Bascellos to Ponte Lima

Well  readers, you will not be surprised to read that  commonsense prevailed after our exhausting day yesterday and   we caught a cab for the first part of the 33 km walk. A joint decision I can say but a good one as we were able to arrive mid afternoon into a very pleasant town situated by the river. The added bonus was that our hotel when we found it was a spa hotel offering therapeutic massages. I quickly booked one for later that afternoon. It was a life saver as she was skilled and gave me good advice on managing my knee pain-cold showers from now on! The pain was enough to make me 'pull my ears' but it did the trick and made a difference for several days.Feet are fine-no blisters -boots and thurlo socks to thank for that.

Our walk started well,sun shining and a lovely forested pathway led us down into a river valley sheltered by vineyards and some apple orchards,the inevitable stone walls and narrow roads to negotiate. Fortunately it was a Sunday so the traffic was less as families were having a day of rest and relaxation. Church bells tolled on the hour and the locals emerged from their villages and congregated around the church awaiting the service.
We passed through lots of little villages on this leg- they all run into each other and have very neat, tidy  frontages with lovely colourful displays of lillies, roses, bird of paradise and orchids on balconies.We ate by a little roadside shrine and made our way across country lanes and little pathways leading through the back of the towns until we came close to the river Ponte.The end is in sight.

The villages all had shrines and village crosses which were beautifully tended by local people.Different saints were celebrated by different  villages. We passed a St Miguel church along the way and after about five hours we walked along a lovely river walk through magnificent trees  into the town.This town has an iconic bridge across the river so many photos later...

We enjoyed exploring the old  town centre and visiting the stalls all set up for a celebration-wine I think although there was mention of a garden display too.The day we left there was the most enormous market-tents for miles along the river.People come from all over Portugal for this market-alas we were on a mission so had to leave the market and get on our way.
We did go over the bridge and explored the jardinieres(gardens) which were lovely-peaceful too and full of topiary and boxed hedges.

We ate locally at a cafe and had a pilgrims meal for  seven euros-three courses,amazing value and delicious food. We left in a rainstorm and made our way back to the hotel in a deluge-not a good omen for the following day as we had to go up and over the highest part of the walk. Rain was not on our plan.

Villa Conde to Bascellos-a long,long day.....We enjoyed our stay but keen to get underway so 8.00pm and off we go

What a lovely town to have our first night on the Camino-did I mention the lace makers we saw working last night at the museum near our hotel? They were amazing with their dozens of bobbins whizzing through their fingers creating traditional patterns from the region.They have a lace making school on site and young girls are trained in the craft from an early age.

Today's walk was gruelling,long and over many cobblestones,down roads which were narrow and cars whizzed by-too close for comfort in many cases.Driving is an art on these rural roads which wind through stone walled villages barely a car width wide.Brad and I flattened ourselves against the stones many a time just escaping the side mirrors.

The trail passed through rural towns with farmers at work on silage pits-smelly the world over! There are few animals to be seen here-some goats and poultry housed in the small holdings along with vegetable gardens full of corn and potatoes.
We walked a long way. Sometimes through vines and local pathways but often on country roads. We ate our lunch in a wilderness area on the outskirts of Rates.

We left before nine and arrived at 6.15 almost speechless with exhaustion,we could hardly speak to each other let alone organise anything.We arrived in the middle of a medieval festival  which made finding our hotel a challenge but it was worth it when we did-very comfortable and relaxing.

We passed through some interesting places today. Rates was a fascinating place with an alberguere of medieval origins. It had Roman influences as well and people there lived a very agricultural life admidst vines and gardens. A wonderful old town centre,church and square which we wandered around taking pictures and envisaging a life centuries past- it was noted for its flower festival later in the month. Some Americans we met stayed there that night and there was a huge firework festival.
We enjoyed the gardens full of yellow lillies,roses ,wisteria and many flowers familiar to us.Hydrangas are popular here and people take pride in their displays.

Cobblestones were my friend to begin with  but by the end of the day if my knee was jarred by yet another stone I could wish never to see another one.
We stopped for coffee at Antonia's, a refuge for pilgrims along the way and when he discovered we were kiwis he became very animated and produced a kiwi badge with symbols of penquins an kiwi on it.We had to sign his visitor book  with due ceremony.

