Nana and Meg on the Caminho Portugues

[Coleen Clark]

Meg and I are in Alpriate at the albergue with Natasha the hospitalera who is awesome! What a wonderful start to our journey!

 

[peregrina2000]

Such wonderful news! Would love to hear your opinions about these early stages, because as you know, there's a lot of debate about road walking, asphalt, etc. Wishing you a wonderful Caminho Coleen! Are there many others at the albergue with you?

 

[Mike Savage]

We will probably be there the last week in September.

Safe travels and Bom Caminho Coleen and Meghan!

 

[SabsP]

Have a wonderful Camino. Looking forward to reading your updates.

 

[Rick M]

Look after those feet ladies!

Buen Camino

 

[nycwalking]

Enjoy, purple hair and all.
Buen camino to you both.

 

[NualaOC]

Wishing you both a Buen Camino and a great adventure! The thought of it makes me smile

 

[cj2003]

bom caminho!

 

[Ghislaine]

Meg and I are in Alpriate at the albergue with Natasha the hospitalera who is awesome! What a wonderful start to our journey!

Seems that there is less asphalt, since a couple of years when you start from Lisbonne., according to the new 2017 guide from Éditions Lepère, which if it's real, it's great. In any case, have a good camino.

 

[mcopeland]

We will be following your journey! We leave for Lisbon on October 14th and are having second thoughts about the wisdom of walking that late in the year.

 

[Coleen Clark]

Help!
Meg has hurt her hip badly and we need to use pack transfer for a while. The lady at our hostel in Vila Franka de Xira Does not speak English and when we used google translation she still didn't know. is there a phone number to a transport here in Portugal?

 

[Mike Savage]

I'm sorry to hear that Coleen, I hope she has a speedy recovery. The only bag transfer services I can find offer service from Porto to Santiago but none from Lisbon. The main one I know of is Tuitrans.

 

[peregrina2000]

Oh no, so sorry to hear this. Hope it is not too serious. Fingers crossed for a quick and total recovery for Meg.

Call the VIa lusitana SOS number. They will help you. 915 595 223. This is exactly the kind of thing they have the number for. Good luck Coleen and Meg.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

What a rough start. Having the granddaughter be the one steuggling physically was probably the last thing you could have expected.

Regarding luggage transport, if Meg's hip is badly hurt, perhaps walking even without a pack is not the best of ideas. Also, I am not aware of any mochilero services before Porto. Why not head to the beach for a few days of physio in the sea and then walk again when she is able to do so with her pack?

 

[cj2003]

Very sorry to read this - hope she'll get better!

I suggest you first follow peregrina2000's good advice and contact VIA Lustiana

Searching this forum and elsewhere, it is hard to find anything that resembles bag transfer from Lisbon. I discovered hike-tech (link below), but haven't seen them mentioned many places. From their website and from their booking-form it looks like they transfer from Lisbon (and Vila Franca de Xira!) using specific hotels/pensions, but few seems to have used them here on the forum so it might be a bit of a gamble

http://hike-tech.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/hiketechworld/

 

[peregrina2000]

I am also pretty certain that the little group of albergue owners in Santarem, Alvaizaire, Tomar, Golega, etc. will do bag transport for pilgrims. They are a bit further up from where you are now, but not too far. I would contact Mario at SantaremHostel directly, he is kind of the leader of that pack, I think. https://www.facebook.com/Santarém-Hostel-424875300939252/.

 

[nycwalking]

Take care. Hope Meg improves.

 

[Coleen Clark]

So I took Meg to the hospital Monday and she has pulled a muscle in her hip, and after X-ray we saw there was no break or crack. We trained to Porto and got her muscle relaxers and pain pills then we will stay for 2 days and rest. Tui Trans will take the bag for a week and we will see after that. Thank you for all the prayers and goo thoughts. Obrigada!

 

[peregrina2000]

Glad that you have gotten a medical diagnosis. It's very good news that nothing is broken or torn! Meg is lucky to have you along with her, Coleen. The granny-grandkid time is precious no matter what the circumstances, though I know the walking would be an added benefit.

Porto is a lovely city, if you can make it across the river to the park on top of Gaia, by all means take a picnic and soak up the view (my picture to the left is from that spot) -- one of the most beautiful "built environment" scenes anywhere!

Buen camino to abuelita y su nieta, Laurie

 

[Mike Savage]

That's good news Coleen, thanks for keeping us updated. Do enjoy Porto it is a wonderful city and I can't wait to visit again.

 

[cj2003]

Good to read that - hoping for a speedy recovery! Relaxing in Porto - that is difficult as it is a wonder to walk around in! But there are many nice places to rest too.
Looing forward to more updates - and wise to get the bags transported

 

[Anemone del Camino]

So glad to hear you have decided to rest and then pick up in Porto. Best decision you could have taken. From now on it will only get better.

 

[alexwalker]

I started in Lisbon in April. After 4 days I gave up on asphalt, highway, rare albergues etc. Will never repeat. Took train Santarem-Porto, and restarted from there. A very nice Camino.

 

[Levi]

I got as far as Coimbra before I gave up and made haste to Porto for some rest. Enjoy Porto Coleen and Meg - and enjoy the Camino from Porto when you're ready to walk again.

 

[Mike Savage]

How are you two doing Coleen?

 

[jimmyc]

Such wonderful news! Would love to hear your opinions about these early stages, because as you know, there's a lot of debate about road walking, asphalt, etc. Wishing you a wonderful Caminho Coleen! Are there many others at the albergue with you?

I walked the Portuguese from Lisbon to Santiago May/June last year and I loved every moment of it. Yes, there is some road walking but not much more than the Frances route.
I am 77 years old and negotiated the whole journey on foot without any major problems. Very few pilgrims before Porto and many thereafter. However, I would definitely advise all to begin at Lisbon as there are many lovely places to see before Porto.

 

[Coleen Clark]

Tomorrow Meg and I will finally reach Santiago!
It has been a long journey and it is far from over. We still have a month left in Europe so we will definitely do Finistre and Muxia. Perhaps we will go back and the Spiritual Variante that I wanted but we missed. Only time will tell.
No 2 Camino's are alike, and I think I was learning about relationships and acceptance on this one. You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes,
You get what you need.

 

[VNwalking]

By now you must be there already, so congrats to you both, Coleen!
Relationships and acceptance? Now that sounds like an 'interesting' time.
I'm sure you both have stories to tell, and hopefully to laugh about...in the end.
Edit...now looking at the rest of the thread after having been away from the internet. Extra congratulations all around! Quite the journey.

 

[nycwalking]

You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes,
You get what you need.[/QUOTE]

Opening song for multi-generational relationship movie, The Big Chill. Hope you two found your way as good as the movie was sans hard drugs and Kevin Costner in the casket.
Buen camino as you walk on.

 

[KinkyOne]

You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes,
You get what you need.

Opening song for multi-generational relationship movie, The Big Chill. Hope you two found your way as good as the movie was sans hard drugs and Kevin Costner in the casket.
Buen camino as you walk on.[/QUOTE]
Ahhhhhhhhhh @nycwalking , not just the opening song but the whole The Big Chill by Lawrence Kasdan is all about relationship - it's one of my favorite movies and as a film director I've seen thousands of them in my lifetime!!!
You should watch this one if you hadn't had a chance yet: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0429052/?ref_=nv_sr_3

 

[Anniesantiago]

Sweet!

 

[nycwalking]

You should watch this one if you hadn't had a chance yet: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0429052/?ref_=nv_sr_3[/QUOTE]

Thank you, I will.