As our Camino starts in Porto, we have to get our first stamps at the Porto’s Se Cathedral.

We entered the church square at around 5pm and came upon some boys performing in front of a crowd. They are students from the University of Porto vocalizing beautifully. Note the uniforms they are wearing. This is where the author of Harry Porter got the idea of the school of wizardry uniforms for the movie. They introduced themselves as the University of Porto’s Big Band and they informed the crowd that their renditions are on Spotify.

Play the video;

The next pics are interesting. I took them while looking back on the square before entering the Cathedral. Lucky shots maybe? Or perhaps a good omen to mark the beginning of this year 2019 Camino Journey. I did not see the sun streaming onto the group when taking the pictures. They were not planned shots for sun angles. Just perhaps a couple of lucky pictures of the square before stepping foot into the Cathedral.

We obtained our first Camino stamps on our pilgrims passport and explored the church but this time entering some places we have never been before. We had visited this Cathedral in year 2018.

Here are the pics from our exploration:

We ended self guided exploration by both signing the Cathedral’s guest book.

Our Camino has now begun. 😊😊😊

Buen Camino!

Hilda 💕

Yesterday I did not have the time to blog. We went around the city of Lisbon on the “Hop on Hop off” bus and caught some fabulous sight seeing opportunities.

We visited the Tower of Belém and the Jeronimos Monastery but could only view it from the outside as the buildings were closed to the public on Mondays.

Jeronimos Monastery:

Tower of Belém:

Here are other pics from our sightseeing adventure:

As we toured the city of Lisbon, we saw more and more of the fabulous sidewalk mosaic tiles that this city is famous for.

Of course there are pastries along the way. We took in the Pasteis De Belém. This is not to be confused with the Pasteis De Nata. The former recipe have been around since 1837. I was informed by our waiter that there is nothing close to the Pasteis De Belém. After tasting it, I have to agree. It is the best I have tasted and remember, I have eaten many of them (taking into account last year’s Pasteis). Pasteis De Belém have spoilt my taste for this dessert. How am I going to eat any more knowing that I won’t be able to have the Belém version anymore. Well, maybe with some time and before this trip is over, I hope….LOL. 😂

On another note, we arrived safely in Porto today and will be getting our first Camino Stamp at the Se Cathedral. Our Camino begins officially with the first stamp.

Bom Caminho!!!

We came in on the “red eye” flight and landed in Lisbon at 11am. Both of us slept only a little on the plane so you can just imagine how tired we were. Having to wait another one and half hour for the required Customs entry stamp on passports added a bit of stress. Karen made a useful observation that this situation and other similar ones are some of the reasons why our elderly parents don’t desire foreign travel any longer. However, the payoff’s wonderful for those of us who are younger and can manage this unfortunate downside of travelling. Like all things in life, stressful situations passes and new experiences takes over.

We found our accommodation in Lisbon and took refreshing showers. A new found enthusiasm took over with fresh clean clothes. This enthuse plus beautiful weather above 27 Celsius made for a lovely day.

We began our exploring at the famous Time Out Market in Lisbon.

And yes, you’ve guessed it! Our first morsel of food was a pastel de nata (Portuguese custard egg tart) at the famous Manteigaria Bakery, coupled with a strong expresso coffee shot. This was our STARTER FUEL for the day.

After the Time Out Market, we walked around Cais De Sobre and then the adjacent Baixa Chiado. Busy tourist areas. Well, it is our “first day”, you know. 😂🤣

As we explored Lisbon, we did come across something very unusual. Here’s something for all you pet owners reading this blog. Have you ever considered a pet pig? Well, this owner was walking his pet pig on a leash and spoke to it lovingly like you would for those of us who have dogs as Family members. Must be a great story behind this pig but we could not ask. 😔.

We are not on the Camino yet and our first day in Portugal gave us pasteis de nata, lovely weather and great piggy pet pictures. What does this Camino have in store for us? We will keep you posted 😉.

Stay well Calgary!

So many things to consider. Trying to make sure we take all necessities while also ensuring we travel light. Do we book accommodations ahead of time or leave it to chance so that we may have the freedom to choose along the way? How to find the perfect balance?

Time for reflection. In year 2013, when I performed my first Camino, I overloaded my back pack and left accommodations to chance, only searching for a place to stay when I stopped walking for the night.

In year 2018, I did it differently. Packing lighter and pre-booking all accommodations for every night along the way.

This year, I am going to combine both years’ lessons learned. Packing lighter is essential and non negotiable. However, I would like to add the one element which I think will enhance this year’s Camino experience.

I am leaving our accommodations to chance from the town of Labruge (just right after Porto) until the central town of Redondela (where both the coastal and central Camino routes converge becoming one route onward to Santiago). I have no accommodations booked between those two towns.

What this really means is that ‘this Camino’ is free to choose for us for almost half the journey along the way. We will walk until we reach a town or city to stay the night and look for our accommodations then. This will make things interesting. I hope that Karen is up for it. There is a safety caveat though: we can always change our plans at anytime if this does not work for us.

There is an old saying used frequently by many pilgrims on the Camino De Santiago, “The Camino provides”. I am trusting it will do so for us every step of the way. 😊💕

On another note: To all my family and friends, thank you for following this blog and walking this Camino with me. Your presence and prayers will make this long walk extra special. I am positive Karen feels the same way.

I leave you tonight with the following post card reflection.

Year 2019 and another Camino is unfolding again at end of April. What can I say? It is a very clear case of “Caminonitis”. Caught it last year and maybe can cure it (aka burn out the delightful fever) with another Camino adventure.

It starts again with checking all of the gear, planning the route and booking the accommodations on said chosen route. Karen’s joining me again for this one. Great friend and travelling partner. Hey, she agreed to slog it with me again, maybe she too has the case of Caminonitis. 😂🤣. So the real question here is who has it worse? No profound answer…. maybe just one word C…y. Fill in the blanks.

My colleagues at work are all also cheering me on. They bought me a Tilley hat for this Camino. I am going on this Year’s adventure in style! Or least with a cool head!

Ok, back to my gear. I don’t have to get new things. Just reusing all of my gear from last year but ditching the cold weather clothes (weather should be ok) and the Bierley Guide (waste of space) as I did not use it much last year – the German pilgrims had a better guide.

Anyways, we are off checking and rechecking our list. It is not Christmas but sure feels like it. My excitement’s growing each day as I am getting closer to leaving for the starting point of this Camino.

As per last year, this blog will inform family and friends on how the Camino journey reveals itself. Much like a Christmas present, you don’t know what you will get until you unwrap the entire gift. And yes, the Camino is like a big giant gift for me. I cannot wait to unwrap this one! 🥳.