We left Rabacal at 8:09, planning to have breakfast in the next town (Zambujal) 3.2 km (2.5 mi) away. As we approached the town, I told Dennis that from now on we needed to eat before hiking; I was running out of energy. In town, we discovered that the cafe does not open until 1 P.M. Luckily I had some cookies and had them with watered-down Gatorade for breakfast. Our next chance for sustenance was 7.5 km away–more than two hours of walking.
It was a gorgeous day and the walk alternated between single-tract field paths, to cobble-stones, to asphalt, to dirt. In Fonte Coberta, the town has recently erected blue and white Portuguese tiles (2113) at the entrance and exit and on various monuments and buildings. It is a poor town that is taking pride in the Camino de Santiago. This quaint village has a water fountain and picnic area at the end of town. We were stopped there when our German pilgrim friends arrived. (Irma, Tomas, and Andres whose birthday it is today.) We walked from the fountain to Conimbriga together. We were all happy to arrive and find a place to eat.
Dennis and I got sunburned in the early morning sun. I on the back of my legs and arms. Because of the light breeze, I never suspected that I was turning red. Now that the sun is shinning most of the day, we will have to be more diligent in applying sunblock.
In Conimbriga we took a city bus to Coimbra because most of the remainder of the day’s walk was on asphalt and busy and dangerous streets. Its was a wise decision. Looking at the guidebook, we decided to take the train tomorrow to Porto, and then continue to Santiago on foot. Though I had initially thought of doing the coastal route, Dennis and I miss the camaraderie of having other pilgrims traveling with us. Consequently we decided to take the more traditional route, hoping to find other peregrinos.
Jane: It is so considerate of you to send these emails about your trip. I feel as if I’m sharing it with you, and I could certainly not experience it any other way.
Sonia, I am glad you enjoy following our adventure and I enjoy sharing it with you and those who are interested.
Hi Jane,
I’ve been following you on and off as Ralph and I were hiking on the Geneva to LePuy route. We’re just back–and I highly recommend this Camino route. East of LePuy there are not all that many hikers and those who you do meet may well have started in Germany. Anyway, I wanted to comment on the need breakfast thing; I totally agree. We are so used to eating at home whenever we please, that I think we forget that there really is a energy in/energy out connection. I find that a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack makes all the difference, too! And when we are hiking and sweating a lot, I find that I crave salt such as in potato chips–which I never eat at home!
Buen Camino!
hi jane and dennis-
rainy here in oregon. evan and i have been out geo-caching and after 5 tries we finally found the cache.
it sounds like you all had a good day. also i guess you’re closing in on santiago. what’s next-
i can’t remember-france or england? you might try the pennine way. in england.
what i liked to do on the camino is stop for a caffe au lait and a chocolate croissant about an hour and a half after leaving the albergue.