Spain Again

Porto to Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela, in the northeast of Spain, is famous as a pilgrimage destination. Third only to Jerusalem and Rome, 200,000 people make the journey each year.

Being uninitiated in the ways of pilgrims, when I first heard of the Camino de Santiago, a walker’s route, I thought it referred to a single trail. “But pilgrims made the journey from far and wide!” I hear you cry, and you’d be quite right. Consequently, the Camino de Santiago is a bit of a misnomer as there are caminos coming in from all directions. Not least, from Lisbon via Porto.

We were slightly puzzled why motorists sounded their horns and waved enthusiastically at us, but as we’ve neared Santiago, we realised they’ve mistaken us for Camino cyclists. I wondered how we’d have been greeted if they knew we’d cycled around most of the Iberian peninsula, though perhaps our two-month cycling jolly is a little less worthy (and has taken us over fewer pain-inducing cobbles). After seeing Graham tackle gravel with ease, I was a little surprised by his animated and grouchy response to cobbled roads.

We’ve encountered quite a few Camino walkers. Last week in Portugal we arrived in the sleepy town of Alvaiázere to find a restaurant full of them. On the table opposite a trio of refined-looking British women were in earnest conversation about ex-husbands. Far less earnest were the Asian man and woman in a taverna in Ponte de Lima who were disgussing their tour group members. “But you know she’s married, right?” The woman warned, “And her husband is one big bruiser.” They both laughed loudly before joking with the waitress and venturing out to hit the trail again.

A young German woman in the room next to ours in Tui, just over the border from Portugal, was having a much harder time. She told Graham that she was walking the Camino but she was quitting today, before bursting into tears and closing the door, so we never found out whether blisters, drenchings or problems at home had defeated her.

Two young Australian women from Perth were five days in to their walk at Tui and enjoying themselves despite the rain. I guess the lush Portuguese hills and cool granite walls were refreshing, as Perth heads towards the dry, hot summer months.

So, on the one hand, I was sorry to leave Portugal. I absolutely loved Porto, and I’ve enjoyed feeling that I’ve stepped back in time to the days when everyone has a cow tethered in their back yard, drives over cobbled roads and old men meet to play cards in the local café every afternoon. We passed a man driving a pony and trap on the road to Braga and he stared at us as though two cycle tourists were the most novel thing he’d seen all day.

On the other hand, we’ve seen precious few cyclists in Portugal, which isn’t surprising as it’s notoriously un-cycling friendly. Many roads are poorly maintained and suffer from subsidence, so we’ve had to avoid ruts and potholes. We’ve also had a few close passes from drivers, which I find scary and Graham finds infuriating. He shares his fury with them in terms that transcend any language barriers.

On the way to Porto, we reached the Atlantic coast and stopped to watch enormous waves breaking against the sea wall. We got chatting to a retired French man who seemed quite insistant that we take the coastal route. He told Graham that he’d completed the annual Paris-Brest endurance cycling event five times. Graham said he’d completed it twice, though was too much of a gentleman to compare finish times.

When I’m reminded of Graham’s cycling career, I feel vindicated in my inability to keep up with him on the tour. Though a year of not doing much cycling probably didn’t help. Anyway, the route advice came good and we had a spectacular ride along the coast as the sun set, and we rounded the bend up the Douro estuary as night fell and the lights of Porto twinkled above us.

There are a lot of churches in Porto and I could sense Graham’s concern that I’d want to visit several of them as well as the famous Livario Lello, a bookshop that charges people just to look inside. Actually, I’m slightly affronted that anyone should charge entry for a shop.

The francesinha, an eye-wateringly calorific concoction consisting of layers of meat, cheese, and fried egg between slices of bread, drowning in a thick sauce and served with a portion of chips, is a Portuguese speciality which didn’t defeat Graham. I’ve been faring well on the veggie front too.

We were very pleasantly surprised by Pontevedra, a medieval town built predominately from granite, with the result that many of the original buildings are still standing.

We spent a happy evening in the Pontevedra Museo which houses an excellent collection of Gallician paintings, furniture and artefacts, and is one of the best museums we’ve visited this tour. Entry was free, the museum was open until 9pm, and the staff were very friendly and helpful.

So, yesterday we reached Santiago de Compostela, and it’s difficult not to think of it as a destination, since so many people finish their journey here. It’s not surprising that at this stage of the tour both bikes and riders are feeling a little cranky and tour fatigue is beginning to kick in, but I’m hoping that some of the Camino spirit will rub off on us.

In the Cathedral, we met two middle-aged Canadian men who had just completed their first camino from France. Ill heath had forced Duncan to get in a van and spend four days resting while his companion walked that section of the route. “They say the camino gives you what you need, not what you want,” Duncan told us. “I wanted to finish the camino, but I had to take my own advice and learn to rest.”

I felt slightly envious that completing a journey seemed to change people, teach them something about themselves, and reconnect them to the important things in life, until I realised that Graham and I have probably found a little of those things on our journey. Whats more, we still have more to go, so I’m hoping we’ll rally for the final push to Santander. Its just a shame our port-side photo opportunities won’t be quite as pretty as the impressive Cathedral de Santiago!