Tag: Portugal

Crossing the Minho……….Portuguese Coastal Camino, Part 4

I have grown to love the Minho river on the northern border of Spain and Portugal. Maybe it is strange to love a river but I really don’t care about that. I also love the Genil river in Granada which runs down from the Sierra Nevada mountains and passes right next to my home. It is my sanctuary and where I find, as my Nana would say, peace of mind. My relationship with the Minho is different. Working, I have crossed it many times on the bus. I have never lost that excitement of seeing this beautiful river that naturally marks the border between Spain and Portugal. Two countries that share a very small peninsula but are so contrasting in food, culture and people. I have also crossed on foot via the historic iron bridge that was built in 1878. If you hike up into the mountains on the Portuguese side of the river you have a view of a small yet beautiful island called Ilha dos Amores that has the shape of a heart. The sunset where the Minho river flows into the Atlantic Ocean is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen, along with Cadiz in Southern Spain. Enjoying a glass of vinho verde which is produced in the region while watching the sunset should be a must in life.

Vinho Verde………good for the soul.
Port in A Guarda

I had never, however, crossed the Minho river by boat. Even though it was July of the year that more pilgrims had ever completed the Camino de Santiago, we were the only two to meet the gentleman who would take us across the river that morning. Another reason I was so happy we had chosen this route. Crossing the river you have a great view of Mount Santa Trega. On this small mountain you will find an archaeological site from the Castro Culture which came about in this area during the 1st millennium BCE. They were known for their large fortified towns and settlements (oppida) across Northern and Central Portugal, Galicia, Asturias and parts of Leon.

On the other side of the Minho river you step off the boat in the town of A Guarda, now with a foot in Galicia! A town of not quite 10,000 inhabitants that is rich in history and gastronomy. Three of the yearly festivals here are centred around food. The lobster, the swordfish, and one dedicated to a sweet egg based bread with anise seed called “Rosca de Yema” which is very similar to my Nana´s easter bread. Speaking of bread, on the rural houses in this area you will find a box for bread delivery just below or next to the mailbox. Very convenient and important since the bread in Galicia is fantastic!

Considering this is a route less traveled, or at least a bit more peaceful than others, there are some great details for pilgrims along the path. We found free scallop shells, areas for resting and picnics and even a meditation garden. When we stumbled upon the lovely bar at a look out point, it couldn’t have been at a better time. Breakfast seemed miles behind us now.

The tortilla española in northern Spain is always fantastic but there is something about the way it is prepared in Galicia that always makes me happy. They seem to take it a step above no matter where I order it. Our plate of Iberian ham and the tortilla with onion was the best move we made that day considering we would not run into much more until dinner.

Simple is delicious and welcoming…..

Just outside of the town of Oia we took a peek into a small chapel dedicated to San Sebastián. San Sebastián was known as the protector from plagues in Spanish history. Mass is only celebrated once a year in this chapel but it is open year round and also serves as a shelter for pilgrims during rough Atlantic storms.

If you are in a small town like Oria and hungry at a time when restaurants are closed you can always find a bar with a small snack that seems to be waiting just for you. A beer named peregrino (pilgrim) and the ham flavored ruffles that are beyond addicting will definitely keep you fueled until dinner. My first hangover cure in Granada was ruffles ham flavored chips and Fanta naranja! It’s a snack that just keeps on giving.

The pool at our hotel when we finally arrived that evening was a very welcome site due to the historically rising temperatures in Galicia. These moments always take me back to my first and second caminos when I slept in monasteries with hundreds of beds in one large room. Forgive me for my little luxuries, Saint James. The pool stood in second place after we found our perfect restaurant. The sunset over the Atlantic blessed us with its fading light as we enjoyed a bottle of Albariño wine. The camino and Albariño are closely tied together. One legend says that the monks from Cluny, France brought the Albariño grape to Galicia when doing the pilgrimage in the 12th century but other studies show that albariño seeds were also found in a salt mine from Roman times. Either way, the albariño wine goes perfectly with the local food.

Zamburiñas, are a small type of scallop in Galicia. In the world of scallops, they are by far my favorite. This simple preparation which is to lightly grill them with olive oil and maybe a bit of parsley and garlic is the way I most like to enjoy them. That night, after our zamburiñas we also had a perfectly grilled piece of turbot and a Galician steak.

The perfect end to a perfect day. We decided this might be a romantic place for a special celebration one day!

Weathering the storm for sardines……….Portuguese Coastal Camino Part 3.

The morning had started out perfectly in our little hotel. We enjoyed the entertainment of the other breakfasting guests who were still swaying from the previous night at a wedding as we took advantage of the owner’s offer to make to go sandwiches for our camino. The coffee was hot and the bread was fresh. With our boots tied, backpacks balanced and shells dangling we were off into the blue skied morning. But, as we passed through the town towards the path along the sea we noticed the clouds rolling in and the wind picking up its pace. By the time we crossed paths with a heeding friend there was a calm that waded in before us and we knew his words were worth gold. “You can tell by the clouds that the storm is going to hit hard”.

