What a delightful surprise our lunch stop in Pisek turned out to be!
This blog is not a chronological record of my OAT itinerary. It continues to be whatever I feel like writing about. And I feel like writing about this sweet little undiscovered town.
We’ve been to Dresden, which was our final stop on the pre-trip, then we spent the first three days of the main trip in Prague. Both of these fascinating cities deserve posts of their own, and I’ll get to them eventually. There have just been far too many distractions for me to give them the attention they deserve.
Pisek is quite beautiful. Its old stone bridge predates Prague’s Charles Bridge by at least a century. Somehow, the bridge managed to survive several centuries worth of floods. The statues on the bridge weren’t so lucky. The originals were damaged and have since been repaired or replaced.
Don’t be fooled. Pisak also has MODERN attractions, like this one. I’ve seen pedal bars in Nashville, but I never have seen a Prosecco van. What a great concept!
Despite this vehicle’s obvious appeal, I found the sand sculptures even more compelling.
The header on this post describes the theme for this year’s sand sculptures — Freedom and Liberty, intended to commemorate the town’s 80th anniversary of their liberation after World War 2.
Did you recognize Gulliver, struggling to break free?
Lady Liberty has packed her bags. I’m hoping she’s not leaving the USA.
To me, the most compelling sculpture was this one, especially after being in Berlin. What a powerful demonstration of how much JFK’s words meant to the people in this part of our planet. .
Then I took a good look at the front of the sculpture. It shows Putin driving a car manufactured in East Germany by the Soviets. The Trabant had an engine that was likened to a lawn mower—about as powerful and just as smelly. East Germans would use trabants to escape to the Czech Republic, and then abandon the car in the street.
Take a close look at who is kissing up to Putin. Clearly he is not in the driver’s seat.
If you don’t recognize the iconic hair style, the sculptor has given us a hint. He has “king” written alongside his image. ( I would have added “wannabe” before the word “king”).
Why is it that Europeans can see so clearly what many Americans cannot? Perhaps because they have lived through Facism and Communism, they have a deep understanding of how fragile democracy can be and how important it is to preserve it, in every means possible, including the creation of sand sculptures.
My last post was about Berlin’s tragic past, and how frightening it is to recognize parallels to what is happening in the world now.
Today’s post is about Berlin’s glorious present and how it is making me optimistic about the future for our entire planet.
First, many thanks to my dear friend Chris and her wonderful sister Claudia for their very helpful suggestions on how to best use our time in Berlin. Thanks to them, we knew we needed to get tickets for the Reichstag tour at least a month in advance. For those of you not lucky enough to know Chris or Claudia, here’s the link for the free tour, in English: https://www.bundestag.de/en/visittheBundestag/dome/tours
The Bundestag building itself is architecturally gorgeous, filled with interesting artwork.
Our guide was a retired lawyer, who explained that although, prior to Hitler’s rise to power, Germany considered itself a democracy, it really wasn’t, because half of the population wasn’t allowed to vote. I wish I could remember her exact words because she said it far more elegantly than my paraphrase, but here’s the gist of her comments regarding women voters: They expected women to be grateful when they “gave” us the right we had been denied for so many years.
Here she is, explaining why the Russian soldiers’ graffiti in the Reichstag was preserved when the building was reconstructed after unification. (Once again, not a direct quote, just what I remembered her saying).
Imagine you are a young Russian soldier who spent the last few months being shot at and bombed. You have survived so far. You reach Berlin, but are still not safe. You want to leave your mark so that others recognize that you once existed.
The Germans left the graffiti so, to me, it has become a symbol of the compassion the Berliners felt for young Russian boys who were drafted and forced to kill young German boys.
She also gave us information about the way the German government currently operates, but because I wasn’t as interested, I promptly forgot everything she said.
I was, however, fascinated by the eagle on the wall behind her. That eagle hung in Bonn, when it was the capital of West Germany. It was installed at the reconstructed Reichstag after reunification.
I was also fascinated by the interior view of the dome from the parliamentary meeting room.
After the 90 minute guided tour, we were able to enter the dome and walk up the spiral ramp to the top.
The mirrors in the center reflect light into the building below.
I found it fascinating that the dome is completely open. What happens when it rains or snows? Inquiring minds want to know, so I asked one of the guards. He told me the top remains completely open, but rain only falls on the very top level, where drains capture it and carry it out of the building. Damn, those Germans are great at engineering!
From the Reichstag dome, we were able to see the TV tower. It was the proud creation of the Soviets in East Berlin, intended to demonstrate the superiority of Soviet construction. After reunification, however, the world had access to Stasi documents that showed most of the materials used to build the tower had to be imported from the west.
During our city tours both guides talked about the symbol of Christianity (a cross) appearing on this godless tower. We were completely mystified, because it was impossible for us to visualize anything that remotely resembled a cross. FINALLY, during our stroll around the dome, the sun was in the right position, so I hope my photo allows YOU to see it too.
If my personal astrophysicist had been by my side, he would have explained the scientific principles behind the phenomenon. Instead, I went with Barb’s explanation: it is magic.
