Okay, the trip over was long. And as usual on over-night flights for, I did not sleep a wink.
I arrived at the Grande Hotel Paris in Porto just as one of the other members of our group was walking down into the lobby. This was the first time I have met Jen and her husband Bill but our meeting felt like a reunion of old souls. I found a blog of Bill’s when he first began walking the Camino Frances this time last year. I have been following his blog ever since; I moderate a forum he has created after his return from Camino. Naturally when he decided to put together a group to walk the Camino Portugues, I was th!e first to jump on board – we all know how much I love the Camino!
Yesterday I strolled down to the River, had lunch in an outdoor cafe. I felt like I was transported right back “down Neck”, where many years ago I worked. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term “down Neck” it is the Ironbound Section of Newark, NJ. It happens to be an area where many Portuguès and Spanish immigrants have settled. I worked for NJ Transit in their corporate headquarters located in that area for many years. So the meal I had in the cafe was reminiscent of many lunches I had while working.
It was churasco, a smoked sausage which comes to the table on a special type plate. The waiter ignites the liquid and the sausage cooks right at your table. It was positively delicious!
Thoughts and Adventures 