Walking Across Italy

Today we hiked 14 miles from Rubiaes, Portugal to Tui, Spain.

The day started with the “ever chipper” (Juan Pablo) looking for a little happiness in the bushes around our hotel.

We had our last pasteis de nata (Portuguese custard pie) at a little cafe in northern Portugal, before trying to find a place for lunch in Valenca.

JP is our “caminho concierge”. He does a great job finding restaurant, snack bars, and laundromats. He was sure he knew the best place for tapas in Valenca, only to find it closed when we arrived. No problem. There was another place just 300 yards away. However, when we arrived, we found out that it didn’t exist anymore. (Thanks Google!) But there was a charrusqueria (grilled meat restaurant) another 400 yards further. Alas, that one was closed too. So, this time we called a nearby restaurant before walking a 1/2 mile. The person answering the phone told us, yes, they were open. When we got there, we discovered that the person answering the phone failed to tell us that there were 20 people waiting in line to be seated. Totally defeated, JP walked us back to a grocery store where they served sandwiches at the deli bar. It was the saddest lunch of our trip.

To get to Spain from Valenca, you merely cross the bridge.

Our hotel was about a mile past the bridge, right along the Caminho Trail. After a quick shower, JP and I went searching for a church where we could attend mass.

We found one, high atop Tui, near the Cathedral of Santa Maria.

The Cathedral had a beautiful tympanum (architectural element over the door to a church) which depicted the archangel Gabriel’s announcement to Blessed Virgin that she was going to have a baby, and the visit by the 3 wise men, after Jesus’ birth. (I don’t usually know this kind of stuff but my longtime friend and Art History professor, (Becky Bilbo) just educated me on this topic during our vacation to Atun, France, last month. )

We did find our way to mass tonight and I was touched by the thought in the homily that God does not give up on people who don’t follow his way. The priest’s message was that we are like the vine that never produces grapes. Yet, God holds on tight.

We capped the evening with a search for the most refreshing drink in Tui. We found it at the central plaza where hundreds of people were celebrating the end of the weekend. Maybe I was parched. Maybe I need a drink. Or maybe this was the most delicious Sangria I had ever had.

All of this, just proves the old adage, “Seek and ye shall find”.