Anyone who has read any of my prior posts knows that I cannot resist a tower, mountain, high point—anything that offers a panoramic view. Berlin has several, and we took advantage of every single one that we could find.
The view of the Brandenburg Gate from the dome
Our OAT trip leader suggested we visit the Humboldt Forum’s rooftop. In addition to the delightful cafe,
we were treated to another vantage point of the city.
Notice the roof of the Humboldt is planted with grasses and flowers.
The city was environmentally aware, which was so very encouraging to me.
None of the median strips were mowed. Instead, grasses and weeds were allowed to grow unhindered to protect and feed the bees.
From our vantage point on the roof, we could see the sustainability display. That’s the reddish tower in the photo below, in which reclaimed materials were used to fashion new structures.
We ended our night with a laser show at the Reichstag, which was created to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Christo’s art project.
With travel, sometimes you hit and sometimes you miss. The laser show was definitely a miss, but the sunset was lovely.
And the walk to the hotel gave us the opportunity to see Berlin buildings illuminated.
I’m so glad I was able to spend 5 days in this wonderful city. Those of you who have read my earlier posts may recall that initially I was not particularly enamored. Must have been because of jet lag, or the piss poor commentary on the City Circle / Gray Line HOHO. My recommendation—try a different HOHO in Berlin. There are four.
The Germans truly believe “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it”
Unlike us, they do not spin, whitewash or deny their history. Instead, they build monuments to the victims, and record the monstrous deeds of the perpetrators of violence—the Nazis.
The Topography of the Terrors is a free outdoor exhibit, built on the site of the former Gestapo headquarters. One of the photos shows Adolph Hitler’s military parade on his birthday.
I was viewing this exhibit on the very day something similar was happening in the USA. Fortunately, our wannabe dictator’s celebration was not as well attended. And even more fortunate—the “no kings” protests throughout the USA had far more participants.
Once the OAT pretrip started, we enjoyed a city tour where we learned the significance of some areas we had visited when Barb and I were on our own.
Following is a photo of Anne, our guide, showing us the location where over 20,000 banned books were burned. She also shared this prescient quote from 1820:
“those who start by burning books will also burn men”
After the war, Berlin was divided into 4 sections. Russia got East Berlin; West Berlin was shared by the Americans, the French and the British. West Berlin was completely surrounded by East Germany, which was held by the Russians.
1961 was the first time a wall was built to keep people IN. That’s because 3 million people (out of 18 million) had left East Berlin after the Soviet occupation. These were “essential” workers, so something had to be done to stop the brain drain.
Sections of the wall are exhibited in Potsdamer Platz
Throughout the city, we saw reminders of where the wall once stood. This is how the marker looks if you are on the West side of the wall.
There were actually two walls, with a strip of land in between, known as “ the death strip” and “no man’s land”. Both walls were painted white, to make it easier to spot people trying to escape.
Some statistics: Along the walls’ 100 miles, were 280 guard towers. No man’s land was patrolled by 1100 armed guards and 1000 dogs.
The stories of the 140 people who died while trying to escape are memorialized in the Terror exhibit.
After the wall came down, artists painted murals on the remaining sections.
Remember how Barb and I were mystified by the holocaust monument? Well, thanks to Anne, we now understand.
The architect wanted visitors to feel something as they walked through the exhibit. He succeeded. As the stones got taller and the ground became uneven, I felt uneasy and claustrophobic.
We learned that the memorial is composed of 2711 stones, to represent the number of pages in the Talmud. Viewed from above, it looks very much like an arial view of death camps’ barracks and a Jewish cemetery in Israel.
Next, we visited the “Disney” version of Checkpoint Charlie.
Of course there is a KFC nearby.
Knowing it is a tourist trap didn’t stop us from posing behind the sand bags.
We almost didn’t take the optional tour “Allies in Berlin” tour on our last full day in Berlin, because we mistakenly thought it would be a repeat of what we had already seen. Tomas, our trip leader, encouraged us to take the tour and I’m so glad he did.
It was extremely emotional for me. It harkened back to the time when we understood how important it was to win “hearts and minds”, back when we had leaders with integrity, foresight and wisdom.
The Soviets were trying to starve the West Berliners into submission, but the US, France and Great Britain began airlifting tons of food, coal, medicines and essential supplies to the people of West Berlin. The west Berliners were surprised that the people they were shooting at, just a few years earlier were now protecting them. That was the start of the strong friendship between Germany and the USA.
One American pilot decided to make small parachutes for rations, starting the “candy bombing” runs represented by the artwork on this bear.
Because France and Great Britain had been badly damaged by WWII , most of the aid came from the USA.
Years later, when the Berliners were feeling isolated and fearful, JFK visited. Although he only spent 8 hours in Berlin, his speech meant the world to the people of West Berlin:
“Two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was civis romanus sum [“I am a Roman citizen”]. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is “Ich bin ein Berliner!”… All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words “Ich bin ein Berliner!”
I was surprised that Ronald Reagan was not as revered, so I asked Alex, our local guide about it. He told me that there is a plaque at the Brandenburg Gate for Reagan, but at the time he gave the “tear down the wall” speech, most Berliners thought it was an impossibility and that Reagan was just a “crazy old actor”.
