For those of you that may not have been aware, I left on June 21st for Lisbon, Portugal to do my 4th Camino de Santiago (Camino Portugues) from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. I arrived on June 22nd and began my walk/hike on June 23rd. I walked approximately 405 miles over 28 days (1 rest/tourist day in Porto). This included adding the alternative walk around Fatima and ending on the Atlantic Ocean in Muxia. When I was done with my little stroll, I spent about a week with my wife’s family in Galicia and then spent the last 2.5 days in Lisbon before my return flight to Miami on Tuesday, August 8th.
Although I have done longer Caminos and more difficult Caminos, this one had levels of difficulties that I did not expect. These included many 100° + days in the middle of a heat wave, and I fortunately managed to avoid the fires that were blazing across many parts or Portugal and Spain that had stranded other “peregrinos” (pilgrims) in other cities. Part of the difficulties were greater distances that I did not expect due to a lack of places to stay in expected towns on my route. I also had at least two 40+ kilometer days (25 miles +) and felt I had to ration my water in the first 2 weeks until I got to Porto due to poor infrastructure for this walk in Portugal. On the first day alone, I got two massive blisters on the balls of each foot. Something I had never experienced before. Blisters were really the least of my problems as I could, surprisingly to me, take that pain well. More blisters would come later on the outside heels of each foot and probably ALL the toes as well. I would later get blisters under blisters. Two days before arriving in Porto, I was getting Achilles pain in my right foot due to all the Roman, medieval, and more modern cobblestones that I walked on. And THAT got my attention!
Although I was not happy with many aspects of the 1st half of this Camino, I found Portugal to be quite beautiful. I found Lisbon to be one of the greatest cities that I have ever visited. This was another great experience for me which was also very cathartic, having lost my dad last year in August, and thinking about him every day on this walk that I had dedicated to him. I am very happy to be back and can’t wait to get out with a detector in my hand and headphones on my head.
Although I have done longer Caminos and more difficult Caminos, this one had levels of difficulties that I did not expect. These included many 100° + days in the middle of a heat wave, and I fortunately managed to avoid the fires that were blazing across many parts or Portugal and Spain that had stranded other “peregrinos” (pilgrims) in other cities. Part of the difficulties were greater distances that I did not expect due to a lack of places to stay in expected towns on my route. I also had at least two 40+ kilometer days (25 miles +) and felt I had to ration my water in the first 2 weeks until I got to Porto due to poor infrastructure for this walk in Portugal. On the first day alone, I got two massive blisters on the balls of each foot. Something I had never experienced before. Blisters were really the least of my problems as I could, surprisingly to me, take that pain well. More blisters would come later on the outside heels of each foot and probably ALL the toes as well. I would later get blisters under blisters. Two days before arriving in Porto, I was getting Achilles pain in my right foot due to all the Roman, medieval, and more modern cobblestones that I walked on. And THAT got my attention!
Although I was not happy with many aspects of the 1st half of this Camino, I found Portugal to be quite beautiful. I found Lisbon to be one of the greatest cities that I have ever visited. This was another great experience for me which was also very cathartic, having lost my dad last year in August, and thinking about him every day on this walk that I had dedicated to him. I am very happy to be back and can’t wait to get out with a detector in my hand and headphones on my head.
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