands, there are no boundaries. Yesterday , while walking around looking for a minimart , or supermarket, we passed a bright pink shop with rows of plastic trays full of lollies, or sweets to some. I sensed it before I saw it. ... read more

I know you’ve heard it all before; we slept in, left late, but we did visit the Eastern section of Porto, just to get a different perspective and enjoy the last day of a slow paced visit. We haven’t seen everything, didn’t have a list, but other than the helicopter ride I suggested, and never did, we think we have a handle on Porto. Apparently the chairlift was as far as Sue was leaving the ground, without two wings and a couple of motors involved. A lost opportunity, I’d say. I messaged our Airbnb host to see if he could organise a cab for us early tomorrow, but I wanted a Plan B and C. B was the train. After taking a number and seeing the random call up system operate for about 25 minutes, my ... read more

The best made plans never left the ground this morning. We were up earlier, but it was 9.30 before we hit the pavement and decided to try to catch a met train. These trains look more like long trams, and disappear into the earth as soon as you are over the river Douro. After that it’s 2 minutes before we are leaving Sao Bento Station to begin our walk to Lello bookshop. As we were already 45 minutes late for our intended 9am arrival at the shop, we called into O Forno, a modern cafe nearby, for a coffee. A staff member approached, placed his arm on my shoulder, and asked how we were, was the drink satisfactory, and wished us well. As we left the store, he saw us out of the cafe, hoped to ... read more