We bought our train tickets from Lisbon to Porto online today. As we bought them 8 days in advance, the tickets were discounted by greater than 50%. We paid €15 each for 2nd class tickets on the Alfa Pendular train via Comboios Portugal (CP).

Karen had fun chatting live with the CP helpline. It was easy enough with the usual techno startup problems navigating an unfamiliar but user friendly website. As soon as she typed and asked for English communication, our CP rep Miguel quickly reverted to English. Great experience!

Boa Noite Porto, we will see you in 8 days!

I weighed my backpack so many times that I have lost count of how many.  It is holding at 20 lbs.  I don’t seem able to get below this number.

List of items in back pack:

3 tops, 2 sports bra and quick dry underwear, 1 Sarong, 2 pairs of pants, 1 macabi skirt, 1 pair leggings, 1 lightweight fleece, 3 pairs sock liners, 3 pairs trail socks, toiletries (hairbrush, toothbrush/paste, nail clipper, safety pins, tiny soap bar, floss, small body glide, tiny deodorant, travel shampoo/conditioner, few feminine products), 1 packet compeed,  Tylenol, vitamin B12,  a couple sleeves of Reactine, a few packets of Emergen- C, Travel size Imodium and gravel, emergency med kit for two people, trail toilet paper, trail duct tape, travel pocket light, whistle, bandana, toque, light weight cup, spork, phone charger, Adapter/Coverter, rain jacket & pants, light weight sleeping bag, pair of crocs, small journal and pen, Brierley Guide Book, water bottle, light weight foam pad (for seating and can be used as pillow too) and a few ziplock bags.

List of items to consider if they are worthy to bring along: IPad, protein bars

Am I overdoing it? That is the question that can be answered only whilst one is on the road.  Presently, I merely speculate.    Well, I will know for sure soon enough.   🤔

This second Camino is definitely different. I feel way more at ease. Perhaps having done the first one allows me to have a good sense of what is needed this time around. I am still going with the flow and am enjoying the preparation process for this Camino.

Karen is definitely contributing lots by taking care of details that I was not even considering before. Yes, it helps to have a friend who loves researching and getting what we may need on the Camino for our trip.

Overall, I cannot deny that there is an inexplicable comforting energy supporting this trip. It shows up in the smallest of ways for me. Invisible, nameless, formless yet I know its quality when I do not grasp for any meaning of how and why events are unfolding. One simple example is we are getting Canadian Pilgrim Credentials for this 2018 Camino (thanks to Karen who took the initiative on this one and I am grateful). I had not intended to get our pilgrims passports from Canada (I was going to buy them in Portugal) but now we will have this lovely bonus from home for our Camino.

The Camino speaks again in its own subtle language. Hopefully I am able to better understand it this time around. I hear it whispering gently in my pilgrim’s heart, the voice unmistakably saying, “Good Journey”.

Well, Christmas and New Year came and went. Went to lunch with a long time friend just before the end of the Holiday Season. I have known Karen from my university days. I shared my plans for the Camino De Santiago.

Guess what? She too wanted to do this walk. She has heard of it and marked it on her bucket list. She quickly asked if she could join me and I happily agreed. Why not? I love how things are unfolding for this trip.

She has now booked her flights. We are both going to continue getting ready for this Portugal adventure. Packing List and some walk training, learning some basic phrases, etc, etc.

Karen won’t be joining me for my Lisbon retreat which is the start of my own personal journey in Portugal but will instead fly into Lisbon the day right after. We will take a day to sight see and overnight together in Lisbon. Then we take the train to Porto the very next day and begin our walk. This is perfect.