5 Oct 2024
First Caminho 2024
After walking, walking and walking last years caminho’s, I start my first caminho this year! Starting from Porto going north via the Central route. Exactly one year ago I walked with Willeke from Porto to Vigo via the coast. This time I will walk alone. I have the possibility to write daily blogs on my new website. This time I bring my computer again so there will be nice stories to tell you, I hope!
I will meet the cock of Portugal, which comes from Barcelos. This picture I made on the coastal route last year. There is real caminho art along the route!
High Season Fatima
I will be out for the high season Fatima. Casa da Lima is open for four pilgrims but it is still quiet at our place. Let’s see if Jaap-Willem and Cinta can take care of our pilgrims. It is the celebration in Fatima next week. Woeps, since there are not a lot of reservations, I didn’t even notice that it would be busy high season. Jaap-Willem will nurture our guests on their pilgrimage when they stay at Casa da Lima.
I do feel tired, so this caminho will be good for me, like all others actually. I will rest, but my feet will do the opposite though. In the bus from Coimbra to Porto I fall asleep immediately.
Why October Start of Rain season?
The idea of walking this week was because Anna, visited Casa da Lima. Anna is the Dutch pilgrim Willeke and I saw every day on our last caminho Litoral. This year Anna decided to walk from Lisbon and she passed my house last Sunday. She recognized my photo on WhatsApp. She had breakfast at our place, because it happened that we were fully booked exactly that night she wanted to stay. While chatting with her I wanted to walk the Central route too and realized it already has been a year ago. I calculated that she would be in Porto on Saturday, and I booked the bus. Well, she is fast this time and she is already ahead of me one or two days ahead of me. No problem, Now she could tell me where I need to go, or where I don’t need to go!
Travelday Day 0
The Flixbus brings me to Porto and I walk for an hour to the large hostel on Rua de Barao de Forrester. The same hostel as last year. Luckily it is dry on my way to the hostel. During the walk I see my favorite Kantonese restaurant, and the Asian store.
I will not buy things, as I need to carry all and my backpack is quite heavy with my computer… but I do enter the store and I see Moon cakes. These were missing when I celebrated Moon festival with a week ago, so I buy them now!
Last year I went to the Kantonese restaurant with Willeke, I like to go there again. But now I see another street with nice Asian restaurants. I decide to go back later, it is closer to the hostel.
Last year the sun was shining and the hostel was fully booked. Luckily they had some spaces because there are always cancellations. This year I decided to WhatsApp a few hours before arriving. There are a lot of people but they have a spot free. I make my bed and put my stuff in before heading to the restaurants.
Taiwanese Hamburgers, Noodles and NY Cookies.
I walk back to the busy street with the restaurants. I recognize it, but when did I see it…? I have been here before! I had holiday once in this neighborhood with Jaap-Willem and Cinta. Now I want to go the same Taiwanese Bao restaurant. Delicious Taiwanese food; Chinese hamburger and noodle soup. Next to the restaurant there is a Cookie Club. Interesting… May be I should start a club like that! Wow, there is a big line. I will not stand in line but I eat in the restaurant next to it so I manage to get a cookie, after the third time I go there, the oven is small and the cookies are popular.
Day 0 Casa da Lima-Coimbra-Porto
The caminho in Porto starts good, The big city always fulfills my culinary needs.
Tomorrow the plan is walking to Villarinho 27 km. The man Miguel, from the allbergue says there is a nice monastery albergue some villages before around 22 km from Porto. We will see wear my feet will take me. As usual I didn’t reserve the albergues, because you never know where you will stop, you have an idea but with the weather changes it is a real surprise. And really, no stress. The only thing is that you have to walk to the next Albergue. You walk the whole day so one hour extra is not so much, but when you expect to finish and you can’t, that is the disappointment… Well, you get used to it!
The NY cookie with a real Matcha tea from Japan taste good. Tomorrow I have energy to walk in the rain!
