on our Way

CAMINO PORTUGUES Day 4

When we went to get a coffee this morning, we found that there was a burst pipe in rhe hostel kitchen and water all over the floor. I phoned the owner and he said someone would come soon, but we had to leave. As we passed rhe Fred Perry shop next door, we saw water pouring in from above. I hope the hostel owners had good insurance :-(

After a short train journey to cover the part we had already walked and to bypass a busy road, we finally set off on our Camino proper.

We walked over 13 miles on roads and tracks which mostly ran alongside the railway and through an industrial landscape. I had to keep reminding myself that this is a pilgrimage and not a tourist trip, so we shouldn't expect too much exciting scenery (though I think that will come later).

We met a man called Fernando who was out for a run. He was 75 and had done several Caminos. He only spoke Portuguese but we understood most of what he was saying. Like all the people we meet, he was sad that we weren't going to Fatima(blue arrows). We are following the yellow arrows and shells to Santiago. The route (thankfully) is very well marked so even if we didn't have Internet maps, we wouldn't get lost.

This evening we are in the small town of Azambuja, in a lovely old pension called Casa da Rainha. We walked another 2 miles to Aldi and back to buy ingredients to cook up a feast..and  since we had eaten very little all day, the feast was welcome!

It will soon be time to go to bed, and then time to get up again and walk on to Porto de Muge.