Kappy’s Camino 2022

City Hall Incredible gardens  There must be a reason why nothing went right today😫. We got up at a leisurely time and after an in-house breakfast we headed to the bus station on foot. We had been told that we shouldn’t miss Braga so we tried our damndest to get there. First Google lead us astray on the walk over long enough to miss the bus we wanted so we waited 1:45 hours for the next one. Then we realized that we needed to transfer in Barcelos and for some reason the transfer bus didn’t show up for another 2 hours, long enough to make us decide to order an Uber. It was difficult to make the decision to pull the plug and order the Uber because we were sure once we did, the bus would have shown up. And sure enough. It did! So we arrived in Braga at about 3pm - starved! We ate lunch  and headed to the place we had rented on Booking.com. Nice spot but the place had not been cleaned since the last occupants 😫 so just when all we wanted to do was settle in, we had to leave for a...

  The Crew. Cirila, Dave, Kate, Kappy & Patty Sorry for not posting for a couple days. I need to keep on top of it because I loose track of what happened when😬 Let’s see, I’ll start with Saturday which is when we left Porto on foot. The walk was only 7 miles but I’m not going to lie, starting is always tough. My feet hurt, my shoulders hurt, blah blah blah. Anyways the walk is along the river (where the smells are overwhelmingly fishy) and then alongside the Atlantic Ocean which is surprisingly similar to the Pacific on this side.  The weather was foggy until about 2pm when the sun finally broke through. Most of the walk was along a wooden boardwalk and was pretty busy with vacationers and beachgoers (regardless of the fog, they were on vacation).  We arrived at the Municipal Albergue in La Bruge at 3:30 and we all managed to secure beds, although we were separated. Mine was a bottom bunk and my bunkmate was a darling 20 year old Italian boy named Andreas or Gabriela...

 So we packed up our stuff and headed towards what we knew to be the train station in Lisbon (one of a few). First we stopped to have custards and coffee. After that pleasantry everything went to hell in a hand basket. We were planning to get the 12:00 train to Porto. First we had a confusing time finding the ticket office. We purchased our tickets (1/2 price for seniors) and we were give some sketchy directions to find the metro station to get to the train station. (?) I thought we were AT the train station😩 Here’s where too many chiefs became a bit of a problem.  We got to the correct departure point — we missed our train😔 . So the next train departed at 2 pm but we were only able to get first class seats. $$. They did give us a credit (not full) and the ticket lady seemed a bit peeved but, oh well. Off to the closest cafe for a beer and a bit of lunch. The train ride to Porto was about 3 hours. A middle aged couple from New Jersey sat nearby and struck up a conversation. ...

Today (Wednesday) was tour Lisbon day. We met Ana from WithLocals at 10 am and she gave us a 3 hour walking tour. By the time 3 hours were up, my brain was saturated. All of that info and her time for $120. We visited a couple of churches and made our way up the the Castle of St George from where I took this picture of the view.  Dinner last night was at Tapa Bucho where we shared tapas, wine and desert. Afterwards we found the Iris pub nextdoor for a bit of Guinness. There was no place to sit so I asked if we could sit with this young couple. They are from Ireland and in Lisbon for a long weekend. Of course, they said yes and within 1 hour this is where we ended up. Onto Porto via train tomorrow.

 And we are on the 3rd floor…..I’m not a happy camper.  Furthermore, the Vodaphone SIM card will not do texts to US.  I spent a lot of time today (2 hours) trying to get the phone thing fixed and never got satisfaction. So, the bottom line is we need to use Whatts App to communicate. So frustrating😬 Otherwise it was a good day. Patty arrived late last night and David and Kate showed up 3 hours late this morning. We managed to get out for a short tour of Lisbon and a bit of dinner.  We did get down to the bay where the breezes were awesome. Also ro the Cathedral to pick up the pilgrim passports  Look what I found. My feet are hot and sweaty and I’m not a happy camper right now😔 Things are supposed to cool down a bit tomorrow 🤞🙏🤞

 I managed to get a pretty good night sleep, thanks to pharmacology, and When I awoke we were only about 2 hours out of Lisbon! Smooth landing and I must say TAP flys the way flying used to be. Full dinner, free vino and breakfast.  Arrived at 11 am and got a cab from airport to Barrio Alto. The price was €25 for a 25 minute drive. Sarila and I managed to follow the directions and gain access to the apartment that we had booked.  The only problem is with the A/C. It’s not working. “Oh yes” said the owner when I called. “We are still waiting for the replacement units “….. sound familiar? I guess it would have been nice to have a warning.  Then we heard the same old song and dance …. Never been this hot in Lisbon, same all over Europe. Sorry I couldn’t get that fixed for you …. Oh well. Anyways we sampled tapas and drinks and headed for the harbor. Tomorrow the rest of the crew will be here and planning a trip to Sintra. For now. Nitey Nite.

 Sitting in a hotel room in Fairfield, CA waiting til it is a decent time to get up and shower (don’t want to bother my roommate) and thinking about the journey ahead of us. I’m wondering what I was thinking🤪. Right now I am feeling a little nervous but I know once I am underway it will be a completely awesome adventure - maybe.  5 more minutes and it’s into the shower. How can people sleep so late? I need to go get some coffee. Back in a bit. Okay had my dose of caffeine and a nice little 1 mile walk. We are about to depart for the airport. Fast forward. We are on the plane and 10 minutes from take off.  Next stop (11 hours) Lisbon!

 Yes, with a bit more insight and a few more years on this old body, I am about to embark on my second Camino or as they say in Portugal, “Caminho.” This time I will be leaving from Porto, Portugal and walking, God willing, to Santiago, Spain. It is a journey of about 178 miles and I plan to carry my backpack filled with a months worth of clothing and necessities. So far the backpack, including itself, weighs 10.25 lbs. I’m hoping to keep it at just under 12.  Things have gotten a lot lighter in the lightweight travel category. For instance, the sleeping bag I took in 2019 weighed 2 lbs, this year’s model, appropriately named “the Camino,” and all the way from Canada, weighs a mere 1 lb. Here is what is in the bag: 1 bra 3 panties 1 long sleeve merino shirt 1 short sleeve merino shirt 1 buff 1.5 lbs of cosmetics, (meds, toothbrush, comb, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, deodorant etc. .5 lbs of electronics .5 lb pair of sandals 1 lb sleeping bag .75 lb rain poncho .25 lb towel .25 l...