I arrived in Porto after a slight change in plans (see
http://michalrinkevich.wordpress.com/2012/06/30/when-plans-change/ for details).
I thought I'd summarize the things I have seen/experienced on the stretch between Lisbon and Porto, though I didn't walk the entire way.
Overall, I was/am a little disappointed at the path and waymarks. Portugal seems to have such a great potential-- wonderful landscape, great weather, rivers, warm and kind people, well-preserved monuments...yet from Lisbon, the Camino doesn't seem to exist beyond
you-- the pilgrim who chooses to walk. I like the solitude and I wasn't expecting the amount of people of the
Camino Frances, but for the few days that I have walked, I detected no Camino spirit-- no pilgrim hostels, a lot of highway/road walking (including a couple of dangerous spots on roads with no shoulders!), no pilgrims (I met one pilgrim in over a week who actually had the intention of walking the entire Camino from Lisbon to Santiago, and she also changed her plans in spite of the path) no sign or mark for the Camino with the exception of sporadic waymarks.
There were also a couple of very confusing spots...for example, the Camino is actually going through a train station in Alverca, and then you need to go to the second floor of the station, overpass the rails, get off on the other side and pick up the waymarks from there. Another time where the arrows lead to what seems like a dead-end with a big, closed metal gate at the end of the road...I thought I was going the wrong way and only when I reached the gate, I saw there was an improvised detour around the gate for pilgrims. A lot of walking in/next to industrial areas...and overall, not as inspiring as I would have hoped. Of course, this is just my experience and I hear that later on, the path gets more natural and better, but at a personal level, I didn't feel a Camino spirit...
I did find Tomar to be quite the highlight of the path-- lovely town with an incredible historical jewels including the Templars Castle-- one you can easily get lost in for an entire afternoon. From Tomar, I decided to catch the train, so I don't have first-hand walking experience from that point on. I hear that there's work being done to improve the Camino Portugues, and I sure feel like the stretch from Lisbon can be so lovely and attract many pilgrims and tourists, but at the moment, unfortunately, it doesn't live up to its potential.
I am starting to walk from Porto tomorrow morning, and already feel a sense of the Camino spirit. I also met several other pilgrims around town and in the cathedral.
I would like to emphasize that the above is just my personal impression and experience and I share it in the event it is of value to fellow pilgrims.
Buen Camino,
Michal
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