Beginnings: Wheels Up

Today I'm on my way to start walking the Portuguese Camino, on the heels (no pun intended) of my journey on the Camino de Frances earlier this year.

I’m doing this to expand my Camino experience, meet new people, and get to know Portugal from ground level. Back in April when I started the last Camino with my fellow traveler, Spence, we faced some scheduling issues getting to our starting point. As I make this new solo trip to the Portuguese Camino, there have already been some unexpected adjustments to my plans.

The remnants of Hurricane Ian threw a monkey wrench into operations at JFK Airport. So, my projected 90-minute connection time to Lisbon turned into no connection time. My flight was not scheduled to arrive in JFK until about 45 minutes after the transatlantic flight departed.

Luckily, some of the folks at JetBlue (Jennifer is pictured) helped me secure a ticket to Boston at a discount. I had a very interesting row buddy named Paul sitting next to me during the flight up. He introduced himself three times. And, he told me if he was asleep, I was free to wake him if I needed the restroom, as I had the window and he had the aisle seat. I suspected my new friend might have been a little tipsy when he got on board. There was no question after he downed two minis of whiskey and chased it with a beer. Before he fell asleep, he introduced himself again. And, told me that I could wake him if I needed to use the restroom. I like Paul. He was very friendly.

My 3-hour layover in Boston.gave me an unexpected opportunity to get to Legal Seafood and grab a quick bowl of chowder. Now I've got about two and a half hours before boarding my flight. I never did a summary of "do's and don'ts" after the Camino de Frances. So I'll take a couple of minutes here to hit a few highlights.

Among the lessons I learned during the last Camino was that I should bring two pairs of shoes. Not only does that save me from wearing through all the tread and half the heel of the hiking footwear that I like, it also gives a chance for the cushion in either pair to fully reconstitute itself on a day off between uses. I stuck with my Altra Lone Peak 6's. After 500 miles, in a single pair on the last walk without a blister, I don't think I can do any better. In terms of style choices, I have one gray and one red pair. I will alternate them without any chance of confusion, although it does entertain me to think of walking the Camino in a mismatched pair, wearing one of each color. That might come later.

The things I left behind this trip included my set of travel sheets. I never used them on the trip through Spain and I heard no complaints of bed bugs from any of my fellow travelers. I did bring my own travel blanket and some extra safety pins to secure it. There may be some nights in a hotel where the heat is not turned on and the ambient temperature drops below a comfortable level. On the last trip I spied no blankets, in any closet, that I thought I might want to spend the night beneath.

I also upgraded my rain gear. I purchased a used North Face jacket, in excellent condition, from REI. The cheaper product I used in Spain had no venting and no access to any pockets. This jacket has an array of zippers and places to put things that I can access without exposing myself to the elements. The venting will make it much easier to regulate body temperature.

The most obvious thing I am traveling without this time is my fellow pilgrim, Spence. He was the planner and backstop for the last trip. He was invited along but has stuff to do back at home. I'm sure he will make another journey in the future. Meanwhile this time, it's just one Mark, not Le Deux Marks.

I was fortunate to visit with some friends I made on the trail since we completed that first journey, back in May. One of the best parts of the Camino is the people you meet along the way. It will be very difficult during this trip to match the experience of meeting those individuals. The bar was set very high. But this is all part of the adventure. I'm satisfied that this trip will not be measured as better or worse than the last trip. It's exciting to know that it will be different.

In the time I’ve devoted to this dispatch, my flight to Lisbon was delayed twice. Luckily, as a retired airline employee, I can readily access travel on other airlines. This time I flew TAP, the Portuguese airline. They left on schedule, with me in a comfortable aisle seat and no one seated beside me.

The flight was only about 5 and 1/2 hours from Boston to Lisbon and I slept for more than half of it. Most of the passengers on board were still wearing masks. That was a pronounced difference from my flight up to New York.

I knew we were definitely in Europe when we arrived at a remote parking spot and nobody seemed to have a sense of urgency to get off the plane. There have been some trips I have flown internationally where people are standing in the aisle as the airplane taxis to the gate (Istanbul). This group of travelers was pretty nonchalant about the whole process of gathering their belongings, descending the stairs, and climbing onto the waiting buses.

Immigration was a breeze and the taxi ride to the hotel was also. I arrived at about 11 a.m. and my room was not ready yet, so I left my bags at reception and took a walk to the Decathlon sporting goods store about 15 minutes away. I had to purchase a new set of trekking poles. Because of the tight connection times I didn't want to risk checking my bags and having them misdirected or misplaced.

It was interesting that one of the other passengers from Boston to Lisbon carried his trekking poles through security. He explained that he has a physical limitation requiring him to carry a cane or similar apparatus. I'm not suggesting that anybody else make that argument to TSA, but enforcement does seem a little uneven. Still, I would not risk having any quality equipment confiscated. Replacement cost for the poles, while not the highest quality, was about $35.

The roads were deserted early in the day, since this is Sunday. In the almost total absence of any traffic, two cars managed to entangle at an intersection. I walked by the wreck on the way to the sporting goods store, and 45 minutes later they were still in the same exact spot. I like the European pace of things.

There was still time to kill before my room was ready so I made a stop for a snack and coffee. I was not at all concerned that it would keep me awake when I finally got to put my head on the pillow.

My hotel is nothing fancy, but it is close to a large number of restaurants and shopping. It is actually not that close to the starting point for the Camino. Tomorrow I will make it a feature of my day to walk to the starting point at the church, approximately 45 minutes on foot, and get my documents squared away. It would make no sense to walk South and then back North again on my first day, when I'm doing about 15 miles.

After a shower and a very solid nap, it was time to head out for dinner. There are so many restaurants featuring Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Thai, and Indian food. I was more interested in finding something that offered a local flavor. I found it: a beer with the house special cod was perfect and cost $14. It's only about 5 p.m. back home, but aiming to readjust my body clock, I'm heading to bed. Tomorrow, the adventure continues.