We had another two hours to walk-just as well we did not know that or maybe we would have stayed put.
Eventually we sighted the bridge over the Cavado River into Bascellos and joined the festival throngs.

Later that evening we joined in and ate our tea from one of the booths-kebabs and Turkish sweets as a treat.We watched the jousting and stage acts in costume and understood little but enjoyed the atmosphere until tiredness set in. Adieu...
33 kilometres tomorrow.....oh dear it is a long way so time to sleep on it.

 A view of the rio Douro from Porto city....

Kia ora from Vila do Conde-Day 1 of our camino.

 
We had a fabulous few days in Porto exploring the city by bus and metro but I will save that for another story.I want to tell you about the start of our camino adventure.....
We left our Porto hotel this morning at 9.00am and arrived here at 4.30pm so there is much to tell.
Today we left in cool conditions-weather is not summer here yet but good to walk in and the sun came out from the murk as mid day arrived. It has been cool morning and evenings so far but still about 20 degrees during the afternoon.
We walked along the coastal route from Porto city and had a lovely time with the breeze in our faces and the  sound of the waves crashing to shore. A turbulent sea with golden sands and rocky coves for miles. We walked on board walks most of the time as the sand was deep and hard going. My body does not love me tonight!

We walked through quaint fishing villages with nets and cages drying in the sun. Men mending nets and women at work in their gardens. The bays were treacherous-very rocky and narrow entrances so we marvelled at their skill as sailors.

Vila Char was a charming fishing village with character houses and gardens full of familiar plants.Pohutakawa is grown here in vast numbers, apparently highly desirable because it can withstand the harsh coastal conditions thrown up by the Atlantic Ocean storms.

We saw an iron age settlement with the remains of a domestic house at Capela ,rather Celtic in shape and design, the remains of Roman salt tanks and old sailing ships from the days when Portugal ruled the waves.
We walked through sand dunes and along dusty roads-saw my first snake lying on the path-fortunately tiny and sound asleep.We lunched in the sun at the highest point on the way today, 125 m. A rocky outcrop with a climb for the view.

We finally arrived after 6 hours of walking and found we have a lovely hotel room,bags were waiting as promised and a lovely shower as a bonus.
We quickly changed and left to see the lace making museum nearby as it closed at six.We were able to see the lacemakers at work-fascinating skill so bought a small sample to frame.

The day ended with a superb meal at a local cafe -14 euros and four courses including wine,water and coffee and an appetiser! Amazing.Prices are low, coffee for Brad and myself along the way was two euros.
Anyway it is time to sleep so greetings to you all. I hope all is well in NZ. Miss you but having fun.

Shanghai visit and arrival into London

What  a revelation  today has been. Shanghai is a modern and glamorous city but a city of great contrasts too-old heritage sites and street markets  with traditional  livelihoods sit side by side with the modern skyscrapers and commercial buildings the equal of any city anywhere. The people have been so friendly and helpful,we only had to stop to check a map and someone would ask if we were needing help-on the trains,subway and the city it was the same- courtesy and helpfulness abound in this city.
Our first adventure was catching the Maglev fast metro into the city from the airport-437 km's so 19 miles passed in under eight minutes-awesome trip as the scenery flashed  passed there was a tantilising mix of the city of contrasts -old run down housing and modern housing sit side by side-waterways and farming  evident and the 'Venice of Asia'  earned its name. We had to transfer from the Maglev onto the metro-with the help of a young man to make our way to the Yu gardens in the old part of the city.

The gardens are beautiful and a haven for sightseeing during a crowded day.
The second adventure took another turn but began with a kindness.....
Before we actually arrived  at the gardens we met two charming chinese girls who approached us to help and take their photos at the exit to the metro.We ended up talking and they invited us to visit the traditional tea house ceremony that they were on their way to. Such a treat followed. Down  old city streets until we came to the Old Tea House -we entered into another world.

