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OUR CAMINO – A WALK OF PASSION

This is the post excerpt.

by Sue Horn and Bill Matthews

 

Our camino from Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain begins on September 11, 2017.  We will start in Porto, Portugal and end our approximately 148 mile walk 14 days later in Santiago de Compostela at the Cathedral of St. James (the patron saint of Pilgrims).  We decided to name our blog “Our Camino – A Walk of Passion” because we are passionate about this adventure.  We are passionate about the spiritual journey that awaits us.  We are passionate about the self awareness that is ahead.  We are passionate about becoming more understanding, forgiving, loving, and compassionate of those in our lives now and those that we will meet on this journey.  We hope to meet others on this path and by sharing our life stories we believe our blessings are multiplied with each new friendship.

We will walk carrying our own backpack.  We will walk in sunshine and in rain.  We will walk up hills and down valleys.  We walk beside rivers and cross many bridges.  We will walk through cities and through the woods.  We will walk along highways and through farmer’s fields.  We will walk even if we have blisters, and our bones ache.  We will walk in the early morning light and in the heat of the day.  We will sleep in Albergues and also in hotels.   We are Pilgrims on a journey.  We will stop at many crosses and churches along the way.  We will say a prayer for those loved ones at home.  We will write loved ones names on rocks and, with a prayer, place the rock at the foot of the cross. We will leave our burdens at the cross as well. We will pray for grace and humility as we walk.  As I write this, two songs are playing in my mind:

“Just a closer walk with Thee, grant it Jesus, is my plea.  Daily walking close to Thee, let it be, Dear Lord, let it be…”

and “Precious Lord, take my hand.  Lead me on, let me stand.  I am tired, I am weak, I’m worn.  Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light.  Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home.”

We will walk with faith.  We will walk with joy.  We will walk with passion.

If you care to share our journey, you can follow our blog at:

http://www.ourcaminoawalkofpassion.com

Day 5

Well, I can’t say much about today until Bill and Glenn finish their walk. Today will be the steepest climb (405 meters) of the trip and very limited facilities along the way.  Bill called me a little while ago and said that it is beautiful, but needless to say, I took a taxi from Ponte de Lima to Rubiaes where the driver called and stopped at various accommodations looking for rooms for us tonight. Everything is booked up so we drove an additional 4.5 kilometers to Sao Bento where we found lodging above a cafe. I must say that the taxi driver and the cafe owner were both so very nice and helpful to me.  The people of Portugal are really wonderful and very friendly.  I am currently sitting outside the sidewalk cafe waiting for Bill and Glenn to arrive.  I am SO glad that Glenn was here and that they could walk together.  I can’t wait to see their photos and see what I missed.

Day 4

I am catching up on posting now.

Our walk from Casa de Fernanda to Ponte de Lima was absolutely breathtaking. There were so many churches as we walked through quaint villages. The paths through the woods  were filled with morning glories, eucalyptus and various wildflowers. Homes along the way were beautifully maintained with wrought iron fences and gold ornaments as decorations on them.  Again, we were walking uphill (160 meters) before heading downhill and it was a difficult climb for me.  I am sorry to say that by the time we got to Ponte de Lima my tummy was very angry with me.  Bill got us a room at a beautiful hotel (InLima Hotel and Spa) just in time as my tummy went into full revolt. Glenn went on to the Alburgue and later Bill met him for dinner as I slept for the rest of the day and night.

Day 3

Today we walked a little over 12 miles and it was uphill a lot of the way…170 meters altitude. I didn’t feel well and had a quesy stomach, but our arrival at Casa Fernanda was a great reward for the hard day.  We were greeted by Fernanda who showed us to the showers. Glen had walked on ahead of us to secure our beds since I was moving so slowly.  Fernanda had prepared a beautiful dinner of soup, homemade bread, tomatoe salad (grown in her garden), green beans, rice, and a delicious pork dish…and lots of wine. (I passed on the wine because of tummy, but I know it was good. ). Eighteen of us sat at a long table and dined family style and got acquainted with each other. Two were from USA, some from Brazil, Germany, and Argentina. Everyone spoke English. After dinner we all sat around the table and sang songs. Then Fernanda and her husband sang and did a little folk dancing for us. It was a great evening. !!

Day 2

After a delightful English breakfast served in beautiful china, we went into the adjoining church of the monastery (bed & br

eakfast now). It was beautiful! We walked the 5 1/2 miles into Barcelos where we have spent a leisurely day looking around. We will spend the night in an Albergue  tonight. We have a room with 2 bunk beds and a single bed.  Bill, Glenn, and I have all selected lower bunks so it will be interesting to see if anyone else is assigned to our room and chooses the 2 upper bunks????

We are currently enjoying some Portuguese wine before finding a place for dinner and going back for a (hopefully) good night’s sleep.