#and paid like 12 euro for that and a bag of grapes

[i-can-even-burn-salad]

Today fucking sucked.

[briantravels60]

Day 5 – Santarem to Golegã – 32 km

Getting out of Santarem proved to be complicated. It was dark and I missed an arrow in while looking for the way and I was travelling with the comedic the French duo of Jean-Louis and Eric. I had to use Buen Camino to find our way. In all, we lost about an hour getting back on course. This became a source of humor for the Frenchmen. At one point Eric asked Jean-Louis how far we would walk that day, Jean-Louis responded, 32 km officially, 40 km if you walk with Mr Google (me). Later that day I saw them again, and after having a few beers and laughs I got up to leave and told them that the city tour starts tomorrow morning at 6:00 and the fee would be just 5 euros. We all laughed and parted ways.

The scenery was beautiful with rolling hills, vineyards, and farm fields. The day was cloudy and warm until my first stop in Vale de Figueira. Great for walking. After leaving Vale de Figueria the sun came out and the temperature quickly climbed to 28 deg. Walking was in the hot sun for the rest of the day, with very little shade. The worst part of the day was the walk on a busy narrow road for the last 30 minutes, with no place to walk on the side of the road and many vehicles coming and going.

I walked the last third of the day with Ingrid and Dirk from Belgium. They are avid hikers, walking long hikes every year. They have completed two Caminos, a pilgrimage to Rome, Kumano Kodo in Japan, and numerous others around the world - intriguing and humbling. We talked about the effect of the Russian war on Belgium and Dirk explained that it will be difficult for Belgians. Belgians will face monthly costs for heating gas equal to the total amount paid last year.

At the end of the day, as I arrived in Golegã  (pronounced “goal ga”), there was a café on the right where there were a number of pilgrims resting. Pilgrims with numerous backgrounds, a woman from Germany, a woman from Finland, two men from France, a couple from Belgium and myself. We had some beers and shared stories from the day, with lots of laughs.

Pilgrim shower - This irrigation system provided a much needed cool shower late in the day.

While walking in the hot sun I concluded that I prefer walking amongst vineyards. When tired, hungry, and thirsty I might stop and eat grapes. I would not stop in a cornfield, blackberry patch or a vegetable field.

Golegã has a long equestrian history where people come from around the world to buy & sell horses. In November, there is a large festival where the town town is open only to pedestrians and horses, explaining why my hostel had stalls for guests’ horses.

Last night I stayed at N1 Hostel Apartments and Suites. I have mixed feelings about the hostel. It was clean, the bed was comfortable, the shower had lots of hot water, it was safe and secure, and there was a nice rooftop terrace. This was offset by the fact that the it looked like it was designed by a prominent soviet architect, there was one bathroom for 12 people, no outside food was allowed into the building, clothes washing was forbidden, and the breakfast bag was just OK. For one night, it was acceptable.