THE CAMINO IN FERROL

 Next stop Ferrol : 

 

I

 am up early hoping for a nice sunrise while enjoying a cup of Earl Grey. All is progressing well on this trip.  

Ferrol is a port city in Galicia, Northern Spain. Ferro combines the working port with a pretty old quarter, a few historical gems, city parks and a few beautiful beaches. The city’s maritime legacy dates back to Roman times, gaining prominence in the Middle Ages as a critical naval base for the Spanish Armada. 

 I should also mention Farrol is the birthplace of Francisco.  

This maritime history gave the Camino Ingles (or the English Way) its name. Historically, pilgrims arrived here by ship from England, Ireland, Scandinavia, and beyond. It’s one of the shortest routes to Santiago but also one of the oldest.



The official granite marker designating the start of the Camino Ingles is located near Ferrol’s tourist office, which also doubles as a Pilgrim Office.  But it’s surprisingly easy to miss! Most pilgrims begin their walk here.

The walking tour I have chosen will include the start of the Camino De Santiago, Camino Ingles. 


For lunch today I had reindeer stew, quite tasty, as we sailed into Ferrol. 

Lynn decided to stay back and rest her hip. This was a good choice. 

I went on a walking tour of the city. Here we discovered the wonderful architecture of Ferrol, and learned of it’s rich navel history. Knowing about St James just being on the Camino was a spiritual highlight. 

Saint James (the Great) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, brother of St. John the Evangelist, and the first apostle to be martyred. Known as the patron saint of Spain, his reputed tomb in Santiago de Compostela is a major pilgrimage site. He was a close follower of Jesus, present at the Transfiguration. 

A fisherman called by Jesus, he was nicknamed "son of thunder" and was martyred by beheading under Herod Agrippa I in Jerusalem around 44 AD.

He is the patron saint of Spain, where he is believed to have preached, as well as the patron of veterinarians.

The Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago): Tradition states his remains were brought to Galicia, Spain, leading to the establishment of the shrine at Santiago de Compostela, one of Christianity's most important pilgrimage destinations.

Legend suggests he miraculously appeared on a white horse to lead Christians to victory in the Battle of Clavijo. 

 
He witnessed major events, including the Agony in the Garden. 

 

When I returned to the ship I met Lynn in the Explorers Lounge. Lynn had been feasting on the afternoon cakes and I had a mai tai. 

Lazy afternoon as we retired to our stateroom where I am finishing up this blog entry. 

Not expecting any additional activity I will post this entry early. Will update should there be an event before retiring. 

 

 

                    The port entrance is guarded by this fort

                                        The Camino

                             Narrow Streets tall buildings

                            The Camino is well marked

                                     Gardens and parks

                                    Follow the Camino

                                        City Hall

                                       Ship maintenance 

 



SAILING TO PORTO: WINE AND A BRIDGE

 SAILING TO PORTO:



 

 

Last night the seas were perfect for a gentle rocking that invited restful sleep. 

Later this morning we will dock in Porto. Our plan is to take a shuttle bus into town and explore on our own. 

A nice breakfast was had, the advantage to dining in Lindstrom is it is table service. 

From 0830 to 0930 I went out to the bow observation deck and observed yellow leg gulls and an occasional gannet. 

Then there was a presentation on the Port of Porto with a bit of history involved. 



The wines from Porto are fortified wines meaning spirits are added. These were mostly exported to the UK.



One of the most famous landmarks of Porto is the Maria Pia Bridge. The Maria Pia Bridge, is commonly known as Dona Maria Pia Bridge, is a railway bridge built in 1877 and attributed to Gustave Eiffel of Eiffel Tower fame. It is situated between the Portuguese Northern municipalities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.

We returned to the room to catch a presentation on Portugal explorers. Sadly it was not working so we may just need to catch up later with the recording. 

 

After lunch we got things together and took a shuttle bus into the city of Porto. This was about a 30 minute bus trip as we are docked a good bit away from the city center. 

We set out on our own walkabout along the Rio Douro. Our goal was to make it to the Caminhos de Santiago, The Way of St James. We walked past many buildings with tile facades, cafes, wine bars, all of which were very busy. We made it to the bottom of a very steep hill with a large steep staircase. It was at the top is where the Caminhos starts.

