The walking includes some ups and downs but we have good legs now and getting better.  We are about 120+ miles in and today was our first day of rain.  It took most of the day to figure out my strategy on dealing with it.  Think I have it down now lol.  Pretty easy day, about 11 miles. More and more green walking which is sought after. Nice hostel and great facilities. Cold though. No heat happening but OK for the price 13 Euros. Bought pasta for tonight with chorizo tossed in. Egg scramble in the morning. Pretty amazing that we seem to always be the only ones in the hostels.. Did meet in passing two ladies heading for Fatima which is the opposite direction from us.

Liked the emblem..Many walls and buildings like this.

Church in yesterday town.

Home tonight

Phil and I enjoying a Brandy after grocery shopping at the local Mercado.

Taking break

Grape rows gone by

Paulas front door 

Leaving Paulas

Paulas bunk room 

Top to bottom,  first day's walk, first hostel after 20 mile day.  Next, there are many small cafés, Phil has a hard time passing them.  Loves him expresso! The pastries are phenomenal and I am starting to pass on them as well as bread.  The Portuguese have bread delivered like the newspaper hung on their doors.  Tempting as we head out of town while still dark lol. 3&4, is a hostel that was great. Great hostess Paula in Mugo. Only peregrinos there, great time.I think I am getting better at this blog stuff so should get more coherent as time goes by. 

Top to bottom - mid day, day 1 walk, the cathedral where the beginning of the Camino de Portuguese starts, and my favorite a tapas of chorizo which I may have sent on an email. More later-must do chores. We have just hit 100 miles in 7 days of hard walking on hard surfaces. Probably will not improve much until Porto which is the popular start lol.

Hi all,
Will try so text then some pics, fingers crossed.  Walking with Phil from California. Working out well . Met himday 1 out of Lisbon. To be honest the Lisbon to Porto is mucho industrial and roadwalk but we both knew that and decided to take the road less traveled lol. But it hurts the feet.  Good news,  no crowds.  First 100 miles today and we have met 3 peregrinos.
Going to send this now. In Tomar and going to lunch.

Patience please

Past my bedtime so will work on this from the beginning tomorrow.

Santarem

Hi all,
Cannot do group mailings on tablet or phone so have to resort to a blog.  I think the link/address is PortugueseCaminoRay.blogspot.com
This is a work in progress so bear with me.  Still working out  pictures lol.
Am still with Phil from California and we make a good team and our paces are similar.  We stayed in a delightful hostel last night in  Porto de Muge in an enclosure much like a hacienda.  Great hostess, we were the nly ones there.  10 miles later of non descript walking we are in Santarem and heading out tomorrow for about a 17 mile day. A good sized town compared to what we have walked through so far.  Met Steve from England tonight at the restaurant.  He is having foot issues and will spend another night here buying new footwear. Phil and I had great chorizo sandwiches and a sampler of some of their tapa like offerings all good.  Oh yeah Bohemia beer.  Hit the local grocery store for snacks and chocolate milk.
That is all for now to test this thing. Bom Caminho

Perrigrino Ray