At the American Museum, we saw the REAL checkpoint Charlie building, moved to this site when the wall came down. (It was one of three checkpoints: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie). These days, what was once barracks for American troops, have been transformed into condos.
To end this sobering post, here is a photo from the Sinti and Roma (Gypsy) memorial.
This child was separated from his parents, who had been employed, and had never been in trouble with the law. Their only “crime” —being born to the wrong parents.
This post is for all the wonderful OAT travelers who took the time to post on Friends of Overseas Adventure’s Facebook page. I benefited greatly from your advice and hints, so this is my way of giving back. My apologies to regular subscribers who might not find this post very interesting. BUT if others traveling to the Northern Iberian Peninsula in the spring find these hints helpful, well that’s a bonus.
I took the “Northern Spain and Portugal: Pilgrimage into the Past” trip in April of 2025. My departure didn’t offer pre or post trips so this information only applies to the main trip.
I wore a mask on flights to Bilbao, but didn’t on the return trip. Big mistake. I’m quarantining now, which is why I have plenty of time to write this post.
The OAT trip started in Bilbao, which is an absolutely fantastic city. If you are able to do so, I highly recommend arriving a day or two early.
If you are changing planes, and you are checking luggage, be sure to carefully examine your luggage receipt. I didn’t and I wasted almost a half a day tracking down my bag, which was left in Munich. I’m so very glad I used an AirTag!
Although Bilbao is a very walkable city, the bus system is excellent. Best of all, busses are frequent and easy to use. No special card is required. You simply get on the bus and pay with your credit card. Easy, and CHEAP!
The Guggenheim is closed on Mondays, however, the OAT itinerary has sufficient free time built in. If your trip has the museum scheduled on a Monday, you still can visit at another time. Even if you are not a museum aficionado, the architecture of the building is pretty spectacular. It’s also worth walking around outside the museum to view the sculptures.
All of the hotels OAT chose were centrally located, which made it very easy for anyone who wanted to explore on their own. Here is the list of the hotels we used: **Hotel Abando, Bilbao **Hotel Tres Reyes, Pamplona **Alfonso V, Leon **Hotel Compostela, Santiago **Lamego Hotel, Lamego **Turim Oporto Hotel, Porto
If you don’t want to wash your hair and body with the same soap, or you don’t like to use the bottles attached to the wall, bring your own.
Most of the hotels’ hair dryers were attached to the wall, and you needed to keep your finger on the button to get the dryer to operate. That can be uncomfortable if you have arthritis in your hands. Someone suggested bringing duct tape to keep the button down. Of course, I didn’t recall that hint until I was on the trip, staring at the button!
The hair dryer in the Lemigo Hotel died after a couple of minutes use. After resting for a few minutes, it could be used again. (Others had a similar experience). Fortunately that didn’t happen in Santiago, where I used the hair dryer on my sodden shoes.
Apparently, Northern Spain normally gets a lot of rain. During our visit, we mainly experienced intermittent showers. Keep in mind the unevenness of cobblestones results in lots of puddles, and sometimes those puddles are DEEP. Oh and by the way, those cobblestones are very slippery when wet.
We all got drenched on our walk into Santiago. Fortunately, our hotel had a heated towel bar. After being convinced that I was a complete idiot for being unable to get the heat turned on, I swallowed my pride, asked for help at the front desk and learned that the heat is centrally controlled and doesn’t turn on till 7:30 PM.
The only option our team leader gave us to do laundry was at the hotels, but it was rather expensive, especially with the terrible exchange rate. We were there when the tariffs went into effect, so what was once a strong dollar had plummeted. The heated towel bar was perfect for drying laundry. Santiago was the only hotel with that option, and it was roughly midway through the trip, so keep that in mind if you are rinsing out clothes.
The optional excursion offered during our time in Santiago was okay. If you didn’t grow up by the ocean (I did), it might be great because you got to watch locals digging up clams and mussels, something my family did on a regular basis. The lunch was fantastic and although I was glad I went, if you can only choose one optional, I would recommend the one in Portugal if you are a walker and love nature.
After the optional trip, we returned to Santiago in time to visit the Pilgrim Museum, which had been closed the day before. Unfortunately it was closed again, for unspecified “technical” reasons. Too bad, because the members of our group who didn’t take the optional, visited the Pilgrim’s Museum that morning and said it was worthwhile.
It was way too cold to use an outdoor pool, and although the Lemigo hotel had an indoor pool, you had to pay 20 Euros per person, per day to use it (and the gym). None of us thought it was worth it. The outdoor pool is free and lovely, so if you go when the weather is warm, it might be worth packing a bathing suit.
Be sure to get your Pilgrim’s Passport stamped! Mine is the header of this post.
Portugal was fantastic! Because Porto has been discovered, you may want to make dinner reservations while you are still in Spain. Check with your TL to make sure you have the correct schedule, because sometimes the TLs have plans that are not part of the official itinerary.
My post about Porto provides the name of a wonderful restaurant close to our hotel. Rather than repeat what I wrote elsewhere, just click on the link to get the name of the restaurant and other sights that you can do in your free time. It also includes a description of the optional trip.
