zondag, april 04, 2010

Portugal! (kms 3600)- english


Valença do Minho


Sim senhor, estou em Portugal! Duermo no albergue do Valença, justo al lado do Tui. Estamos só dois, temos a  albergue per nois!

(Yes sir, I'm in Portugal!. I sleep in the albergue of Valença, next to Tui. There are only the two of us, we have the albergue for us!)

I still have a long way to go in terms of learning the Portuguese language, haha, but I understand these guys reasonable. Today was a fantastic day: after days of shitty weather finally sun! And also a nice leg, uns treinte kms (= some thirty km`s), still on the Roman road 'Via XIX`.


Portugal!


The camino portugues is so far super, occasionally besides the carretera (= tarmac road), but mainly through forest trails and quiet country lanes. Rarely you meet peregrino's  coming from the opposite direction.

What kind of typical was is that in Tui you may not stay in the albergue if you hike the road of  St. James in the reverse way. There were three people in the albergue (!). After 30 km you are tired, and we were therefore pissed off, but good, 1 km away was the albergue of Valenca, just across the border ... and ... there is nobody, there is interrrrrrrnet, TV, you get the key and the greetings, what do you want more? I'll stay here fogrr evah (= fore everr) hahaha!.


 

a simple but nutritious meal sprinkled with cheap red wine, and everything fresh! nizaaaa!!

ponte romano, antes Tui

little chapel, O Porinho

Camino, despúes O Porinho

memorial San Telmo, 1251... finito! Pobrecito! (= finished! poor guy!)

This here was quite weird a memorial for a pilgrim (named Telmo, after his death canonized and venerated in the cathedral of Tui) who after he had been in Santiago returned and died here of yellow fever in 1251. A Bit awkward actually, have you hiked such a **** distance and just in a place 100 km away you die! Those are pretty much the thoughts in me deal, not really lofty \ spirituallyes tut mir Leid! (= I am sorry).

What I find fascinating is the cathedral of Tui. It reminds me of the cathedral of Reims (France), with enormous statuesthe fantastic facade, the mad stonehenged figures, and the beautiful stained-glass windows (no picture, my camera gave up on me, snik)
.

Tui, Cathedral


Tui, façade Cathedral. On the right a pelgrim having a break witn an enormous peace of wood!

Tui, façade Cathedral



That poor devil hast to carry all by himself such a holy person! (Tui, cathedral façade)

Santiagomatamoros, Tui, Cathedral

Valença, fortress entrance

Valença, fortress wall

Valença, fachada igrexia

Valença, in front of the fachada igrexia

Valença, a pierced Mary, 7 swords (?)

Valença, rua

Valença, me and my beloved `miliario`!

Miliario-- explanation

The Milarios are special to me. Roman milestones, often more then 1000 years old:  you see them a lot on the via de la plata (= the road of St. James from Seville to Santiago). At the time of the roman empire they were placed every 1000 foot along the roman road with an inscription of the then reigning emperor on each of them, and often also containing space to leave post. Two meters high and a diameter of 78 cm, impressive stuff!..

Mary gives the breast

from such a sight my math heart ponders faster: an extreme cone!

Canon aimed at Tui (seen from Valenca)

me on a canon (Valença)

fortaleza, Valença

fortaleza, Valença

fortaleza, Valença

Real genever!! Lucas Bols!! (left, above)

Via XIX

Rio Minho

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