Finishing my Portuguese Camino in Coimbra
The sunshine filled my body with an instant happiness. It only added to the great experience I’d had in the pilgrim’s hostel in Rabaçal and the fact that this was my 8th day of walking and I would have a break after arrival in Coimbra. My body was slightly tired, especially my feet, but knowing I’d have a forced rest period because of the travel ban kept my spirits up. In the meantime I’d learned that the ban did not apply to foreigners, but I think traveling when the locals can’t even leave their municipality sends the wrong message and I was excited for some downtime in Coimbra.
My way on the camino started on a long straight unpaved road in between fields and orchards with olive trees. I heard a shot in the distance and saw a farmer with his dog. Besides that it was quiet. Even when I entered the small town Zambujal it was quiet, apart from a barking dog. I saw a house with a welcome sign for pilgrims and camino themed plant pots. The dog tagged along until the village square. “You’re not going to protect me from all the other dogs?” I asked him. A little further along a woman stood outside of her house, a big smile on her face when she saw me. “Aaaah, bom caminho!” she said.
Shortly before the next village, Fonte Coberta, I saw a very special albergue. On a patch of grass just before town stood a bunch of tents. Colorfully spray painted hiking boots were hanging everywhere. I didn’t see anyone, so I kept walking. Later I heard from the other two hikers that there was a hippie type priest who blessed everyone he saw in a very elaborate manner. The others had spent over an hour listening to his stories, but described it as an ‘interesting’ moment. In the town itself I saw a vendor selling fish from his small truck. About 5 customers had gathered around it. As I approached a woman stepped backwards to get something out of her house. “Woooh, careful”, her neighbor said, “a pilgrim is coming”. The woman turned towards me and apologized, slightly startled, which caused the whole group to laugh. I joined in, said it’s ok, and continued with a smile on my face.
I continued along a small, but beautiful rural path. A small stream flowed on my right and in the distance I saw a couple of houses. When I arrived a man, walking around with his dog, asked me where I’d come from. His dog however, showed a different kind of interest. He kept barking and growling at me. The rest of the way to Conímbriga, where I’d planned a break, was very quiet. I climbed a little bit and followed a wide, rocky road. Conímbriga suddenly appeared. I knew it was next to the route and yet I hadn’t expected it to be right there!
After a nice visit I expected I would start to feel like I was approaching the city. After all, I was about halfway there. However, I kept seeing small towns, villages even, and was surrounded by farmland. Next to a very quiet road I saw a very, very old woman. She moved very slowly and stood next to a small, wooden cart. She was putting on her boots, preparing to work on the land, harvest some vegetables. What a life… she will never go into retirement and will do this until the day she dies. It looked like a scene from the past.
As I got closer to Coimbra, I saw more and more highways. They snaked their way around the towns. I crossed them over bridges, and after one bridge I found a huge picnic table where I sat down to eat. It was slightly strange, with the highway running on one side, behind a fence, and a sleepy town on the other. At Cruz de Morouços I could finally see my destination. I walked passed a bar with a small table outside. A few women were having coffee and cake. Right after I found a nice viewpoint towards Coimbra. I was getting more and more aware of the pain in my feet, the closer I got to the city. It wasn’t that far anymore, but the last meters always feel the longest. Coimbra is hilly and came down a steep road past the Santa Clara Convent, down to the river. The view from there was amazing! I saw the whole old town spread out over the hill in front of me.
As it turned out, the situation with COVID got worse and even in Santiago de Compostela itself the city got closed off. I decided I had had a great break and it was time to go home for now. When I came to Portugal, I had no idea I would stay for 6 weeks. I had no idea I would even start walking on the camino. I was said I couldn’t continue, but also happy and thankful for all that I’d managed to see and experience. I can’t wait to get back to Portugal when things calm down again. One day I’ll be back. One day I’ll finish my journey. For now, I’m staying in lockdown in Berlin, dreaming of a time when I get to explore again.
Always a pleasure to read your stories😀👍