After breakfast at our B&B, we walked out and over the bridge to make our way through Barcelos. It was a beautiful morning, and our first stop was the ruins of a castle sitting above the river and bridge. Then we looked at a lovely old square behind the cathedral. Walking through the city streets, we enjoyed wide pedestrian walkways with plenty of shopping and restaurants. The early morning crews were cleaning it up, so it all looked spotless.
As we walked through appreciating this lovely town center, we regretted sitting inside yesterday afternoon. We like arriving early so we can take time to explore and enjoy each new destination, if only for an afternoon. But yesterday we didn’t. We were tired, as we are after hiking ten miles, and Sara was nursing a blister on her toe, so we stayed in to rest and write. This morning, as we saw Barcelos in the daylight, we wished we had more time to enjoy it. Our purpose is not just to hike and move on. We want to explore and enjoy the towns we visit. We need to remember this as we move on.
All throughout Portugal we see large stone crosses. There’s an old one by the castle in Barcelos with a peculiar carving below the crucifix. It depicts a young man being hanged by the neck, while another man beneath him tries to hold him up and save him. A plaque nearby explains how this relates to the story of a young pilgrim, accused of theft by a woman he had refused. She had placed a valuable silver cup in his bag to frame him. About to be hanged for this theft, he told the judge that even the chicken on the judge’s dinnerplate would stand up to proclaim his innocence. The judge laughed at such a claim, but was surprised when the dead chicken came to life, saving the boy’s life. Varieties of this story can be heard in many places throughout Portugal and Spain. It’s so popular in Barcelos that the town has many large, decorated roosters all over the place.
As we followed the path through the suburbs and out of town, it was sometimes difficult to find the markers. Apparently, Sara and I are very obviously out-of-towners looking for directions. But the people in Portugal are so friendly and helpful. On two separate occasions, men stopped to help us and guide us to the path. Another time a trucker driving by would just point us to the necessary route or markers.
Property in this part of Portugal, whether large farms or single-family homes, is enclosed within walls, some old, some new, ranging in height from two to seven feet tall. The driveways all have gates, generally closed. So even in the country, we can be walking roads enclosed on both sides with stone walls. Next to an abandoned and ruined old building, you might see a beautiful new home, all in lovely Portugues style. The mixture of ruined, old, and new is fascinating.
The trials we follow are very clearly NOT the most direct path between two points. At one point we walked about a kilometer down one road along a railroad track. Then we turned right to a path under the railway and another right turn. Then we walked another kilometer effectively retracing our steps. We could have saved quite a few steps by just walking across the tracks, and there was an easy place to do that. But we follow the arrows, taking us the long way around.
Sometimes we walk along busy roads, but they try to keep this to a minimum, preferring to take us along back roads and trails that are quiet and rarely traveled. Another priority seems to include taking us to churches and chapels. There are many small chapels, called “capelas” even along back roads in Portugal.
Back in the states, cobblestone are pretty rare. Sometimes they’re featured in city pedestrian areas or in very old parts of town. But cobblestone roads are everywhere in Portugal. They’re in the cities, yes, but also way out in the country. We’ve walked a great many cobblestone paths through farm country. Cobblestone roads everywhere. The major highways are paved, but beyond that we see more cobblestone than anything else, even in what is clearly farmland.
Every now and then we hear noise behind us and a bell ring, indicating that bikers are approaching. So we hikers step aside for bikers, as we step aside for the rare car that comes our way. They may move faster than we do, but they don’t get to see the land as we do. Slow travel allows us to enjoy the farms and the mountains, the green fields, the growing corn, the lovely, terraced vineyards and the quaint small villages in a way that rushing through it won’t allow. Evan stops to look around, take in the vistas. Sara sees photo opportunities everywhere. We truly enjoy the chance to take in this beautiful country.
Casa Fernanda in Lugar do Corgo: Everything we’ve read about Casa Fernanda says that it’s top notch, the best albergue on the Portuguese Camino. Our hostess, Fernanda provides a place to sleep, a community dinner and breakfast in the morning, all for just a donation, no posted cost. Fernanda even had a private “en suite” room for me and Sara. She was so welcoming and generous that our stay here did not disappoint. There were twelve of us peregrinos there, and even before dinner we visited in the yard over fish fritters and olives, lubricated by Fernanda’s own wine.
Some of our favorite Camino memories have involved community dinners like this, where we meet new friends and share our food and our travels with like-minded others. So tonight, Fernanda invited us all into her home, in a large kitchen where she served us. We ate, and chatted, drinking wine and port well into the evening. Fernanda has done this for twenty years now with grace, humor, and lots of hard work. But as she says, this comes from the heart. Sara and I will never forget what a treat it was to stay at Casa Fernanda.