There is no poncho that can stop a North Atlantic storm from soaking you to the core but we trudged ahead into the pouring rain like dedicated pilgrims should do. Those couple hours took my thoughts back to my other pilgrimage’s. First I recalled walking alone along the camino in Castilla y Leon back in 1996 where a thick fog swallowed my boots on the road and my hands before me just before a cold downpour soaked me to the bone. The sky opened up just as I arrived to the great Iron Cross, La Cruz de Ferro, where I unloaded one of my sacred rocks on the ever growing pile. Not long after I arrived to the albergue in Manjarin where I was greeted by Tomás, the last of the Templar Knights, who dedicates his life to caring for pilgrims. My Spanish Grandpa’s had already arrived and were seated around the fire which warmed our wet bodies as we enjoyed the coffee that Tomás served us. I remember the common snack of white bread and chocolate that we also shared. The second memory was from the Camino del Norte in 2005 on the downhill incline leading into Bilbao. It was pouring rain like it does often in the Basque Country and I slipped in the mud and literally flew with my feet in mid air and smacked down onto my side and backpack. I wore a fantastic black and blue tattoo on my left cheek and thigh for weeks after that. Rainy days along the camino can be rough but they also hold the best memories. So we weathered through the storm, laughing and defeated by the pelting rain. Other pilgrims took refuge in lighthouses and under random porches but we had a goal for that day. Sardines!!

Vila Praia de Ancora was a welcoming town. The sun had started to peek out from behind the clouds as we ventured in search of sardines for lunch. A few years ago we had sardines in the town of Espinho just south of Porto and they set the bar extremely high. We have enjoyed very good sardines since then in many places but that restaurant ruined us for life. You can read about those here.

Open air market, sardines, and the sea…

We found the perfect restaurant with one empty table for two. We leaned our packs against the wall outside and settled in. We ordered two beers to go with our cheese and fresh bread. You can never get enough Broa. (see my last post). The cheese came from the same region as the Alvarinho wine that we ordered to accompany the sardines. The region of Melgaço and Monçao is only about 50 kilometres northeast from the coast. All three cheeses were cured goat cheese, one with paprika and Alvarinho wine. While we were killing our hunger with the “couvert” the owner came out and told us that we could move our packs out of the sun and into the restaurant. It was quite the spectacle.

The sardines arrived and all was well in the world. I loved the unique presentation which was different than anywhere else. The sardines were delicately placed around a pile of steamed potatoes that were dressed with a “pickle” of onions and peppers and garnished with a green salad and roast peppers. Three separate meals in one. We couldn’t have been happier.

The final part of our walk to the town of Caminha kept us entertained through a forest along the coast where we made friends with some goats. Finally in Caminha, after an extremely cold dip in the ocean, our family greeted us garbed in their Camino de Santiago t-shirts. We had our very own pep squad for dinner that night!

Portuguese Coastal Camino…..Part 2 Viana do Castelo

We took the train to Viana so we could begin our walk the next morning. We only had a certain amount of time to get to Santiago and wanted to reserve a few days at the end to enjoy the Galician coast before heading back home. The last time we were in Viana was a few years ago traveling in our van with Luna, and I was excited to walk the streets and relive those memories. One that we especially wanted to relive was the great restaurant that we had stumbled upon that day where we enjoyed a fantastic meal of swordfish with rice!

My door knocker obsession……

Viana do Castelo is not just one of the most aesthetically beautiful towns in the Minho region, but it also offers plenty of history to its visitors. You can take the funicular up to the Santa Luzia hill for amazing views. Once up top you can also visit the Basilica of The Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Citania de Santa Luzia, part of the Castro Culture that dates back to the Iron-age.

Another obligatory visit while in Viana is the Gil Eanes ship, named after the 15th century Portuguese Navegator and Explorer. This is actually the second ship with the same name. The first ship was used captured and used by the Portuguese navy in WWl and then sent to Newfoundland to support the Portuguese fishing industry as a floating hospital. The ship you will now find in Viana was built in 1955 to replace the former. It served as a hospital, ice breaker, tug and supply ship for almost 2 years until it was abandoned at the port in Lisbon. Luckily, it was saved thanks to one Portuguese historian and today visitors can enjoy the fascinating hospital museum or stay at the youth hostel which occupies a great part of the ship!

It didn’t take us long to locate the restaurant, Casa Primavera. We were lucky to get a seat quickly as the line for tables got progressively longer throughout our dinner. We ordered the house red wine which is usually a “Vinho Verde Tinto” served in a ceramic jar with small porcelain cups, similar to how we drink the Ribeiro wine in Galicia. You can read about this in the posts below……..

