Day 13 – Coimbra – 3 Phases to success

Today is Saturday the 6th – Lessons learned from previous days is that we underestimated the distance: so we require some planning. Today’s estimated distance is 30 km and therefore it’s natural to dived in to three phases or should I say acts? Buy how does it work?

Act 1 – The first 10 km

Getting up early is absolutely necessary, so waking up at 4.00 we are on our way about 4.45 or 4.50 then its dark as this(

The challenge is that it’s completely dark and almost hopeless to find the yellow arrows! The god part is that you don’t see the challenges, it’s just to walk. HOWEVER after about two ours we normally face three new issues; Coffee, Hunger and a desperate need to shit (to be honest and open). As far as we have experienced, it’s a huge difference between Camino Portugués and Frances. In Portugal they haven’t commercialised the Camino, which is fine, but the problem is to find an open Cafe. In today’s desperate need we took and extra detour of 1,6 km to find a morning cafe; but despite google claiming that it should be open, it was closed. You can probably imagine what words we used when finding this out. Every KM is an extra 15 min, so we wasted some of the good morning walk tine here.

Act 2 – The next 10 km

The sun is now up and it’s getting hot. Now it’s super important to drink enough. And the principle is simple; If you have to or feel a need to pee all the time, you drink to much. But if you don’t do it all, you drink to little. What can you drink? Whatever!

A Sumol contains 99 kcal – and finalising 20 km, you have lost about 2.000 kcal. So that’s about 20 of nice Sumol Naranja!! Of course you don’t do that, but not compensating for lost calories and you soon start to faint!!

Act 3 – The last 10 km

First of all, the last 10 km is never the last ones, it’s the last 13 or 15! Now it’s will power! And you start to notice things like; why do you always have go down to go up? For example this crossing, couldn’t they have put it as high up as possible so you didn’t have to walk down?

Cars have flat and fine roads. When you walk, the road is never flat, it’s like a rollercoaster! Car roads go through mountains or hills, walking roads never do that!

There are millions of unfair things, when added to the feelings of having spikes or bob wire in your shoes you are a bit grumpy! Can you avoid it? Don’t think so – perhaps it’s just to be aware of it.Hmm, feels like we are not fully enjoying this walking? Well, we do – especially when arrived and mission accomplished! But until then, don’t ask; just walk and walk.. And as for today, for about 11 hours incl time for some breaks

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