I was offered the fantastic opportunity to take a hiking trip of a lifetime with two dear friends recently. Our awesome mission was to traverse on foot an ancient and sometimes rugged trail through Portugal into Spain. We were challenged with the adventure of covering 270 kms starting in Porto, Portugal ending in Santiago, Spain in 12 days, and we did it! The pilgrim path we followed is one of a network of major pilgrimage routes from the 10th century that all end at Santiago de Compostela, Spain, called ‘The Way of Saint James’. We weren’t alone in our endeavour as we were part of many hikers from all over the world testing their muster and the endurance of their feet. Much of our trek was following the beach filled coastline of Portugal. It was incredibly scenic with its pounding waves and salty air. After a few days we headed inward and upward to see many red roofed villages and gorgeous churches nestled throughout the mountains. Farms with livestock, vineyards, chapels, graveyards, sculptures, centuries old bridges, lakes and rivers with small waterfalls and endless cobblestoned streets and pathways greeted us at every turn. It was magical to see all this beauty one step at a time. I will share more in my next blog about reaching Spain and our holiday seeing the marvel that is Barcelona.
