The Stone Site

It’s Friday the 13th and we are heading for Porto. There is much of suburban walking, houses, shopping centres and roads. And you see plenty of fine statues and other fun things.

As suede I love sitting outside to eat or have a drink, that’s not something that is especially common here. Most people are sitting inside and it doesn’t matter if it’s a bit dark outside inside either! So, sitting outside you could be placed wherever strange places…

Lessons learned today. Not knowing the verbal language we have to observe the body language of people much more. Today we had the time, after the walk, to study a waitress in a small cheap coffee shop where we had a light dinner. Plenty of people coming and going. But from her body language we guess that she really hated here work! Of course there is no point in talking, smiling etc to us, but it was the same with all customers! Again, we don’t mind, but we really felt sorry for her, cannot be nice to work with people if you just think that life is awful! Or could it be so that we have changed? And do we behave like that at home in our daily life, not being able to enjoy life walking the camino?

Thursday the 11th of July. Despite getting up early we faced another very hot day and a hard uphill walk to the city. I think it’s so similar to climb a mountain, you have to go meter by meter. You can feel your hart pounding, the sweet pouring down your face and body! What’s wrong with building cities in the valley? I’m not lying when saying that doing a small mistake and you are lost!

Well, after tons of water, soda and some sleep it’s time to look at the city. And Oliviera is a fine city with a speciality;

In sunlight it’s nice and fine, but what about the dark evenings and nights? Could be a bit scary, especially since they are all over the city! Absolutely material for a good horror story.

What’s the history behind these? Well my impression is that these parts of Portugal isn’t so tourist or communication/market oriented so it is hard to find out for a stranger in the city.

My passion for large abandoned houses is also fulfilled – looks fine on picture but in reality it looks like a place where you could find Count Dracula if you just dare to look!

One of the most memorable moments of today was the haircut at this very classical place run by two men in my age. Without any verbally understanding, I got one of the best and thorough haircuts in my life! The hairdresser (barber) did such a good job fixing hair, eyebrows, ears and nose!! Of course he could have got away with whatever rotten job, how should I be able to complain? But not! A true pro! And again no special advertising or commercial promotion or fancy place – just a good honest place to get a good haircut! Simple and straightforward! Sometimes that’s how life should be and sometimes, (so life doesn’t get too boring) a bit more challenging like walking straight uphill in 35 degrees for a couple of kilometres!

It’s Wednesday the 10 of July and we are some where in Portugal, soon to reach Porto (at least this is what the app tells us). But we are not there yet!

Walking the Camino is much about walking and walking in so many aspects. Isn’t it boring to walk so much and thinking about walking? It’s not much of “high tech” walking, so how interesting can it be? Well, that’s the point – it’s not; it’s like a brain reset or meditation (I guess). But why not then just walk in circles at home? I don’t know, but it’s perhaps about all these subconscious perceptions you get walking and seeing everything in detail.

So for example Pine nuts, when I hear that word I think about these small plastic bags you buy them in, that they are stored in our refrigerator at home and my wife yelling at me not to eat them right off because she needs them for some dish. But now I also will think about the trees where they are supposed to come from. They are enormously beautiful – we don’t have them at home!

Oranges, I have seen the trees in Florida. But here they are growing in many different places, almost as weeds and I still have a picture in my head of oranges just laying in the streets!

Then, not to mention all the pictures I have now in my head regarding houses! I must admit, I got some new hang up regarding them. Especially these old, big and a bit wear down ones. They are so fascinating!! Well I will surely be back about them, my phone is full of them – and they are all so beautiful! Just looking at them and past times is brought back again! Times when cars where rare, if existing at all, and people walking, saying hello to each other’s instead of driving alone and in silence in cages of steel!

I’m starting to lose track of weekdays, but it should be Tuesday the 9th today. Today’s walk was flat and fine – but hot! It’s amazing how fast it’s getting hot after 10.30 , so you have to move fast during the morning!

The City of Águeda was such a nice surprise;

There are colours everywhere and it’s a bit hard to describe it through a photo – there are so many dimensions removed when documented in a photo!

Águeda seems to be quite a authentic city without so much mass-tourist influences. So we ended the evening having a glass of Port wine at a very local bar. And the photo looks awful, cars & people all around us. But that’s how it is and it’s a not problem; you are there in middle of the daily life – and then it’s ok! Perhaps we are always in middle of our lives, however quite unaware of it. If that’s the case then a small glass of a white Port, a chair and a few hours just looking around could help us realising that life is something we experience not haunt down!

Monday the 8th of July, back to the Camino weekly walking routines! And we love it! Staying is fine – walking is better! And today’s walking was very straight forward and flat!

Ok, enough with pep-talk, but walking the roads, streets and trails is like walking along the beach – you never no what you may find! And guess what we found today?

8 or 9 Kilometres before Mealhada and our place in Sernadelo they started to show up. In the ditches here and there we spotted them. Ok, we know that we are entering a wine district – but this is a bit too much! In some areas 1960 labels where the most common, a kilometre later we had moved into 1990! Why? Who? Question you can spend time thinking about walking the Camino!

Arriving at the staying for the night – we was given the opportunity by a kind receptionist to see the speciality of Mealhada – piglet!

It’s famous all over Portugal and there are many, many piglet restaurants in the area each with their unique recipes. And while walking we had seen quite a few of them! But we haven’t smelled any pig farms, where are they? Perhaps we will find out tomorrow walking miles along pig farms will absolutely add a nice touch to our current Camino fragrance!

So what lessons did we learned today? Well, perhaps that “Labels” are just “Labels”, they are not permanent and could be thrown away as well as found and picked up! So what labels put on you would you like to be thrown away? I’m afraid that I have put a lot of labels on myself and I therefore act according to the labels, but I’m not sure if that’s of any help! Hmm, have to seriously consider to throw away at least one of them during the Camino!