I wasn’t able to visit the Porto Library because it requires tickets for the timed entry, and no tickets were available while we were in Porto. Two of our traveling companions stayed an extra day in Porto and were able to visit the library. Based on their photos, it was quite wonderful!
I thoroughly enjoyed the WOW Museum complex. I bought a day pass for 40 Euros because I wanted to visit three museums and separate entries were each 20 Euros.
I have done posts for each place we visited, so if you want more info, check out the post that interests you. Those posts include photos.
On our way to Porto, we were convinced our luck had REALLY run out. According to the weather reports, we weren’t merely encountering rain, we were headed into a huge storm! We were all glad the forecast was wrong yet again.
Although it rained during our bus ride from Lemigo, by the time we reached Porto and had finished our city bus tour, the rain had briefly stopped. The sun even came out during our walk along the river.
Before I left home, I had loaded photos from Mike’s and my 2003 day trip to Porto onto my iPhone. I was surprised to see how much the city had changed, and how much remained the same.
2003 Panasonic LUMIX2025, iPhone 14I only carry my lumix to places like Africa and Antarctica. The zoom is key for animal shots. Otherwise, my phone does fine.
The tower that Mike and I climbed for free in 2003 was restored and updated in 2014. Tickets are required to visit what is now the Clérigos architectural complex .
9/20034/20259/20034/2025Believe it or not “casa Oriental” still exists, but you have to click on the current photo and zoom it to see how it has changed.
Because Mike and I climbed to the very top of the tower, I thought it was the perfect spot to leave some of his ashes.
When we were there in 2003, there weren’t any “love locks”. I didn’t have a lock today, but leaving his ashes was MY way of saying “I love you”.
But I digress. Back to day 1 and our lunch stop at an interesting restaurant. Check out the large wooden object dangling over our table.
I’m pretty certain “the world’s most beautiful McDonalds” wasn’t here when we visited in 2003! Quite different from what we have in the USA, wouldn’t you say?
No, none of us ATE there, although the place was PACKED!
Instead, three of us had dinner at Almada 331, a tiny restaurant close to our hotel, the Turim. The food was incredible, yes. The menu was in English, yes. The cork walls made conversation enjoyable. But what REALLY made the experience off the charts was Fernando, the owner.
Loren, Sheldon & FernandoThe restaurant consists of two adjacent, cozy rooms.
Both “Shelly” and Fernando had lived in Pittsburgh, so we all became instant friends. But so did the Belgians, Ukrainians, Indians and the woman from Singapore (Singaporean?) who were also dining at the restaurant. It is that kind of place. When you enter, Fernando asks where you are from, and then points out all the different countries represented in his tiny restaurant. It was truly a magical night.
In case you’re wondering, yes, it was confusing to have a male Shelly on the trip, especially because his wife Loren was one of my very favorite fellow travelers, so we spent a lot of time together.
We had the option of exploring the city on our own during one of our three days in Porto, or paying $145 to visit Arouca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bet you already know which option I chose.
First, we visited the monastery. In the USA, monasteries are where the monks live; convents are for nuns. In Portugal, however, it isn’t gender that defines the naming convention, it’s location. Monasteries are built in remote areas, outside of cities; convents are built inside the city walls. So, although initially the Arouca Monastery was inhabited by men, by the 14th century the nuns had taken it over.
But not just ANY nuns. No, these were noble ladies from families of wealth and power, for whom a suitable match had not been found. What to do with your 18 year old unmarried daughter? Why, you pack the old maid (and one or two servants) off to the nearest convent, along with a very generous donation.
She will never be allowed to leave the convent. But don’t feel too badly for her, because rather than being her husband’s servant, she gets to meditate, walk around the garden, read, and boss her servants around. Best of all, she won’t die in childbirth, unless she uses one of the legendary tunnels to meet up with a friendly monk.
You can’t see them in the above photo, but the courtyard is lined with banners describing the persecution of Christians, like this one:
Surprisingly, no mention was made of the Inquisition, probably because it happened in Spain?
Although this “lazy Susan” was normally used for food and other contributions, occasionally a baby was placed on the shelf. Our guide told us that maybe the turnstile was occasionally spun 360 degrees. That way, it would appear the baby had been brought by a townsperson, even if it had originated inside the monastery. That’s the upside of wearing those bulky robes.
One noble lady, Queen Mafalda, was briefly married to 10 year old Henry I of Castille. When the Vatican annulled the marriage, she voluntarily entered the Arouca Monastery, where she is currently on display in the chapel.
My favorite part of the day was our visit to the suspension bridge. To get there, we drove along beautiful, winding mountain roads for about 45 minutes. It was a visual feast! By the time we arrived, we were all eager to walk through the woods, over the bridge and back.
Okay, so it rained off and on, which added to the adventure. It also made us really appreciate the intermittent sunshine.
Ines, our local guide, thoughtfully supplied us with white rain ponchos to put over our jackets. The bridge was wet and slippery initially, but our spirits were as high as that bridge!