 The world of tradition and tea met through an exploration of the culture of tea ceremonies ."Eric" translated the ceremony for us as we learned about the properties of tea and how it had been only the preserve of the kings and queens of China to partake of tea but now it is for the common  people to enjoy. Next week they celebrate with a special week to mark the tea ceremony.We tasted six different teas in a range of different servings and rituals to go with ways of making it. The tea is said to have life giving properties and each one had specific uses.
There was a tea buddha whose head had to be wet before the ceremony began along with a tea baby who completed the ceremony on a wet note-not sure how traditional that was!!!
Back on the street and our goodbyes said Brad and I headed off to the gardens-once again we  had a diversion as a man helped us to the entrance way and in doing so told us about his pearl farming business-the upshaot was we visited his shop and he showed us how the pearls were grown and cut open an oyster  shell to show us the pearls nestling inside. He also showed us the traditional steamed bun restaurant beloved by locals which we visited later. All very interesting to western eyes.
Our guide did know about our sister city relationship! He was also rather entertained by how small the city was in comparison to Shanghai!
The gardens did eventuate and well worth the visit. A place of calm and tranquility once you left the hustle and bustle of the bazzaar which led into the gardens. It was a Saturday so the locals were out in force - lots of family groups and young people enjoying feeding the goldfish and looking at the pavillions. We explored the walkways and enjoyed the magnolios in flower along with the rockery's and bonsai trees.

Our next adventure was dining at the dumpling house in the bazaar along with the locals.
Through the glass you could watch the creation of the dumplings,they were served in little bamboo steamers at the table along with chopsticks and some side dishes and soup-all delicious and very delicately flavoured -my soup had shredded egg and lemongrass with noodles.A beer tasted well with it.

After our lunch  we walked through the old city towards the river where we walked along the bund and took in some fresh air-not a great day,misty and cool but humid so could not see the tops of buildings which were shrouded in mist.No use going to the Pearl Tower for the view. The river was full of boats for river cruises and the walk was a popular place for strolling with your family.

 By now our legs were protesting somewhat so we took the hop on hop off tourist bus for a rest and headed across the river to see the modern commercial part of the city-beautifully groomed and spotless. Wealthy people in European cars were noticable here. Traffic not a huge problem yet but lots of honking horns and revving motors were testament to a city in a hurry.
We finished up with a visit to the People's Park but rain was setting in and the marriage market we had planned to see was well and truly over so it was just a glimpse but worth a return visit-someday .
The previous day had been excessively wet and the airport had been closed as the sky rained 'dogs and cats' according to our air hostess. We were lucky as it would not have been possible to do the exploring we did on the day.
Time had marched on-we had landed 8.00am Shanghai time and by my NZ time we were heading back to the airport abot 10.00 pm so shattered! We booked back in and took some time out-a meal and a sit down until we were advised of a change of departure gate-we were sitting in soliatry splendour and an anxious young man was trying to explain the situation.... oh well  we were saved by kindness right to the end.

We boarded for our trip  to London at 11.30pm Shanghai time so sleep claimed me even before the meal arrived! We had a stopover in Frankfurt and arrived in London at 7.30am. Seems like a week has passed rather than two days travelling.
Brad and I parted company at this point and I headed off on the tube only to have a rail outage and transfering onto buses etc until I finally arrived at Finsbury Park late and flustered as my phone battery was flat and no connection to Lou,s so it took awhile for us to track each other down.
It was a relaxing  and sociable day catching up with |Lou,exploring  her new flat and then having a meal with |Clare later-so nice to be here and sharing their news again. I slept the sleep of the dead last night so back to full spirits today.
Grey and cool in London yesterday and today so similar temperature to when I left home.I will go out for a walk soon and get ready for the next adventure.
My phone saga is another issue.Telecom and I are not friends. I spent an hour and a half at Auckland Aiurport trying to get my internet  and mobile capbility restored . No luck before I left but they assured me it would work when I arrived in London and I signed up to a computer as the email address was absolutely fine. Was it ? No! I am still locked out so if you hear nothing of me for the next five weeks blame Telecom.
I can get onto my google mail so you can try : robyne.selbie@core-ed.ac.nz
Look forward to some photos  and  hopefully some more blogs- not sure of connections  after issues to date.
My phone is  not working yet so will try to get this resolved before I leave London.My travel sim  no is:
372 54 774 513 and Brad's is :372 54 774 367-which does work.