Wednesday, May 1, 2013 -- Porto, Portugal

I went to bed rather early last night and slept very well.  None of the other people in my room bothered me by coming in late nor did they disturb my slumber.  I’m pretty sure that will not be the case in the albergues along the Camino—there will ALWAYS be someone who snores and completely destroys all hopes of a relaxing sleep experience after a long day of walking.  I’m glad I brought earplugs.  I walked to a few places around town this morning looking for a place that served breakfast but I should have known better.  A simple breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon or ham, toast and orange juice DOES NOT EXIST in either Spain or Portugal.  I defy anyone to prove to me that it does.  It is equally as difficult, if not more so, to find anyone selling fruit.  I inquired in three different cafes and no one could provide anything but coffee.  I ended up at a café that Pedro showed us on our walking tour of the city yesterday called Pingo de Cimbalino where I was not only able to have a coffee and croissant but a glass of orange juice with a banana and an apple !  I was pretty impressed by this since I didn’t even have to ask the owner if he provided fruit—he asked me if I wanted any.  After breakfast I headed back to the hostel to wait for my friends.  They arrived just as I walked in the door.  My coterie of German friends consisted of Frank, Tommy, Andreas and Charlie.  It was so good to see them again.  I ended up taking them to the same café for breakfast and then we began exploring the town together before having to meet up with the other six Germans that were going to hike with us.  They showed up at the cathedral around 13h00.  I wasn’t the only one meeting them for the first time as they were complete strangers to Andreas and Frank too.  Throughout our Camino we referred to them understandingly as the “wilde Ostern” or wild easterners as they were from the former DDR.  Their group consisted of three guys, Michael and Phillip and Robert (twins) as well as three women, Claudia, Caroline and Kathleen.  They are all very nice people and I get along well with them.  Nearly all of them are in their mid-30s and four of them are employed with the German Police.  For their security, I promised that I wouldn’t publish photos of them on my blog.  My friends and I continued to walk around town while the wilde Ostern went back to their hostel and slept the day away.  This is the front of the Livraria Lello, one of the oldest and most beautiful bookstores in the world.  Sadly, we were unable to go inside since many businesses were closed because of the holiday.  One of the highlights of visiting Porto is climbing to the top of the 75 meters tall bell tower of the Igreja dos Clérigos built between 1754 and 1763.  For many years it was the tallest structure in Portugal.  The views from the top are the best in the city.  While the others waited on the steps outside, Frank and I paid to visit the Igreja de São Francisco with its museum, treasury and crypt.  The sombre catacombs are quite famous and recent excavations have even uncovered an ossuary where human bones are stored to await Judgement Day.  It was all pretty amazing especially the interior of the church with all of its side chapels gilt in gold.  The little that is not covered in pure gold (it is said that there is 400kg of it here) such as the wide-ribbed Gothic arches, is made of marble.  Photos were not allowed inside so I purchased a set of postcards.  We were able to cover quite a bit of ground together but we didn’t have time to visit any wine cellars since we had to get back to the cathedral by 19h00 in order for everyone to get a stamp in their credencial since we wouldn’t be able to do so in the morning.  No one was able to make a decision as to where we should eat for dinner.  I would have liked to eat at a place called Mal Cozinadho which is known for its live fado music but I don’t think anyone really wanted to go somewhere so expensive.  In the end, the wilde Ostern chose a place down by the river called “Uma Velha Tinh Um Gato”.  The literal translation of this is, “The Old Lady had a Cat”.  It was nice to sit outside and this more than made up for the fact that their menu options were quite simply awful.  I ate some rice with shredded duck while the others had hamburgers or salads.  The waiter was very kind and after the wilde Ostern had retired for the night, he brought the rest of us a small glass of Porto wine.  This last photo is from the Monument to Henry the Navigator.  He points to the river Douro and his house which isn't too far down the road.

 It has been some time since my last post and I apologize for that but I've just not had the energy or the spirit to write anything for several months.  That's not to say I don't like blogging anymore...I'm just not going to be at it as often as I used to.  I was particularly busy in May when I hiked the Camino Portugués for two weeks, walking from Porto to Santiago for approximately 250 kilometers.  Certainly, the hike was a lot shorter than last year but I had such a wonderful time walking with my friends from Germany.  In the next few weeks I hope to share some of of the stories from my journal and post some of the photos I took.  Meanwhile, let's take a look back to some nice weather we had in April.  In order to break in my new hiking boots and see if I was physically prepared for weeks of walking, I did a practice hike along the beach and dunes between Vauville and Biville.  For the first time in many, many months, the sun came out and it was a perfect day for walking.  It must have been a special day for the local fans of poet Jacques Prévert as many of them were on the beach with sticks writing lines of his poetry in the sand.  Along the beach are several remains of German blockhouses including this one covered in grafitti and sinking slowly into the sands of time.  The Vauville Reserve is located at the foot of the coastal dunes. These dunes enclose several fresh water ponds which form a larger pool over 2,000 meters long. Keeping to the path, it is easy to hike up the dunes to the village of Biville and its famous church which is a site of pilgrimage for the devotees and followers of the beatified Thomas Hélye whose remains can be found inside underneath the altar in a glass case ! Nearby is the Biville cross which has an amazing view over the ocean as well as the shrine to Our Lady. The day came to an end as I walked back to my car in Vauville.  If you are interested in seeing all of my Camino photos and can't wait for me to make a blog posting, click HERE.

Église Saint-Martin in Doville was built between 1840 and 1843 in the center of town and replaced the former parish church which was situated along the side of the Mont de Doville and called la chapelle Notre-Dame du Bon Secours.  The interior of the church is rather plain and decorated with several statues from the 19th century.  The chapel on the hill was built in 17th century on the site of the choir of the former parish church.  Although it remains mostly unused, it is still a site of pilgrimage for local Catholics who seek the intervention of the recently beatified Father Pierre-Adrien Tourlorge whose service took place last year on April 29, 2012 in the cathedral of Coutances.  Outside, there are beautiful views of the surrounding countryside.  An old cemetery surrounds the chapel with crypts which date as far back as the 16th century.  Of interest inside are a 15th century bas-relief of St-Martin as well as several 16th century marble and limestone plaques which are fixed to the walls.  The windows of the chapel depict scenes from the life of Pierre-Adrien Tourlorge.

He is risen !  Happy Easter, everyone ! Some photos of my Easter decorations.

L'église Sainte-Vierge et Saint-Martin de Vrasville dates from the 12th or 13th century.  Originally, it was a very small church (less than half of the current size) and lit by very small windows.  During the Revolution, all of the liturgical furniture was sold to the highest bidder for the sum of 85 livres 17 sous 6 deniers.  The sacristy was built around 1868.  The bell tower of the church is quite unlike the typical Norman saddleback towers.  It was in 1904 that a wooden structure was built above a niche where sits a statue of the Virgin.  Inside the nave and choir are separated by a large arch.  Many of the stained glass windows were realized by Gabriel Loire in 1953.  The high altar and altarpiece were restored in 1980 and frame a central niche in which a statue of the Sacred Heart is placed.  On either side are statues of St-Sébastien and Notre-Dame.  The altarpiece, which dates from the 19th century is painted faux marble and gilded.  Other statues that can be admired within the church are St-Joseph, the Holy Virgin, Ste-Thérèse de Lisieux, St-Sébastien, Ste-Catherine and Ste-Marie-Madeleine Postel.