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Camino Fátima albergue issues

Time of past OR future Camino
October 20-November 31st
Hi,

My daughter has been walking from Porto to Fátima and is having albergue issues. I’m seeing there are issues with the Fátima Camino as a whole. Should I suggest she turn around and go north instead? She walked from SJPP to Muxía last fall but she says she has seen literally no one. She is 20 and loves the Camino.
 
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Just finding people and albergues. She hasn’t seen any other pilgrims. And there are very few albergues. She does have the next 4 laid out, just none where she is which surprised her as the Camino Frances is so well marked, even in the fall when she went. But I read a thread on here from last year that there are issues with Fátima so I’m just trying to get her info as the Camino is her happy place.
 
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While Portuguese route to Santiago is very well marked and has a good handful of walkers, the Camino de Fatima is very quiet, according to what I hear from Portuguese colleagues. Maybe because most people just go to Fatima by bus or car.
Maybe she could bus there and then walk North?
 
I guess it depends on what she feels she needs right now. She could very easily catch the bus up to Porto and walk the Camino Portugues from there. She'll encounter great infrastructure and lots of other pilgrims, similar to her experience last year. However, she might also feel a sense of achievement having walked to Fatima alone, despite the issues you mentioned (and the solitude might be a good opportunity to reflect or pray). But there's really no right or wrong - she has options, and there are great transport links in that part of the world, so she should do whatever she feels is best for her at this stage.
 
Two years ago I walked the Portuguese and there were many Pilgrims going there. I walked with them from Lisbon and then the closer I got to Porto I saw many coming in the opposite direction from Porto. But that was the 100th anniversary of the miracle. I have heard that it is very quiet except in May and I think October when there are holy days for the shrine. I am no expert. I would say depending on her time to go back to Porto and walk to Santiago. She has a choice of routes, interior, spiritual and coastal. I walked the interior and it was beautiful, not too hard at all, but there is alot of road walking. She will meet lots of pilgrims as well as receiving the fantastic hospitality and warmth of the Portuguese people.
 
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She has a choice of routes, interior, spiritual and coastal. I walked the interior and it was beautiful, not too hard at all, but there is alot of road walking.
I think you walked the central not the interior; the interior is a completely separate route.
 
Whatever it is called you are right that is the one I took.
 
I walked the same route from Porto to Fatima in Oct of 2017 - arrived in Fatima for the centennial celebration Oct 13th. Even with such an important day and celebration I didn't find very many pilgrims walking to Fatima so I imagine its never really crowded with pilgrims going in that direction to Fatima vs the other direction to Santiago. That being said I loved this pilgrimage, it started off a little rough with seemingly more street walking vs natural paths but that seemed to change as the days went on. Also went through some really cool cities like Agueda, Coimbra before reaching Fatima. At first I was comparing it to CF, but somewhere along the way it took on a life of its own and became its own unique camino for me that I very much enjoyed. Feel free to look at my travel blog I kept of Fatima and my CF or pass the link on to your daughter maybe it will help her in some way:) -
https://dam2015caminodesantiago.wordpress.com/
 
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Hi,

My daughter has been walking from Porto to Fátima and is having albergue issues. I’m seeing there are issues with the Fátima Camino as a whole. Should I suggest she turn around and go north instead? She walked from SJPP to Muxía last fall but she says she has seen literally no one. She is 20 and loves the Camino.
Stay with the bombos/fire brigade if necessary.
 
The albergues between Porto and Fátima are the same as between Fátima and Porto on the Caminho de Santiago. Take a look at gronze.com or albergues.vialusitana.org
There are blue arrows pointing the way to Fátima.
Very few pilgrims, yes, very few. Unless you walk beginning of May or beginning of October, very few pilgrims going from Porto to Fatima. But that is not an Albergue issue, I think.
 
The albergues between Porto and Fátima are the same as between Fátima and Porto on the Caminho de Santiago. Take a look at gronze.com or albergues.vialusitana.org
There are blue arrows pointing the way to Fátima.
Very few pilgrims, yes, very few. Unless you walk beginning of May or beginning of October, very few pilgrims going from Porto to Fatima. But that is not an Albergue issue, I think.
I walked the same route from Porto to Fatima in Oct of 2017 - arrived in Fatima for the centennial celebration Oct 13th. Even with such an important day and celebration I didn't find very many pilgrims walking to Fatima so I imagine its never really crowded with pilgrims going in that direction to Fatima vs the other direction to Santiago. That being said I loved this pilgrimage, it started off a little rough with seemingly more street walking vs natural paths but that seemed to change as the days went on. Also went through some really cool cities like Agueda, Coimbra before reaching Fatima. At first I was comparing it to CF, but somewhere along the way it took on a life of its own and became its own unique camino for me that I very much enjoyed. Feel free to look at my travel blog I kept of Fatima and my CF or pass the link on to your daughter maybe it will help her in some way:) -
https://dam2015caminodesantiago.wordpress.com/
She stayed in Agueda and then Anadia and next will be Coimbra. Thank you for your link!
 