Vinho Verde………good for the soul.
Simple is delicious and welcoming…..

The bread in Portugal is scrumptious to say the least. One of my absolute favourites is “Broa” which is made with corn and rye flour. The result is a slightly sweet bread that is dense and earthy. That night we enjoyed our bread with some local cheese and “Salpicão de Melgaço, a cured and smoke sausage made from the Bisaro pig. The first time I learned about the Bisaro Pig was in Lisbon a few years ago.

Time Out!!!

Our main course had to be fish with boiled potatoes and cabbage drowned in olive oil. We enjoyed both the swordfish which is called “espadarte” in Portuguese and the black scabberfish. In Portuguese, piexe espada preta.

Dessert was an easy choice. Pão de Ló. You may find Pão de Ló translated as a spongecake. However, depending on where you enjoy this dessert, that may or may not seem to coincide with what you are actually eating. The origin of this dessert crossed many cultures and centuries before it evolved to the version you will find in the northern region of Portugal today. You can enjoy variations in Italy, France, Spain, Holland, Romania and Turkey. The Portuguese explorers even introduced this type of cake to Japan and you will still find it under the name of Castella, “a cake from Castile”. The Pão de Ló from Ovar that you see below is made with mostly egg yolks, sugar and a small bit of flour. It is a common Easter sweet throughout the country and the amount of flour is what marks the difference.

Beautiful tiles……….

Happy and full from our amazing dinner we were lucky to catch some of the “marchas populares” before heading off to sleep like good pilgrims. In the videos (not the best quality) you can see the illuminated Basilica at the top of the hill. Enjoy and buen camino!!

Portuguese Coastal Camino ….destiny! *part 1 of many*

So many times during the pandemic and throughout the time recovering from surgery I would close my eyes and walk parts of the Camino. All I wanted to do was put on my backpack and lose myself in its paths, food and community. Last summer I was so lucky to find my journal from my first camino on the French route and it brought back so many memories for me. Almost 26 years ago. Wow! I will share bits and pieces of it here in the future. I am still very sad that my photo album disappeared somewhere. Very sad.

My journal from my first camino!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have been wanting to do the Portuguese Camino for quite a long time now but had a hard time deciding on whether we should do the Coastal Route or the Central Route. Finally, we made our decision and made the dream real this past July. It was mixed partly with work but mostly it was just us and our camino, the way it should be.

I always tell my groups about the miracles that happen along the Way, sharing with them my many stories to back this up. El Caminho Portuguesa Da Costa did not disappoint. We arrived in Porto on a wing and a prayer thanks to RyanAir and their constant strikes (miracle number 1). Our first stop was the Cathedral to pick up our pilgrim´’s passports. As we walked up to the main entrance I spotted two walking sticks propped against the facade of the Cathedral. Taking a closer look, I saw they each had a small note attached. Written in Portuguese and English each note said, “This pole made the Camino 2x. It belonged to …….. who left it first, in this same place, where it was found by …….. who leave it here now. For you. Enjoy”. There was no doubt in our minds and hearts that we had chosen the correct path.

Check out the bread and spicy oil!

Pilgrims need fuel and there is no better place than Porto to have some great food! I had walked by this restaurant a few times the week before and I knew that Filipe and I needed to eat here! When a restaurant is filled with workers and people from the neighbourhood, like the the older gentleman who is served his meal without even having an order taken, you know you are in the right place. I have grown to have a serious weakness for “frango asado” in Portugal. Nobody does grilled chicken better than Portugal and many African countries. Btw you must read, and if you can, eat here…. https://mooninspain.com/2019/06/12/spice-bcn-must-do/

Obviously I had the grilled chicken, served with rice, fries and black beans (my favourite part). Filipe couldn’t pass on one of the most traditional dishes from Porto, Dobrada. Dobrada or Tripas à Moda do Porto is a stew made with white beans and tripe. It is said that this dish originated in the 14th century. Supposedly the people of Porto gave all of the meat to Henry the Navigator´’s Armada when he left to conquer Ceuta and all that was left in the city was the offal. There is also a Portuguese saying, “Fazer das tripas Coração”, which basically means to bend over backwards for someone or something.

The lunch was perfect, showered with great Portuguese wine. A pitcher of wine here costs 3 euros and 60 cents. If you are in Porto and need a great meal, check out Churrasqueira Moura on Rue do Almada. You won’t ever regret the experience.

Porto on the right and Vila Nova de Gaia on the left.

With tummies full and after a nice walk through Porto, we set off to Viana do Castelo where we would actually begin our Camino the next day.

Happy Pilgrim in front of Porto’s City Hall