The Master Plan

My long awaited trip to Portugal is finally just around the corner. 61 days and counting. I have postponed this trip twice already and admit, I hesitate to let myself believe that this time it’s actually going to happen. The first time I had planned to leave on March 30 of 2020 with my son. We had been watching the news since the beginning of the year as Covid introduced itself to the world. With only a week left before our departure, other travelers were being urged to return home immediately as the world prepared for what would end up being a long and challenging lockdown. We postponed our trip until October of 2020 but Covid prevailed again as borders around the world remained closed. Here we are now 2 years later, triple vaccinated and I’m ready to walk my 3rd Camino. Another solo adventure but that can always change. 

My first was 900kms on the Camino Frances from St Jean Pied de Port in France, over the Pyrenees and across desert and vineyards to Finisterre, to the end of the earth where Spain meets the Atlantic Ocean. My second Camino was in September 2021. I walked 735kms of the Camino Norte along the northern coast of Spain to Ribadeo, over mountains, along rugged shores and getting lost in cornfields after first walking along the coast of France and its beautiful beaches from Bordeaux. It was my first trip during pandemic times and aside from wearing a mask as needed, I felt free and unrestricted. It was more physically challenging than the first one and I’m not sure my body has fully recovered from that one yet. It feels like just yesterday I was saying goodbye to my Amigos in Barcelona and heading home. There were so many differences between the first and second Camino, most notably the lack of resources and isolation on the Northern route. The first one I walked with family and the second I walked alone. On the first Camino, I found love. On the second Camino, I found friendship. I can not help but wonder what I will find this time around. I am not seeking anything other than the peace I always seem to find when walking. I am the best version of me on Camino, physically, mentally and spiritually. 

I am leaving on April 1st and flying in to Lisbon where I will spend a couple of days exploring the city. From there I will walk my own way along the coast to Cascais and on to Sintra. Walking north, along the shoreline all the way to Nazare, stopping first in the walled town of Obidos. From Nazare I will leave the coast for a few days and walk inland to Fatima, famed for the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1917 and on to Tomar, famed for the Knights of the Templar. After 2 weeks of walking and a planned rest day in Tomar, I will head north again to Coimbra and Porto for Easter. From Porto I will follow the coast north into Spain for another 2 weeks and collect my compostela in Santiago to commemorate my pilgrimage. 

After a night celebrating in Santiago, I continue my journey south, back to Portugal for more history. I’ll be starting to walk again from Braga to Guimaraes and Amarante, the city of love. My journey will come to an end in a small historical town called Evora where I will spend a couple of days resting, exploring ruins and no doubt drinking wine to celebrate and reflect on what I am hoping are 635 beautiful kms. In total this will be a 5 week journey on foot. I hope for sunshine to capture as many ocean sunsets as I can although I anticipate with the Spring will come the rain. The rain however will create foggy forests and misty mornings and those are a few of my favourite things. My itinerary has changed since my original plan in 2020 and I have decided to save the southern end of Portugal along the Rota Vicentina for another time. My first entry written for this blog was back in 2020 and I decided to keep it as part of this documented journey as it gives much insight to my desire to return to my ancestral country. Over the past 2 years I have thought a lot of not only visiting Portugal but perhaps making it a contender for retirement living. After exploring much of the country in April, my guess is that fantasy will either be solidified or scrapped. I hope that you will join me virtually on this long walk as you have on my previous journeys. I feel very fortunate to have supportive family and friends that understand my passion for adventure and encourage me. I travel not to escape my everyday life but to enrich it. Let the packing begin.