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She stayed in Agueda and then Anadia and next will be Coimbra. Thank you for your link!
Good point. The issue was /is that there were towns bullet pointed on her route that had no albergue or place to sleep and often the places are word of mouth and unmarked, such as in Anadia. The area from Alvaiazere to Fatima the information is scarce. There is an albergue in FUNGALVAZ for 5 euros a night but no markings or address. It’s an adventure for sure. I told her when she has finished this leg of her journey she should write up where she stayed and how to find the albergues. :$
 
Do you remember where you stayed after Rabaçal/ Alvorge? Having hard time finding albergues between there and Fatima. Thank you
 
I didn't stay in Rabacal/Alvorge, after Coimbra my next days were:

1) Conimbriga - Albergue de Conimbriga - Albergue was behind the house of the owners, very nice family and very nice Albergue - was brand new albergue. https://www.facebook.com/Albergue-de-Conímbriga-2383958958511857/

2) Ansiao - https://www.adegatipicadeansiao.com/precos.html - I believe this is a hotel/restaurant but they do have Albergue also for pilgrims and I stayed in albergue

3) Caxarias - stayed at an Airbnb - not directly on camino but very close. Luzia is the owner and she is very nice and accommodating to whatever you need.

4) Fatima - stayed at Albergue right near the Shrine - wasn't the nicest of albergues but it was so convenient as I was there for the centennial celebration and there was sooo many people and prices were so high to stay anywhere - this was donativo for pilgrims with credentials....
 
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Coincidentally, this story about new work on the route from Coimbra to Fatima just came up today...apologies for the somewhat odd phrasing; this is Google Translate from the Portuguese:

The original story is here, in this online newspaper for the MedioTejo (central Tagus area)

http://www.mediotejo.net/ourem-reitor-do-santuario-de-fatima-destaca-simbolismo-da-rota-carmelita/

"Keadline: Ourem: Rector of the Sanctuary of Fatima highlights "symbolism" of the Carmelite Route

The rector of the Sanctuary of Fátima, Carlos Cabecinhas, today highlighted the "symbolism" of the Carmelite Route, which departs from where Sister Lúcia lived in Coimbra.

"This route of the Carmelites has been worked and studied for some time. Obviously, it is particularly symbolic, since part of the home of Sister Lucy - the most important of the Fatima seers - to reach the Sanctuary of Fatima and marks the effort that has been made to point out what the pilgrims' paths are to Fatima. In the specific case, it has this special symbolism, "he told Lusa news agency Carlos Cabecinhas, on the fringes of the Theological-Pastoral Symposium, which began today and which debates until Sunday" Fatima Today: which roads? ".

For the rector of the Sanctuary of Fatima, there has been an effort to "mark the paths of Fatima" over the last few years.

"I recall the contribution of the National Cultural Center, which marked a number of routes and which began to be consecrated precisely with this set of routes, duly structured and signed, with the conditions for pilgrims to reach the Shrine of Fatima," he recalled .

The Carmelite Route is based on a route mostly made by Nature and away from national roads: "It seeks to avoid what are the major roads."

"It marks precisely an effort that has been made to create conditions of security for the pilgrims, who are on their way to Fatima. Pilgrimage is a living phenomenon and, therefore, it is necessary to create conditions according to what are the paths sought with the pilgrims themselves, "he stressed.

The Carmelite Route connects the Carmel
(odd translation; I think they mean Carmelite Convent) of Santa Teresa, a space in Coimbra where Sister Lúcia, Fatima lived, in a route of 111 kilometers mostly made by nature and away from national roads.

The project, which had an investment of 200 thousand euros, goes through the counties of Coimbra, Condeixa-a-Nova, Penela, Ansião, Alvaiázere and Ourém, combining spirituality with an invitation to discover the region's natural, cultural and landscape heritage .


About the symposium, Carlos Cabecinhas hopes that, after the three days of discussion, a "mature, profound and multidisciplinary reflection on this living phenomenon of pilgrimage will emerge."

"Often we realize that [the pilgrimage] is a marginal phenomenon, but it is a profoundly alive and in Fatima we feel it as such. So what I hope will come out is a reflection that helps us to look at the phenomenon of pilgrimage with other eyes and try to perceive it better to better respond to the desires of those who visit us, "added the Rector.

During the opening session, Cardinal António Marto, Bishop of Leiria-Fatima, stated that the "pilgrimage to Fatima has singular peculiarities that are imprinted by the content of the message in its mystical and prophetic dimension, by some characteristic symbolic aspects."

For example, "the image of the Pilgrim Virgin has already given 16 rounds to the world and has covered 645,000 kilometers, which is significant."

"It's a phenomenon. It is not something marketing, it is a natural phenomenon, it happens by itself and it has become a true icon of what the pilgrimage is, "Marto emphasized.

To Lusa, Carlos Cabecinhas stressed that "Fatima is undoubtedly a phenomenon and, in the Portuguese context, has unique characteristics that forces it to have unique answers to the enormous demand of pilgrims arriving in the most diverse forms."

"José Tolentino Mendonça said that the dividing line between the tourist and the pilgrim is very tenuous and we in Fatima see it every day. It is not easy to say: this is a pilgrim and he is a tourist, because often the pilgrim assumes the tourist attitude and the tourist assumes the attitude of a pilgrim participating in the celebrations of the Sanctuary itself."

I like the last part; "the dividing line between the tourist and the pilgrim is very tenuous...etc."
 

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