Just finished the CP. A few notes. 1) Credential desk at the Se in Lisboa doesn’t open until 10am. 2) Two or three of the markers on your way out of Lisboa were covered by banners advertising upcoming festivals. Took two wrong turns before discovering the first two. The third is the roundabout near Ganga where I couldn’t find an arrow and ended up using GPS and dead reckoning to find the trail.
North of Azumbuja you will be walking through lots and lots of tomato fields and vineyards. A couple of signposts have been run over by farm machinery, so look carefully beside the trail when you come to certain unmarked intersections, as there is most likely a post or a stone column laying in the dirt, still pointing the way, but requires some searching. Once I got north of Santarem, no more issues with arrows or finding the Way.
Pilgrim traffic increased noticeably in both Oporto and again at Tui. Specifically, encountered a large number of day-hikers from Tui to Santiago. Often they walk three or four abreast, so be prepared to ask for the trail space to pass them, as there is a lack of awareness of their surroundings and other pilgrims and they are often walking slowly.
Portuguese people were unfailingly polite and often went out of their way to help make my Camino trek a wonderful and memorable experience. Obrigado!
Bruno, Carlos, Bruno, Leslie, Sue, Raymond, Martin, Veerle, Petuli and Lenka - the CP wouldn’t have been nearly as memorable without all of your support and encouragement at various points along the Way. Bless you all.
Until the next one... The fast old guy from Seattle.