I left the hostel early and caught the train south to Alverca to make up the trail I missed before Vila Franca de Xira. The Camino shared a very good community walking trail which featured playgrounds for children and fitness equipment for adults.
I made it to and beyond Vila Franca before Mette got on trail. I was motivated to get out of the heat so I walked quickly and arrived in Azambuja around 1 pm, an hour before the albergue opened.
Marion
I went for lunch with Marion from Belgium, another pilgrim waiting for the albergue to open. She works in a high stress position with utility companies. This was her second Camino, but she was not planning to complete this one. She would walk for a week and then visit friends as she did some real estate research. She wanted simpler things and was looking for a nice retirement property.
Owner of Restauante Dom Afonso
Marion and I ate at Restaurante Dom Afonso, a small place that didn’t appear open. They were doing some renovations but the owner insisted she could feed us. We had bacalao (cod). I forgot to ask her name but did take her portrait while she stamped my Camino passport.
Carlos
Carlos is from Portugal and has been volunteering as the manager of the Albergue de Peregrinos de Azambuja since 2017. He took care of a different albergue before that but this one needed rescuing. His grandkids live here too. He spent a career in the Portugues Airforce and served with a Canadian good friend, living in Parry Sound, Ontario.
Mette
Mette, from Denmark, caught up later in the afternoon. The guys she was walking with travelled slower and stayed at more expensive places. This was her third Camino. She has completed the Camino Frances and the Camino North. She enjoys long walks. Most recently, she worked as a kindergarten assistant and would like to return to school to become a kindergarten teacher. She also worked as a shoe salesperson in a local shoe shop until it went out of business.
35.5 km