Time for only a few more sites before heading out for a walk from Coimbra to Mealhada. A taxi took us to the University area across the river and at the top of the hill. We hoped to visit the world-famous library but did not realize we needed to book in advance. Alas, the first tickets were mid-afternoon, too late for our day.
15.41 miles hike, 11:13 am -7:40 pm. 18.8 mikes for the day. 744 feet elevation gain.
Click for today’s video: https://www.relive.cc/view/v8qkGZBo3Kq
Time to head out to hike to Mealhada. The day was uneventful but for the trails dodging highway traffic and the kindness of strangers when we missed markers.
Three separate people saved us frustration and endless time when we missed markers, sometimes not even realizing we were lost.
First, after lunch we were heading down a lane, and missed a left turn. There was a driver having a conversation beside the road about 50 yards in front of us. All of a sudden they became animated motioning for us to go back. Sure enough, we spotted the Camino marker on the wall where we had missed it.
The second saving person came after we had been forced to follow a busy highway and were tired from uphill climbing. The guidebook talked of a woodland path so we were anxious to reach it. Sure enough, a yellow arrow pointed around a corner and we started into a neighborhood expecting to find the garden path. Instead, a gentleman resting in his driveway shade began shouting at us. We could not understand any words but it was obvious that we were going the wrong way. He convinced us to go back to the road and turn on a parallel street to find the trail.
Finally, we were hoping for a rest and a drink and finally came upon a sign for a bar uphill in one of the towns. We would be leaving the Camino, but decided to try. Unfortunately, there was no longer a bar (verified by a man gardening in his yard), but we did not want to lose the elevation from the climb we had just done. Instead, we decided to try a higher road hoping to find a marker. No luck, but a woman came out of her house and walked us a few blocks to get on the pathway. She chattered all the way, but of course, we were only looking for gestures to understand where to go.
Thank heaven for those people who helped, and all the other Portuguese who have been friendly and helpful along the way.
Wanda Penner: The churches are quite interesting, with their saints, tombs, relics, architecture of different time periods. Do you ever walk the road with other pilgrims? The corn field, well, your walks are so long it seems it would have been difficult to take the time to stop. What were shoes like in the 12th century? 22/09/28
Reply: I limited myself to three pictures per church or I would inundate you all. So much history and mythology!
We rarely even see other pilgrims so we don’t walk together. Most interactions are at the end of the day when we all rest. Tomorrow’s post will show that.
We wished we could stop in the cornfield but we’re both exhausted. Our loss—the folks had some personality.
I have no idea about shoes but will say in 2022 we need good boots. Lots of blacktop walking, cobblestones, and dirt/rock roads. Rain makes it muddy—all the more challenging! 2022/09/29