October 11, 2023. We were up before sunrise in the little beach town of Vila Praia de Âncora, with “not a creature was stirring” came to mind. But at exactly 7am, standing in the central square, the church bell run and the central cafe opened immediately. All of the people streamed in and grabbed their …
October 10, 2023. We decided to give ourselves a recovery day with fewer miles after three long days. We started justoutside our hotel at a little local bakery and coffee shop. The breads were thick and fresh, unlike what we have sometimes had early in the morning. The coffee was great and cheap as we …
October 9, 2023 Apúlia to vila do Castelo. 34 km. 50,000 steps! Morning dawned at the hostel with the sound of other pilgrims up and packing. Not in an unpleasant or disrespectful way. Just the reality that we all need to get up and get on the road at first light. There was nothing open …
October 8, 2023. Vila Chã to Apúlia 28 km With yesterday’s heat stress burned into our memories, be were sure to rise before sunrise, get a quick breakfast at Cafe Sandy downstairs from where we stayed, and get on the road. It was so nice to get out into the cool air with the sun …
October 7 2023. Day 1 Camino Portugués Porto to Praia Chã I convinced Alice to start today early instead of clearing up a questionably functioning SIM card, and I’m glad I did as the heat really drained us. We arose at 7 from our hotel in the Tridade neighborhood, stopped for a light breakast at …
October 5-6, 2023 Our exit from Grand Rapids went ultra-smoothly as friend and nieghbor, Greg, shuttled us to the airport, aquick flight to Philly, and a comfortably short layover in Philly before boarding AA to Lisbon. The plane was new, sleek and smooth. We thought we were in for any easy 7 hour overnight flight …
September 28, 2023. Today was our final day of both being off work, so we planned a hilly 14-mile hike from Fallasburg to Lowell along the North Country Trail. It was drizzly and cool as we pushed off from the Fallasburg covered bridge. Fallasburg is a historic town with many of the original buildings kept …
September 12, 2023 (delayed entry) As I finish up my trip in Oaxaca, I recall that this was the first day of our Camino de Santiago trip, and rather than being nostalgic for a diminishing memory, I’m looking forward to starting a new chapter in October, the Camino Portugués, starting in Porto and finishing in …
September 11, 2023 When coming to Oaxaca, it’s easy to drop the frenetic necessity of planning an interesting day. Just walk out the door and keep your eyes and heart open. I awoke with sounds of roosters and buses today after a wonderful night’s sleep. David’s apartment is tucked back away from a busy street …
September 11, 2023 What a wonderful rest in my frien David’s apartment here in Oaxaca. After so many nights of fireworks exploding, loud bands playing, roosters crowing, and travel companion snoring, it was amazing to have a good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed. Immediately I noticed the fatigue and grumbling stomach had left, but …