It case you’re wondering, the bridge is almost 1700 feet, or about a third of a mile each way. It opened in 2021, and only cost 2.3 million Euros to build. According to Ines, it is the highest and most beautiful suspension bridge in the world. It used to be the longest, until the Czech Republic one-upped them.
If you’re afraid of heights, it’s probably better if you don’t look down.
I’m not afraid of heights, so I did. Was it thrilling? Hell, yes!
The walk to the bridge was down a very steep slope.
As you know, what goes down, must come up, but those who had had enough fun for the day were able to ride a jeep to the top. Four of us opted to walk back—the equivalent of 15 flights of stairs —according to my Apple Watch. Not bad for four people over 70!
We had worked up quite an appetite, so we were ready for our wonderful lunch by the river, where we could watch the rafts heading toward white waters.
When I went for my bathroom break, I thought I had inadvertently walked into the men’s locker room, but no. The half naked guy in the skimpy towel was very friendly and wasn’t at all surprised to see me. I guess the area right in front of the bathrooms is the where the “rafters” suit up. Sorry, no photos.
Another thing I love about OAT is the ability to customize the trip. For our second night in Porto, I decided it was too windy and rainy for me to venture out, so I enjoyed a solo dinner in the hotel. Unlike most USA hotel restaurants, the food was great and reasonably priced.
I guess at this stage in my life, I’ve completely conquered FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Instead, I only do things that I want to do.
Look at the size of that glass of sangria!
Because it was important for me to retrace the steps Mike and I took in 2003, I decided to skip the planned activities for our last day in Porto. Instead, I visited the previously described restored Clérigos complex, where I was reminded of the splendid life members of the clergy led, back in the “dark ages”.
I still had enough time to walk across the Douro River to visit three of the seven magnificent WOW Museums. And they were indeed a wow!
Even the museum’s floors are visually appealing. This floor is perfectly flat. Optical illusions in the pavement are a Portuguese “thing”. Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro have similar beautiful walkways.
I have visited many wineries, so the history of wine making wasn’t as interesting as the interactive exhibits. Where else can you stick your nose over a tube to try to identify a wine smell? I was only able to correctly “smokey” and “chocolate” scents. If I ever had any doubts that my palate was unsophisticated, that exercise dispelled them!
A corridor was lined with fun information about the different varietals. This is the artist’s vision for Argentina’s Malbec.
The wine museum’s admission price included a tasting of three different wines, with an explanation of what you are drinking, plus a coupon for a free port tonic in one of the museum’s many restaurants.
Of the cork and chocolate museums, can you guess which was my favorite? Which one had the best free samples?
I found the chocolate museum’s South American creation myth video so delightful, I stood there and recorded it for those of you who will never visit Porto. (You’re welcome)
The museum was across the river from our hotel, so I walked across both levels of the bridge…the top, with its panoramic view.
On the way back, I took the “low road” so I could deposit the remainder of Mike’s ashes in the Douro River, because we had also stopped there in 2003. Back then, we had the bridge all to ourselves, and cameras didn’t have “selfie” options.
September 2003
Barb, Pam and I are being picked up at 9 AM for our 12:30 direct flight to Newark. Because breakfast is at 7 and the market opens at 8, I figured I’d have enough time to do a quick swing through. Despite the rain, I made the 7 minute walk to Bolhão. Although the posted hours indicated the market was open, it appears no one bothered to tell the vendors.
Not a problem. I know where I can find dry clothes, and I still have enough time to change into them!
Although there is much more to say about this wonderful city, our fantastic tour and my amazing travel companions, this post is already quite long and we are on our way to the airport.
I absolutely LOVE Portugal! There is SO much to see and do. Although we made the most of our transit day, by crossing the border into Portugal at 10:15 Spain time, 9:15 Portugal time, it still feels like five days in this fabulous country is not nearly enough.
We started our transit day by walking the Portuguese El Camino, alongside the river leading into the town of Ponte de Lima.
I’m so happy the weatherman was wrong about the 100% probability of rain. Might it have been smarter for him to hedge his bets a teeny bit with a 90% probability?
The cloud cover made photos more interesting and more importantly, made our walk very pleasant.
This river’s legend dates back to Roman times.
Roman soldiers on a campaign to conquer the world mistook the Lima River for the River Lethe, the mythological River of forgetfulness. Because there was no bridge, they had to enter the river to get across. Believing that doing so would erase all their memories, they refused. I can’t blame them. Who wants what is known today as a “senior moment” ( except it would be more like a senior decade)?
The general (that’s him on the horse by the river bank) crossed first, then commanded each of his soldiers, by name, to come across, thereby shattering the “memory loss” legend.
After we crossed the bridge, we easily located where we could add stamps to our Pilgrim Passport.
Yes, we have become obsessed with collecting stamps wherever we stop. I’ll talk about that in a future post. But right now it’s time to share photos of Guimarães, a beautiful village that has some historical significance —but what that significance is currently escapes me. Hey, I have the perfect excuse. I crossed over the River of Forgetfulness.
We finished our transit day by walking down the 608 steps (that was MY count; Wikipedia claims there are 686 steps) to dinner at a restaurant in Lamego. And what a beautiful walk it was!
