Camino Portugues Day 2: Azambuja to Santarém

Wide awake at 2am.  Always on the first night in the EU.  No matter how tired I am from the day before.

I was out of bed at the 6am church bells and our the door just after the 7am.  I walked over to the bakery that I'd unthawed at yesterday and had coffee and pastry.

Just over the railway tracks it started raining and I put on the poncho and would wear it for the next 4 hours.  Today was entirely farms and countryside with long stretches besides canals.  Not many towns or services, few people only the odd speeding car.

The first stop about 10km in was at a bar in the first collection of houses. A rude lady made me bad coffee which I drank while a really loud TV blared.

There was another cafe a few kilometers further where I had coffee and a really good sandwich.

In the bars I keep seeing Trump in the news.  The nonsense coming out of his mouth is making a laughing stock out of the USA here.

Since the first bar the route was beside a levy.  Just atfter the half way point began a long 15km section of no services and no buildings.  About noon the rain finally stopped and the puddles started to shrink.  I found a railing I could lean on and let my feet dry out and put on some dry socks.  Walking in wet socks is giving me the start of some blisters.

I found a Pilgrim swing in the middle of nowhere and pulled out the drone for the first time.

With about 5km to go I found a rock I could sit on and stopped to sit and let my feet dry.  I suddenly saw my first fellow Pilgrims.  Jeane and Francisco had been walking together all day and were seeing my tracks.  There aren't many starting from Lisbon and they were excited to find another.  We walked and talked into town, had beers and agreed to meet for dinner.  Jeanne is French but spent a lot of her life in the South Pacific.  Francisco is Portuguese and will show us the best of Portugal.

I was staying at the Hotel Vitoria and after reading some really bad reviews was not feeling great about it. Will not the cleanest place I've ever stayed the room is big and has what you need.

Dinner having a Portuguese guide got us way better food.  We basically let him decide everything and it was all great.

During dinner Trump bulling Zelensky was on the TV and it was embarrassing.  My dinner companions could not believe what was Trump was saying.  Clearly, Trump views things as isolated transactions that exist independent of everything else.  It may work when you are trying to screw a guy putting toilets in your casino, but not when dealing with events that could lead to World War 3.  I wanted to put all that stuff out of my mind for a bit but it's everywhere and affects everything.

Camino Portugues Day 1: LIS to Azambuja

On the plane the back section was not that crowded and I was able to get a window and an isle seat to myself.  Originally there was a young woman there on her way to her first visit to Rome.  He friend talked a guy into trading seats so she left.  The guy who traded made his way over but I noticed the pair of seats behind me were empty and the doors had closed.  We both took two seats.  I struck up a conversation with the guy and we chatted all through the nearly hour delay and we'll after take off.  Cal was a military guy from Chico.  He was on his way to join a army guy reunion in Nice that was then moving to Normandy.  I think there where going to do so parachute jumps along with the partying.  We had a discussion.

At the baggage claim in LIS I bought a Vodefone SIM card.  There is a vending machine at carousel 9.  After reviewing various eSIMs and other options I decided that while I might save a few € with those, the Vodefone SIM has the best coverage and is 5G.  20GB for 30 days for 25€, not bad.  Another guy told me he paid his US carrier for International data and it was $50.

Coming out of the secure area I see my name on a meet place board.  The guy in charge called my driver and I waited about 30 minutes.  It was clear from my view of the street it was raining and the traffic was probably bad.  Did I save myself any time which was my goal of getting the ride?  Maybe not but I was drier.  Once we got in the car it did not take long to get to the Cathedral.  My driver got excited when I said I was from SF as he was a big Warriors  and Steph Curry fan.  He showed be the poster of Steph he has on his wall.

No pictures today because of the rain.

I picked up my Pilgrim credential at the gift shop inside the Cathedral.  The ticket vendors directed me.  2€.  He seemed a little put out when I pulled out cash

I walked from the Cathedral to Santa Apolónia train station where I caught a train to my actual walking start Castanheira do Ribatejo.  I had cycled this section last year and knew it would be an unpleasant walk, especially in the rain.

The walk to Azambuja was ok.  The scenery was a little dull often with a field one side and a the tracks and wearhouses for logistic companies lining the tracks.  A few roads had a bit of traffic and the puddles forced me into the middle of the road more than was comfortable.  It rained almost the entire time. 

It wasn't bad until the last 5km and I decided to push through rather than put the poncho on.  Mistake.  The rain picked up and the road turned into a flooded single track.

I got to the "hotel" and it's one of those DIY check-ins.  I needed to look up the instructions which were messaged to me through the Booking app.  You use a code for the door and a code to get your room key.  I couldn't use the phone because my fingers were cold and wet.  But that didn't matter because my glasses were wet and fogged.

In the cold and wet I always have major phone failure.  I want my smart phone to be smarter.  How come I can't voice ask if there are any instructions for this booking?

I had to go to a bakery and have a coffee and a chocolate croissant before I could operate the phone.  I left a huge puddle on the floor and soaked the seat.

After a shower I felt a lot better.  I thought I'd skip laundry altogether because it was cold and nothing would dry.  I'll wear the same again tomorrow.  

I picked a spot close by for dinner and it was just right.

When I got back to the room the heater that I thought did not work did and I thought I should wash the socks and underwear.  They would dry on the heater.  Pants and shirt can go again.

Camino Portugues Day 0: SFO

Sitting in a lounge in A Terminal of SFO.  I allow myself a few beers while traveling and when I walk or ride for days in a row.  So I'm having a few in the hopes I get some sleep before a long day in Lisbon.

