Bike Gaspe

Brockville to Valleyfield. After a decent breakfast at the Super 8, we started pedaling east on Hy 2. It was perfect for cycling- warm but not hot, no rain and a tail wind. We were in Cornwall just after noon so we decided to try for Valleyfield. We arrived at about 4 pm. To ensure that we had a place to rest our 6èßheads, I booked a room from just over an hour away. Our distance covered today was just under 170 km. This was primarily dictated by the availability of motels.  Tomorrow we should be able to do a little less distance.

Bike Gaspe

We started our bike trip by leaving the house at about 8h30 and made our way via the walk ways to the Y, Princess, Queen and the causeway. We decided to stop in Gananoque for coffee at St Timothy ' s which was quite fortunate because the spitting rain turned into real rain. While we were enjoying coffee,  we talked with Terry and Matt who couldn't do their work in Gananoque because of the rain. Eventually we stayed long enough to have lunch after which the rain let up. Biking along the parkway was great because the bike path is away from the cars and is smooth. About a half hour from Gananoque the sun came out and we took off our wind breakers. About 30 km from Brockville, I started to get slow and pedaling got harder. I thought that perhaps my body wasn't ready for this bike trip. About 5 km later the explanation became obvious; I had a flat rear tire. After installing a new inner tube, riding returned to normal and we rode into Brockville and checked into the Super 8 motel. I had booked it last night to make sure that we weren't tempted to overdo it the first day.

Portugal & Canada Day 38

Porto to Kingston. Our flight was at 13h05 so we spent a bit of time re-visiting Porto city center. Mainly it was to see the Market again. At 10h00 we left our hotel and went to the Metro. The ticket machine wasn't working so by the time we found another one and figured out how to buy tickets , a half hour went by. Then we waited quite a while for the train. Nevertheless the everything worked out well and we got to the airport for the princely sum of  €2.5. Canada could use a lesson therein. At the airport we bought Megabus tickets online  for the ride home .
The flight was on time and we had ample time to catch the bus at Pearson. It was fortunate that we had our tickets because the bus was full. Four others going to Kingston had to wait for next bus two hours later. Susie insisted on walking home although Hans was all set to pick us up. So we made it safe and sound. I lost 10 lbs this time; I haven't been this small (148 lbs ) since I was 15.

Portugal Day 37

Just to make sure that our legs don't forget,  we took a walking tour of Porto. We walked through the town and made our way to the waterfront via the cathedral. Then we walked along the Douro River and Atlantic beaches to Matosinhos.  The beaches were alive with people involved in all sorts of activities including surfing and board paddling. On the way back to the hotel we stopped to buy a souvenir for myself. Then it was back to the hotel for tea, beer and nibblies.  And of course showers because it was well into the 20s today. After going out to get a few groceries,  we managed to chalk up over 26 km today. Tomorrow we fly home. 

Spain and Portugal Day 36

Today we made our way to the bus station at 9h00 only to be told that the 10h00 bus was full and we could take the 12h00 bus. So we walked back to the hotel and asked them keep our backpacks while we went to the cathedral area for more shopping. At noon we were on the bus to Porto and by 14h30 local time we were walking to our hotel. Since I didn't have internet access because we were in Portugal,  we just went to the hotel/guest house and fortunately our host was available.  The room is perfect except for the lack of an en suite bathroom. It is very modern,  clean and has great views. We walked downtown and completed our souvenir shopping. The guest house had a full kitchen, dining area and living room. So we went to Pingo Doce and bought a chicken and other things. This was a very good meal and it has given me some strength. After supper we sat on our balcony enjoying the views.

Spain Day 35

We DID NOT have to pack up this morning. That was so nice. The day was spent getting our Compostela certificates and buying a few souvenirs. I left my walking stick at Compostela office with a bunch of others. It had served me well all the way from Oviedo. Unfortunately I ate or did something else to upset the GI tract. That cost me a lot of sleep.

Spain Day 35

Boimorto to Santiago 42+ km. Our plan for today was to walk around 28 km and stop around Pedrouzo or somewhere near there. That would leave about 20 km for the last day. This changed soon after we left Boimorto because there was an option to stay on the old route or take the alternative route.  According to the guidebook the alternative was a bit shorter and joined the Camino Frances around Rua. So we took the alternative only to find that it did not join the Camino Frances until much later almost at Lavacola. This meant no place to eat for a long time. Since the route was so different, we decided to walk all the way to our hotel in Santiago de Compostela. We sent them a message and changed our booking to 2 days. The new plan called for us to walk further and longer but we can stay in one place for two nights. It's really nice knowing that we don't have to pack up tomorrow morning. All we will do is visit the Compostela office,  buy a few souvenirs, eat and rest.  The weather conditions today really helped us walk this distance. We started in single digit temperatures and were never too warm all day.