Our starting point Beautiful wall tiles decorated every landingThe fountains were also spectacular Look at this incredible view!
Okay, there are many, many more photos from this fantastic walk, but I will end with the view from the bottom, because we still have some fantastic sights from our Douro River cruise.
WOW!
We had the boat all to ourselves,
Photo by Shahin, our guide
and there weren’t many other vessels on the river. We only saw one river cruise ship.
Just when you thought the day couldn’t possibly get any better, it did.
The Quinta da Portela de Baixo is not just a museum; it is also a vineyard carved into the side of a hill overlooking the Douro River,
where we had lunch and sampled port wine. I had no idea that so many different kinds of port existed! Did you?
Our final stop will be Porto, which Mike and I visited in September of 2003. I wonder if women will still be carrying live chickens on their heads, the way they did back then?
I didn’t know until I got there that Galicia normally gets an abundance of rain, which is why it is such a lush, green region. I THOUGHT I was adequately prepared for wet weather, because I had packed two hooded jackets, fleece lined pants and silk long underwear, but I forgot the most important item: zapatos impermeables (waterproof shoes). Luckily, our hotel was across from a sports store that carried waterproof sketchers in my size. Prior to that purchase, however, (as I mentioned in an earlier post), we walked the last five kilometers of the Camino in a downpour. Let me tell ya, medieval cobblestone streets retain lots of water between those rocks!
I bought the umbrella in Bilbao when my luggage was lost.
I had the full Pilgrim experience; I was soaked and completely miserable. It was definitely NOT one would consider a spiritual feeling. By the time we got to the hotel, my feet were so wet, I had to dry them with a towel. On a positive note—the hotel had a heated towel bar in the bathroom, but sadly it only functioned between 7 and 11 pm. Still, that was long enough to dry out my sodden socks, clothes and backpack.
If someone forced me (at gunpoint) to choose between walking El Camino or running with the bulls, that day I would have taken my chances with the bulls. (I would have carefully chosen a stretch that allowed for a speedy exit.) But, then again, if I had done so, I would not have earned the right to sport one of these lovely pilgrim tattoos.
It’s hard to get lost on El Camino because the scallop shells point the way. They are EVERYWHERE. This sign also marks distance from the start of the French Way —4,790 kilometers—of which we did about 32 KM, or less than 10%
Before this trip, I had thought that there was ONE El Camino. NOW I know there are several: The French, the Portuguese, — we walked segments of both—the Via de la Plata (silver way), the Camino del Norte, the Primitive Way, to name a few. Regardless of which Camino you select, the destination is the same, the Cathedral of Saint James (Santiago).
Beneath that yellow umbrella is our local guide, Marian, regaling us with the legend of St James. WE were a shivering mass, huddled together under a nearby portico.
The cathedral from a different vantage point, a public park. Photo taken in between showers.
With all the wind and rain, I couldn’t take notes, so I’m operating strictly on memory. Here’s the part of the legend that I recall: a peasant (fisherman? shepherd? Some random guy?) in the first century (around 820 AD) saw a light shining down from the heavens several nights in a row, in the exact same spot. He recognized it as a message from God instructing him to dig, and when he did, he discovered the bones of a skeleton who had been beheaded. The church leaders made a rather large leap of faith and deduced that since St James had been beheaded, the skeleton must be that apostle. Over the ensuing centuries a cathedral was built and over time, the city of Santiago de Compostela grew around the cathedral.
Back then, pilgrims made the journey for religious reasons, to get a plenary indulgence (skip purgatory) or to avoid jail time. Yes, you read that right. Marian explained that people who committed minor crimes back then were given a choice…walk several hundred miles or go to jail.
Fast forward a few centuries—today’s visitors can view this silver box that contains what the faithful believe is St James bones,
and can admire the cathedral’s beautiful interior.
My cell phone’s zoom isn’t very powerful, so I’ll describe the central image of the main altar. It’s St. James, riding a horse and brandishing a sword, which wasn’t exactly how the apostles were described in the Bible.
Santiago’s old town is a maze of narrow cobblestone streets, filled with restaurants, bars and souvenir shops, so after our first day in Santiago, I’d seen enough of the city. I welcomed the opportunity to spend the day in Pontevedra and Combarro on an optional trip OAT offered.
Pontevedra, founded by the Romans, gave us a break from the crowded streets of Santiago. It is also the site of an unusual church, with a floor shaped like a scallop shell. Or so I was told.
I’ll be honest. The church was clearly round, unlike any I’ve ever seen before. But I wasn’t able to pick up any resemblance to a scallop shell in the interior. Take a look. Maybe you’ll have better luck.
Despite the intermittent showers, it was a delightful day.
Combarro reminded me of Southeastern Massachusetts. I recall watching Sandy, my sister, digging up clams and quahogs with her toes in Mattapoisett bay.
Here in Combarro, it’s a highly regulated business, with strictly enforced limits on what can be harvested.
Our day ended with a pleasant surprise—a procession outside our hotel. I was already in my jammies, but when I heard the drums, I dashed onto my balcony to take this photo.
Fortunately, our trip leader was on the street and sent us a video.