 

I will say I am very impressed with how clean the city is and it has a very nice feeling about it. 

Worried we were going to be late to catch to he shuttle bus back, we started our walk back. In total we were walking about 1.5 hours. 

 

Yes, Porto is a city that might require a return visit.  

Along this route we passed a park and monument to Henry the Navigator and then past the local McDonalds :) 



The Porto Cruise Terminal is a beautiful modern building. Returning to the ship they made sure the traffic pattern left no corner of the building unexplored. 

Todays weather was highlighted with bits of sun and clouds. 

Back in the room, we were to late for afternoon cakes so settled for a cookie in the room. 

Then came dinner time, again a lovely meal with a very nice tart for desert. 

Then to the ships store and I found a hat and sweater and a hat for Lynn. 

 

        Yes add another sweater to the stable of sweaters  This is a first as we have used our total stateroom credit. 

 

   Yes this is the cruise port which is very much a working port

              Look a Scottish restaurant here in Portugal. 

             Busy river front, were told it is always this busy

We find the food very good on HX and the service is EXCELLENT!!!!

           Tart was really good, Lynn had the ice cream

                               A rather nice end to the day 
 

 

 

TIME TO FIND A SHIP:

 TIME TO FIND A SHIP: 



 

Today we will check out of hotel the Dalma Old Town Suites and board. The HX MS Fram. 

We very much enjoyed our stay at the Dalma Old Town Suites as it is a nice comfortable property. A friendly staff and the location was to our liking. Having a tram stop right out the front door was very convenient. 



Dalma Old Town Suites is located in the Aflama district giving it an old world feel. As I said we liked this property and would gladly stay here again. 



Lisbon has been enjoyable and we could definitely return for a longer visit. 



One bit of dining advice we received was if a restaurant has pictures out front, don’t go there as real Portuguese restaurant which serves authentic food would never do such a thing. 



After our breakfast we went for a Aflame walkabout. There are several viewing platforms near our hotel and the provide a view of the cruise terminal. 

We are in luck and the MS Fram has docked. 

We stopped for a refreshment of a Patais da Nata and juice. I had a peach ice tea that I have become fond of. 

We have seen several street vendors selling various bags. Upon closer inspection I see they are made of cork. Lynn had been looking at them and found one the size and print she liked. 

Before returning back to the hotel for a final packing we stopped at our local mini market. We picked up some snacks for the cruise. I know who really needs more food on a cruise. One argument is they do not serve ketchup flavored crips. 

We reserved an Uber electric vehicle to get us to the cruise port. Uber is a good way to go here in Lisbon. 

We were picked up on time for the 30 minute ride to the cruise terminal. Our original before hip replacement issues was to just walk down the hill to the cruise terminal. The roads are very narrow and in some areas sidewalks do not exist. 


We arrived really early and had time to just sit for three hours awaiting to board. Soon open and through passport check, security, and the new EES passport control. Then on to the MS Fram. 

We have seen some familiar crew as we filled out HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE ,  then checked in and got our stateroom keys, then our group patches, (you are assigned a group for excursions and other outings) then we downloaded the new onboard HX App. Then we returned to the went to the room and dropped off our bags. Next we went to Lindstroms (our dining room for canapés and bubbly. Back to the room to unpack. 

Our Stateroom is named after Helmer Hanssen. Helmer Julius Hanssen was a Norwegian sailor, pilot and polar explorer. He participated in three of the polar expeditions led by Roald Amundsen and was one of the first five explorers to reach the South Pole. 

Unpacked, Lynn went down to the Expedition Desk to cancel a couple of excursions as she is moving rather slow. 

We both got the new blue expedition raincoat/windbreaker and Lynn will need to exchange hers for a different size. We got two nice carabiner watches, water bottles and a stuffed mini bar. 

It looks like my warmer hat did not get packed so darn it I will be shopping for one :) , maybe a light weight sweater :)

Soon we will be off to the safety drill, followed by dinner. 

Dinner was excellent and we enjoyed the company of fellow travelers. Back to our room and crash. 






 

                                            Dinner 

                                       Safety Drill

                               A welcome reception treat

                  The new jacket and our room photos below

                                            If we must

                                      Garden Overlook

                               Beautiful tiles everywhere

                                              Da Ship