Mealhada to Agueda: Portuguese Camino de Santiago| Travel with Joanne

September 24, 2015

Alternatives to Carrying My Pack

Mealhada to Agueda is a 25km stage.

The Portuguese Camino Map — Where we’ve come from and where we are going

For various reasons some people are unable to carry a backpack. Unlike the Camino Frances, the Camino Portugues does not have organised bag transport. But Ian and Caroline managed to work something out. Knowing that my feet were troubling me and that today was a 25km day, they kindly offered to put my bag in with Caroline’s. I didn’t hesitate and the 25km flew by (with a little help from Nurofen!)

Portuguese Tiles on the Portuguese Camino — More Tiles

Reflections

I’ve been thinking about how in the bigger centres people put their heads down and rush about their business. The pace of life in rural areas seems slower and less pressured. There is a sense of community, which appears to disappear as the houses get bigger, gardens walled and people stop walking in favour of driving cars.

Communal Clothes Washing Area

We’ve seen a number of communal washing areas and were lucky enough to find one in use.

Communal Clothes Washing in Rural Portugal — Communal Washing Area

Clothes washing on the Portuguese Camino — The Washing Trough

At the end of a long day the first thing to do after a shower is to wash our clothes. We’re becoming quite proficient in using a concrete wash board!

Local Winemaker

A day or two ago I was sorry I didn’t ask for a photo of a wine making enterprise in a garage. The grapes had been picked and were in a large concrete tub. The centrifuge was ready for use.

Today a gentleman invited us to see his wine making operation under his house. A small ladder on the side of a stainless steel vat led me to the source of a strong smell. The grapes were fermenting. Señor Maia generously gave us a bottle of spumante which we’ll share with the other peregrinos tonight.

Local Portuguese Winemaker — Local Winemaker

Camaraderie

We’re going at more or less the same pace as a few others. We walk alone but meet up when we stop. Sharing meals together is something we missed on the Camino Frances but we’re certainly getting the Camino camaraderie this time.

We’ve met people from all over the world. Denmark, Ireland, Holland, USA, Israel, UK, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Brazil. For some this is their first Camino. Others are veterans, coming back time and time again.