Lisboa to Alverca
We began our trek today with the goal of walking nearly nineteen miles from the capital city of Portugal to the small town of Alverca. While traversing a large city usually presents a challenge, leaving Lisbon is relatively easy as we head down to the mighty estuary of the Rio Tejo. We follow this large river until it meets the more modest Rio Trancao which will lead us inland. We leave one world and are about to enter another.
Once we leave the busyness of Lisbon and are on the quiet pathways we do not see another soul for hours. We are alone on this trail and have not met any one else who is walking this Camino. We are lead to a delightful cafe where we are refreshed with a light lunch and a cool drink by a delightful young man and his grandfather. Their kindness to us in the most unexpected moment will be appreciated more than they will ever know. It is our reminder that we are cared for and we are not alone on this journey.
We stay at the home of Maria Luz Lourdes Leal who invites us in when she hears we are walking to Fatima/Santiago. She is eighty years old and speaks a combination of Spanish/Italian/Portuguese. Surprisingly enough, we are able to understand each other. As she helps me hand wash our laundry for the day she asks me to pray for her along the way. In Portugal, the Caminho de Fatima is a sacred journey and many people walk it for healing (it coincides with the Camino de Santiago so we are actually walking both routes for a while). She can not walk it at her age and so I tell her we will pray for her as we walk. She wakes up early in the morning to see us off and hugs and kisses us before we go.
We are thinking of you as the hours go by. You come across our hearts and prayers many times during the day. You are loved... Buen Camino.
Once we leave the busyness of Lisbon and are on the quiet pathways we do not see another soul for hours. We are alone on this trail and have not met any one else who is walking this Camino. We are lead to a delightful cafe where we are refreshed with a light lunch and a cool drink by a delightful young man and his grandfather. Their kindness to us in the most unexpected moment will be appreciated more than they will ever know. It is our reminder that we are cared for and we are not alone on this journey.
We stay at the home of Maria Luz Lourdes Leal who invites us in when she hears we are walking to Fatima/Santiago. She is eighty years old and speaks a combination of Spanish/Italian/Portuguese. Surprisingly enough, we are able to understand each other. As she helps me hand wash our laundry for the day she asks me to pray for her along the way. In Portugal, the Caminho de Fatima is a sacred journey and many people walk it for healing (it coincides with the Camino de Santiago so we are actually walking both routes for a while). She can not walk it at her age and so I tell her we will pray for her as we walk. She wakes up early in the morning to see us off and hugs and kisses us before we go.
We are thinking of you as the hours go by. You come across our hearts and prayers many times during the day. You are loved... Buen Camino.
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