Following the Fatima
It was still less than 70 degrees out when I started walking this morning. There was a haze obscuring the sun as it hung low over the marina.
The initial walk was through a park-like area, but that didn't last very long. I found myself on surface streets without sidewalks again.
After a couple of miles I cut over to a dirt road that paralleled the ubiquitous railway line. It wasn't the most scenic area. However, when compared to dodging traffic on a busy road, this was much preferred.
This portion of the Portuguese Camino coincides with the Fatima, a popular pilgrimage that ends at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima. It makes up roughly 25 percent of the distance to Santiago de Compostela.
Most of the day's travel was fairly unremarkable. There was one portion where some cooling towers came into sight. At first I thought it was a nuclear power plant, but that does not appear to be true – it is a thermal electric plant. There is steam produced to drive turbines for the generators, but the heat source is not nuclear.
Shortly after passing the power plant I ran into Jeremy and Audrey. He was taking a break to make sure he didn't develop blisters. Even just three days into the trip, many of my fellow travelers were developing blisters. So far I've still managed to avoid any foot issues (knock on wood).
More narrow roads followed, with no sidewalks and really no shoulders. The last portion was on a dirt road straddled by the railroad on the west side and a nature preserve on the right. The trees were full of sparrows and there were some coots swimming along. It was a nice change from the sound of traffic.
On the outskirts of Azambuja there was actually a pedestrian underpass below the rail line. As the picture shows, it would appear that the underpass is inhabited by some unhoused people. I'm sure this will not be featured in any tourist brochures for the area.
The town is very nice, and it was interesting to see how workers created its stone walkways in a repetitive process of placing and securing each stone individually. It looked like very difficult work in the heat.
I found my hotel for the night and the location was excellent, as it was right on the Camino. Once I got to my room it was the standard routine: wash the clothes, take a shower, take a nap. Usually I'm unsure of how long I actually sleep when I put my head on the pillow. That was easy to figure out today. There's a church nearby and the bells ring on the half-hour. So I napped for three 30-minute segments.
I didn’t meet anybody new on the trail today. Toward the end of the day I caught up with two women from the Netherlands I had met earlier – their names are Carla and Karin. Matthias flagged me down just short of my hotel, and we shared a break together as he had to wait to check into his hostel. Then pretty much everyone I've met along the Camino, six of us so far, got together for dinner.
Tomorrow will be the longest distance yet, somewhere around 20 miles. That is flexible depending on how many times I get lost. There are more markings than before, but there are still several points where the way is questionable.
Now it's approaching 10:00 p.m. I'll find out shortly if they keep the bells going all night at the church. In the meantime, I just saw a mosquito fly by, and I know I won't get to sleep until I track him down to eliminate the threat.
Ten minutes later, good news on two counts: no bells and no mosquito. Lights out. It's going to be a long walk tomorrow.