Is it just me or does that statue of Jesus make it look like he needs a foundational garment?
When I booked this trip, I had no idea that I’d be in Spain for Semana Santa, or as we call it in the USA, Holy Week.
I will confess our group was more than a little surprised to see what looked like (to us) the Ku Klux Klan everywhere. But no, these are the different “brotherhoods” who hold processions every evening during Holy Week.
Their version of action figures were in shop windows.
Members of my family will not be shocked to learn that I accidentally stumbled into a church where one brotherhood was assembling. I had wanted to see the interior of the Church of San Isidoro after I learned this door was where you entered to get “indulgences”.
For those who didn’t spend your youth in Catholic school, I will explain. Indulgences are sorta like a “get out of jail free” card. You give the church a sum of money, and regardless of the sins you committed, indulgences get you on the escalator to heaven. Fortunately, the middle ages were chock full of sinners. How else do you think the church could afford all that art and gold stuff?
Can you imagine my surprise when I opened the door to find a PACKED church? EVERY bloody pew was filled with people wearing the same color coordinated outfit. My cream jacket stood out in a sea of purple, so when the door creaked open, and the assembled all turned to stare, it was easy to figure out who really didn’t belong.
I wasn’t gauche enough to take a photo then. I waited till they were all almost out the door. Hey, I wanted my friends back home to share in the experience. So here ya go.
Notice that THIS brotherhood allowed sisters to join in the fun, but instead of hoods, they wore a “thingie” to hold their mantillas high atop their heads. Also notice, they were at the very end of the procession.
As I exited the church, I spotted some people wearing uniforms, carrying instruments, so I followed them to their assembly point — a bar.
Doing so earned me a primo spot when they started to play. I haven’t quite mastered the ability to imbed a link, but if you click below you should get a feel for Holy Week in Leon.
Despite the mob scene, fellow traveler Camille managed to spot me in the crowd. Equally surprising, I heard her call my name.
Somehow, in spite of the madness, four of us managed to link up with Shahin, our trip leader, who took the photo of Loren, me, Sheldon and Camille atop this post.
Before we went bar hopping, we saw a man standing in front of a building, swinging around a silver incense container, so we HAD to go inside. Much to our surprise, we found these elaborate “floats” that the devout carry on their shoulders during processions.
This is only ONE of many floats stored in the building
Sorry, there are no photos of our bar hopping extravaganza. We were far too busy drinking “lemonada”— red wine, lemons, cinnamon and seltzer water— León’s official “Holy Week drink, to take pictures
Our second day in the area was spent outside of León in the little village of Morgovejo, for what OAT calls a “Day in the Life” , another unique feature of OAT travel. We spend time with local inhabitants, visiting them in their homes, sometimes participating in their daily activities.
Carmín teaching us how to make cheese
During our visit, Carmen showed us how she works with disabled children and adults, using a horse she rescued and trained. Her partner, Emelio demonstrated the various exercises that can be done by riding bareback .
Emilio demonstrating stretches.
The farm has horses, sheep, goats and dogs. Some of us were thrilled to be able to hold this baby lamb.
León was a fantastic stop, and it was over far too quickly. Next stop — Santiago de Compostela, the final destination of pilgrims on “The Way”.
One of the many reasons I absolutely love traveling with OAT is the company finds experiences I would never have discovered on my own.
For example, en route to León we made two delightful stops. The first was at an archaeological lab in Ubide, where Michaela, an Australian osteoarcheologist, fascinated us with stories about her dig at the Roncesvalles burial pit.
Can you figure out which one is Michaela? Hint: she doesn’t have gray hair. She’s in the back row, directly behind me.
It was truly amazing how much can be learned from bones. So far, they have dug down to the level of the Napoleonic wars, where they found an older soldier, whose jacket was used as a shroud. His jacket’s button is shown in the top right of the following photo. Can you see the Spanish word “Rey” (king)?
Because of his skeleton’s position in the pit, his age, his wound and the button, the archaeologists deduced the bones belonged to a high ranking member of the Spanish army who died fighting against Napoleon.
When the archaeologists reach the bottom of the pit, legend has it they will find a horse, a horn and the exploded head of Roland, a member of Charlemagne’s army, who was immortalized in the “Song of Roland”.
After he sacked Pamplona, Charlemagne headed back to France, using the route we followed through Roncesvalles (now part of El Camino). As you can see, the path through the forest is very narrow, so the soldiers had to travel single file, making them easy targets for the more than slightly annoyed Saracens.
For those of you who never read “The Song of Roland” and have no desire to ever do so, here’s the scoop. When Roland sounded the horn to warn Charlemagne of the attack, he blew so hard, the legend claims that he literally blew his brains out.
Our lunch was at a charming tavern along our route. This trip IS turning me into a “day drinker”, but it hasn’t come to THIS, at least not yet.
Shahin, demonstrating how to shoot red wine directly into your mouth
We were able to walk off some of our lunch’s calories when we reached the next stretch of our “El Camino” experience. This time, we walked through the medieval village of Castrojeriz, population about 100.
Had I been on my own, I would have walked right by this church and missed its amazing multimedia shows, including the story of creation, which was projected onto the ceiling.
