https://www.mapmyfitness.com/workout/8184844264

Today was the second day in the rain. It rained harder and the wind was blowing, but for some reason my feet (in sandals) stayed dry today. My shorts were soaked but then the rain stopped and the wind blew them dry. The saving grace with the rain and wind is that the wind is coming from behind and therefore our faces are spared from water boarding.

Today was a comfortable 24km, about 60% on boardwalk, 30% asphalt, and the remaining 10% on dirt roads. With the overcast, it makes it a bit difficult to appreciate the countryside and the coast as all you see are the whitecaps on the water, and clouds and mist/rain on the interior.

One of my observations on this trip is that the Camino de Fatima and the Camino de Santiago, and ever the Camino Portuguese and the other Caminos to the north are vastly different cultures. I’m not talking Portugal vs Spain, I’m talking the Camino culture. Most people start the Camino de Santiago Portuguese in Porto and not Lisbon. Very few start in Lisbon. In the “wave” of pilgrims from Lisbon, there were perhaps 6-10 other pilgrims and they were far enough apart that we didn’t see each other except at cafes along the way or at restaurants in the evening. From Porto, the wave is several hundred long spanning over an hour or two. If you’re at the beginning of the wave, and stop to eat, it seems like up to 100 or more pilgrims will pass you.

The demographics of the Portuguese route vs the French way are also very different. Here, there are very few people under 30, and most are over 50. On the French way, ages span from teenagers to retirees with what appears to be a fairly even spread.

The Camino de Fatima is usually walked by people of faith where the Portuguese route for the Camino de Santiago seems to be walked mainly by people on holiday. I don’t have any opinions either way, I do find it curious though.

I am also surprised to see how many people in Portugal speak English. With very little effort to learn Portuguese, one could live here and get along in English if they had to. I speak to and DM people in Portuguese or Spanish and they respond to me in English. Could be my +1 phone number, my name, or my “American” appearance.