10-Day Camino Views. 200km….Part 1

Last week in the wee morning hours of October 19th, my connecting flight through Newark, New Jersey from Porto, Portugal landed in Halifax.

Glad to be back home in Canada, I gave Derryl a bleary-eyed hug and was relieved to hear the thud of my bag joining the rest on the luggage roundabout. (This bag did not show up on my flight from Halifax to Portugal October 1st; but Air Canada produced the goods before it was time to head out on the trail.)

I had left NS September 28th; that final day to choose what went in the grey backpack and what stayed home. True to form, I stuffed in more than needed: every day thereafter I was oh so thankful our accommodation booking arrangements included shuttle service from one night’s lodging to the next!

My sister-in-law hiking partners and I met up in Porto, Portugal: Ruth (Chilliwack, British Columbia), Nancy (Minneapolis, Minnesota/Edmonton, Alberta) and Carmen (Edmonton, Alberta). The idea was to allow for a few days before our hike on the trail to acclimate, explore, adjust to the climate and culture. Great idea.

Our first experience with large-portion Portuguese hospitality !! The hotel desk clerk was ever so grateful for our takeaway containers full of delicious food!

Yes I know the colour rules. But I’d misplaced the shaded clip-ons for my glasses and the sun’s brilliance was intense for our downtown Porto wine tour. These cool mauve sunglasses fit right over my glasses – and as luck would have it – the next day I discovered my shades!

Rio Mino: The river flows westward and defines the final 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) of the border between Spain and Portugal, stretching from near Cevide (Portugal’s northernmost point) to the Atlantic Ocean.

One of our last mornings in Portugal. I poked my head into the hotel room next door; this young lady was cleaning up after the guests had left. She didn’t speak English fluently but was able to tell me her name. Karen! It’s not the most common name (I’ve always considered it with Scandinavian origins). I smiled and patted my chest to indicate that was my name too: and motioned I’d like to take a picture of us. Her eyes -and mine – filled with tears – a precious friendship moment.

To be Continued