Boog's Blog

Heavy rain all night, clearing in the morning.

QB feet needed some wrapping. This has not been an easy or comfortable trip.

Crossed over into Spain via a ferry. 1.5 km long sail. About 15 or so others crossed over with us on a standard car ferry for 3 or so cars.

Then up and up to get to A Guardia a decent town on the Spanish border. A visit to pharmacy for more foot wrapping accessories and then onwards towards the coastal path.

Unlike Portugal the coastal path in Spain is rocky, off the coast but up high enough for excellent views. Really flat but not overly challenging except for injured feet and toes.

No services for the whole walk. Not a cafe or a place to stop after A Guardia.

Art on the way or it might have been an elaborate langouste trap. The sign in Spanish was comprehensive but unclear. Even a Spanish speaking pilgrim could not translate for certain.

Got to our small hotel, family run, no English, rapid speaking, friendly. Agreed to do our laundry! A treat.

Dinner, pictured, home cooked. QB mentioned that if she is to have a steak it would be better if Dennis cooked it.

For dessert we had a torte de queso topped with home grown Mirabelle fruit which is banned as an import in the USA. A type of plum from Lorraine France. The owner made marmalade out of it.

In Album 9/13/16

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12 September foggy and mizzle in morning, sunny and very humid later.

The route not available yet.

Tried to walk up the coast but…. the route not yet open. First 10 kms pleasantly along the coast and then a false road. Several to many kms later found a way back to the way; turned a short day into a long day.

Stopped for an excellent lunch in Afife. High end fish and seafood place. More food than we needed but wonderfully prepared dourade.

Beach town here has a small river transecting it.

In Album 9/12/16

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Sunday 12 September. Very foggy into mid afternoon

Route took us inland over numerous good sized hills with larger and small cobbled. Walked through a number of small towns, many with new houses.

Stopped for coffee at a very local town cafe, pictured. Friendly but no common language. Got some good Madeleines.

Wildlife: goats, sheep, frangos,budgies,finchrd,horse,cow,lovebird.

A particularly long walk (19 miles ) as the Camino had many paths and we may or may not have taken the best route.

In Album 9/11/16

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Hotel Suave do Mar
10 September Sunny continues, not too hot

Continuing up the coast. After considerable good walking on the boardwalks today was more on cobblestone, uncomfortable ones, aren't they all!
The turn inland was dryer and dustier.

Before the inland turn we saw seaweed farming on the beach, pictured. Four plots drying, a person spreading and another with an ATV havering from the seashore.

Old windmill sans sails pictured, followed by inland agriculture shot..

Lunch was a very fine fish soup followed by a spinach-chocolate cake. Picture on Flickr.

Anther 15 mile day but far better for QB now that he heel blister has been popped.

Desert included:

Cucurbita ficifolia, which has many common names in English, is a type of squash grown for its edible seeds, fruit, and greens. We had it inside a powered sugared puff pastry. Called chila in Portugal.

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Grand hotel do povoa.

9 September Friday warm but not blazing hot. Still sunny.

"The shortest line between two points is often a dead end"

Boogs, wearing Redican designed shirts, front only visible, preparing to start.

Left central Porto by metro. We have already walked the Douro to the ocean and the bit from the cathedral- pilgrims passport stamped. Today starts at the container port.

Perfect weather to start and on perfect boardwalks ( a civil servant was pounding nails in the planks to make the walk even smoother) most of the way up the coast. The seaside sparkles everywhere. Waves, beaches, rock formations. High sand quality but very very soft underfoot.

Passed an historical group of Roman tanks for fish salting. Pictured here and explained along with garum on Flickr.

On the only promontory seen today had a fine alfresco lunch. One item stood out: grilled bread, olive oil brushed, stuffed with chorizo. All home made.

After 15+ miles took a taxi for the last few kms. Certain feet not assisted by record breaking water blister.

Dinner at the hotel was so bad we left mid meal and found a local place. Peppers de padron, dourade. Excellent. Desert, requeijão cheese used to make a cheesecake.

In Album 9/9/16

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Again,a little cooler according to the forecast. In fact, not so much until later when it was breezy and cool.

Last full day on Porto. Tomorrow the walk begins.

Walked eastwards along the Douro for a while. Some beaches, well developed path.
As I have with so many bodies of water I stuck my feet into the river, yesterday it was the ocean.

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7 September a bit cooler.

A day for a trip out to the ocean.

Coffee, foiled again. Each time we order coffee the names change. Looked up a guide and found this:
"These are general guidelines. No two cups of coffee will ever be identical no matter what words you use. Relax, it’s just a drink."

Lunch:

We were told this was the best seafood restaurant in both Lisbon and Porto.

When we were in Lisbon it was far too hot to go there but today is a little bit cooler so we walked up the coast about 6 miles to this restaurant.

Fresh grilled sardines.

Grilled sole properly filleted with a spoon and fork.

A local speciality: caldeirda de peixe. We were informed that it must contain a local ray as a type of fish and and that it is a typical fisherman's dish.

Portuguese pronunciation: we were advised not to open the mouth like you do in Spanish but the mouth is mostly closed more like you do in French.

The Beach Walk has a particular section of geological interest called foz. The beach area is special and one of the most famous in the Douro region.

Finished the day off with another visit to The Majestic Cafe. Salad and some excellent ice cream.

In Album 9/7/16

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Troll temperature: cold,ok,too damn hot

Tourist day wandering about.

Catch up on wine from dinner last night and the night before:
Casa de Santar excellent dry red from the region dão

Quinta de la rosa farm of the rose. Also excellent but a little less dry; this one is from the region near Porto, Douro as in the river.

Breakfast in Portugal is called small lunch. Words are similar to the Spanish. Pequeno almoço

Tried to order our usual coffee the one we had in Lisbon and failed. They do not use the abatanãdo term here. The call it French coffee in the same way the French call it an americano. What the Spanish call a cortado is called a pingo.

One of the lounges in the hotel pictured as well as the train station with its large blue colored tiles. Drinks and more at the Majestic cafe supposedly one of the finest in all Europe.

The sign outside the cafe days 39 degrees.

QB had an aperol spritz upon return to the hotel. Not as good, however, as the ones Bobby made for her. Bobby still rules,

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Today,& for a few days 100+ degrees F

Train ride from Coimbra. Just like the one to Coimbra. Just over an hour.

Porto, second largest city in Portugal, old capital from 12 th century and birthplace of Henry the navigator, 1394.

Wonderful hotel on the river. The old palace, then a wine factory and now a restored hotel with a lovely garden as pictured.

Sé cathedral. Romanesque, polychrome, tiled.

Dinner: very special local dish at a high end restaurant. A local speciality. Very filling. Here is write up and a picture.

http://catavino.net/best-francesinha-in-portugal/

In Album 9/5/16

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Coimbra sits on the banks of a wide large river.

Another Roman church, again with statuary and polychrome. In addition lots and lots of fine tile work. Original Roman arches preserved. The church of Santa Cruz.

There more we hear Portuguese the more it sounds like Russian. QB thinks it is the j.
The meter is not Spanish. Comments welcomed.

A break in an air conditioned cafe pastelaria. Ordered a large beer, two bottles of fuzzy water, a can of lipton ice tea and a pastry, a bolo com arroz (look up a recipe for one that looks like a cupcake ). Total 7 Euros.

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