If we were REAL pilgrims, walking El Camino, it would have taken us anywhere from three to about seven days to walk from León to Santiago. Instead, the 3.5 hour bus ride took us a day, because of our multiple stops.
The first stop was in Astorga, to view the castle and cathedral designed by Gaudi.
Unfortunately, the building didn’t open until 10, so we weren’t able to go inside, but don’t you agree that the outside was pretty spectacular?
The entrance to the palace is on this side. Can you believe the number of windows? On the left (barely visible) is the cathedral.
We weren’t able to linger because we didn’t want to be late for our visit to the beekeeper. To get to there, we strolled along the river for about a half a mile.
This very animated and entertaining young woman gave us the adult version of her presentation for school children.
The Queen beeThe drone
Did you know that you should never put honey in the microwave because it destroys the beneficial enzymes? Or that you should never use a metal spoon to remove honey from its container— only use wood? (sorry, I don’t remember the reason).
After all that learning, we were ready for lunch in the village.
This building dates back to the 1750’s; it was the home of a merchant who conducted trade between the coast and León.
We were very fortunate to have such great weather during this area’s rainy season.
But our luck was about to end. For the last stretch of El Camino, we had an “authentic” pilgrim experience. We walked to the cathedral in a downpour.
That smile on my face was VERY short lived. I neglected to pack waterproof shoes, so by the time we finished our 5 kilometer walk and got to our hotel my shoes, socks and all 10 toes were soaking, sopping wet. Good thing I know how to say “I want to buy waterproof shoes” in Spanish!
Looks like the weather goddess is sending more of the same for our time in Santiago and Portugal. But at least with my new 100% waterproof Sketchers, my feet will be dry!
After the day we had, we decided we all needed at least one glass of wine — perhaps more. How lucky am I to be with such a great group of people!
Briefly, the rain stopped, allowing Shahin to take this group photo.
If you think this post is covering a lot of ground, you’d be right. In just two days, we have visited three very different locations! The header of this post is a photo of the group as we started our walk on el Camino, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Before that…
En route to Pamplona, we stopped in the charming seaside town of San Sebastián.
Although the morning started out cloudy, before too long, the mists disappeared, just in time for us to thoroughly enjoy our walk along the beach.
The Miramar Palace, where former kings and queens spent their summers, overlooks this big, beautiful beach, and is now an events center for weddings and conferences.
We didn’t crash the wedding—just the photo shoot
I’ve seen elaborate sand sculptures, but this was the first time I saw sand “art” being created.
We had just enough time in San Sebastián for a delightful multi-course lunch at The Morgan Kompany, ( no, that’s not a typo, and yes, it is a restaurant). I barely had enough time to find a Christmas ornament for my sister. It’s one of my travel traditions— to find something Sue can hang on her tree from every country I visit.
We arrived in Pamplona late in the afternoon, checked in to the hotel, then walked through the nearby gardens. Notice how clean everything is?
Our stroll took us to the city wall, where we were able to enjoy this panoramic view.
Spaniards eat dinner around 9 or 10 PM, which according to my American digestive system is FAR too late.
We didn’t spend much time in Pamplona, because the next morning we traveled to Roncesvalles, where we started our El Camino experience. The mountains in the background of the header photo are the Pyrenees which form a natural border between France and Spain. In that photo, some of us are holding our El Camino passports aloft. We collected three stamps on this walk.
I didn’t have a walking pole, so I brought my umbrella, which helped me cross a muddy, slippery stream.
For our last afternoon in Pamplona, we met Gonzalo,
who has run with the bulls multiple times. He finally hung up his running shoes after his injuries resulted in a 10 day coma.
As we walked the half mile route from corral to bull ring, he filled us in on little known facts (at least to me) about the Festival of San Fermin. That’s the official name for the insane practice known as running with the bulls.
Six bulls per day do the run, accompanied by six steer ( castrated bulls)
The same six steer do the run for SEVEN consecutive days, but the six bulls change every day, because they get finished off when they reach the bull ring. This festival is the only time bull fights are held in Pamplona.
Before 7 AM, runners congregate in front of the statue of Saint Fermin (maybe he existed, maybe he didn’t) to sing a song three times at prescribed intervals before the bulls are released at 8 AM.
According to Gonzalo, runners need to arrive early to get a good spot for the run. If you are interested in viewing the madness, and hearing the song, here’s the link to the YouTube video. https://youtu.be/hDyQ0cUXk9g?si=rN20ZM45hAZ_CW_i
During the 7 day festival 42 bulls run. Each one costs between nine and fifteen THOUSAND Euros.
It takes the frightened bulls about two minutes to run the half mile route. No runner is fast enough to do the entire route, because once the bulls get in front of you, you’re done with the race.
If a runner gets gored or trampled all medical care is free. If you are NOT a runner and fall down because you’re drunk, you are responsible for the medical costs. And let me tell ya, there is a whole lot of drinking during those seven days!
This is as close as I will ever get to a bull run, because I KNOW what would happen!
Our last stop was at Hemingway’s favorite bar, where we enjoyed churros and chocolate.
Destination NOW 