Our Walk Along the Camino Portuguese

Magical Albergue on the Camino Portuguese  Wonderful Trails and Great Company We headed out around 7 AM, after a poor night's sleep in a twelve-person dorm, which ended at 4:30 AM when the first people got up and began packing. We stopped at a cafe just around the corner from the Albergue for cafe and tostada (toast with ham and cheese). As we sat there, enjoying our breakfast it began to rain lightly.   We headed out of town, across the train tracks, and down a stretch of eucalyptus-lined road. The spicy smell was fantastic, and below the canopy was a whole series of benches. We soon crossed a bridge over a swollen, fast-moving and dirty-looking river, and started down a dirt track. For the next few kilometers, the track took us through fields. Many people were out ploughing the rich, dark soil, and the air smelled fresh and earthy.   As the wind picked up and the sky continued to darken we stopped and put on our rain jackets. At the creek where we ...

Foggy Morning on the Camino Portuguese Fog, Fields and Pilgrim Friendships We left the hostel around 7:30 AM this morning after a nice breakfast of coffee, bread, jam, yogurt, and orange juice.  Like all the Portuguese people we've met so far,  the man who ran the hostel was very friendly and helpful and also had advice about the coming walk.  He was clearly a proud member of the Knights Templar and shared some interesting stories about the upcoming town of Tomar. When we emerged from the hostel we found the tiled market and central town square shrouded in mist.  We made our way through the cobblestone streets of town, across the train tracks, and into the waterfront park. This is clearly a commuter town for Lisbon, and there were lots of cars, buses, and trains heading into the city.  The tree-covered park looked magical in the fog, as did the train platform with all the people.   As we left the town behind the Camino took us down a country ...