I think I like morning flights because I've spent half a day sort of keeping busy in a distracted way.  Theis is a 4:30pm flight which is nice as it arrives 11am.  2 to 9 would be a little nicer.  This morning I walked the dog with Laurie; drove Aidan to school; made a half hearted start to my taxes;  and partially set up a new computer that I ordered two months ago and left sitting in a box.  

All the while I was reviewing in my mind everything I was bringing.  One thing I intentionally did not bring was headphones.  I have an old set for the plane movies but phones no longer have jacks for those.  I did not want to be tempted to put on any podcasts which getting quite depressing.  I will look away for a month.

My pack is not at all packed tightly.  There is a good amount of slack at the top.  I happy with my packing for this trip ... at least until I am freezing some cold morning.

Turns out I was a little hungry.  This pasta and meatballs is disappearing quickly.  Time for one more beer and then head to the gate.

Bom Caminho!

Camino Portugues Day 0-1: Pack List

Warning!  Nobody will be interested in this post except those interested in walking a Camino or another long distance walk or if you want to travel super light.

This is everything I'm taking for a month on the road.  Keep in mind they have stores in Portugal and Spain and I will buy things like sunscreen and toothpaste as needed.  I also might buy some inexpensive trekking poles which are hard to fly with and would not be very useful on the first flat days.

Total weight this is not me or my watch which I forgot to take off is 9.63kg (7.98+1.65) or 21.2 pounds.

First up is my travel clothes which are also my typical walking clothes except for the compression socks.  The compression socks are a game changer when flying.

In the pack's bottom section I keep the pack cover, long finger cycling gloves (they are warm and light), paracord, cable ties and laundry strips.  I do laundry in a plastic bag every day and there is a month's worth of laundry in this picture.

Gortex shell and super light carry pack. This packs away most of the time but is great on the plane or post walk each day.

Electronics ... drone, charger, glasses cases GoPro, headlight, USB cables watch and phone.

Toiletries.  Liquid bandage is great for any scrapes and Compeed is essential for blisters.  Nuun tablets if cramping is an issue.

Extra bags.  They weigh very little and I seem to use a lot on the road.  The reusable shopping bags are great for doing laundry in and will keep your stuff dry in the rain.  Also some masks and documents.  The Euros are left over from last trip.  I get local currency at ATMs as needed.

All of my pack's main chamber contents.  

My pack.  I always recommend the smallest size you can get away with.  Camino shell from two years ago.

Everything that goes in the pack.

I bring these ultra light shoes so I can wear something else post-walking.  Going out for dinner and walking around town in shoes that aren't wet or that you have been sweating in all day is wonderful.

Shirts, underwear and socks.  Looking at this I think I will lose at least one shirt.  The long sleeves are nice because they save a lot of sunscreen.

Pants.  I like the convertible pants because they do cool mornings and warm afternoons.  For lounging around I got these super light yoga pants.  This is an upgrade from the sweat pants I took to Japan.  While I'm not a swimmer and the sight of me in a bathing suit is terrifying, it's good to have something you can throw on in the room.

Loaded pack.  This is my travel configuration.  Things I need in the plane or airport are in the day pack which is clipped onto the pack with carabiners.

Weight of worn stuff 1.65kg.

Weight of packs 7.98kg.

Crap.  Just realized I packed my hiking socks deep in my pack and I want a pair in my day pack because I will be walking 18km right after I land.  I also need to take out a shirt or two.  Looks like I need to do it all again.

Camino Portugues Day 0-3: Planning and Packing

Camino time!  In a few days I fly to Lisbon, Portugal to begin the Camino Portugues.  Starting in Lisbon, I walk north through Coimbra and on to Porto where I meet Mike.  We then will take the inland route to Santiago de Compostela.  

I have 13 walking days to get to Porto.  To do that I will take the train out of Lisbon and walk 18km on the day I arrive which will cover the first 2 stages.  Then I have 12 days to cover the 320km to Porto.  This follows the Buen Camino app default stages.

The first days have very little elevation but they are all 30+km days which is tiring.  I walk 10km most days around San Francisco but I still expect the first few days will hurt.

Once Mike joins we have 11 days to Santiago de Compostela.  This again follows most of the standard Camino stages.  We decided that walking the Costal route in March might have some more extreme wind and weather.

I've been looking at the weather and comparing it to here and most days it is a little warmer in most of the towns in Portugal by a few degrees when you adjust for the time of day.  I walk around here in short sleeves so if we stay dry it should be a nice walk.

Preparing for your third long distance walk is a lot easier than the first.  It consists mostly of getting rid of the few things that didn't work on other trips and replacing worn out items.  Oh, and trying to remember where I put some important item I haven't seen since last trip.

This trip will feature a new toy: a drone.  I hope to get some good video with it and it will be fun to fly around.  I've only had it about a week and I am just gaining some confidence with it.  Mostly it is a flying selfie camera but you have to be careful not to let it fly into cars and trees.  On the auto mode it is like you have a cameraman following you and it only focuses on you disregarding danger to itself.

I did have to get an EU Operator ID for the drone to fly it legally.  You are suppose to get it in the first country you intend to fly, but the Portugal aviation web site was a nightmare and would not take any of my information.  The Spain site was not much better.  I saw a recommendation for the Irish site and that did work but it cost a lot of information and 40€.

This Camino I'd like to try to learn more about the areas I'm walking through.  In the past I have been more focused on the physical challenge.  I intend to read the daily stage descriptions and try to be more aware of the history and cultural significance of the places I pass through.  Maybe my blog will be better.