May the 24th
Trabazos to Braganca
Trabazos to Braganca
We didn't sleep very well, which was strange after all that we had drunk! It was those horrible pump up beds, every time you turned it woke you and your companion in the room. In the end I put my sleeping bag on the table and Janis put his on the floor. Now there were no more squeaky noises but that table was hard on my old bones!
We set off at about 7 am, and walked by the church.
It was reassuring to see the shell sign on a granite pillar. Leaving the village the Camino went into a remote valley. We passed the wooden cross mentioned some 800 m later, then down hill and along a level bit with just fields to the sides and kept straight on ignoring other tracks till we turned left at a barn and climbed steadily up hill. At the top there were no arrows so we turned left as written in Janis's notes. These told us next to look out for arrows to the right painted on a drain cover. A while later when we found it. The field it told us to cross was rough and as far as we could see the path across had not been used for ages! Clever me decided we should go straight on and turn right at a turning we could just see in the distance. Surly that track would sweep around and join the Camino later and be much better for me pulling my rucksack! This had been my argument, well of course it didn’t! Sure we tried to work out where the Camino had gone after it crossed the field and had intended to cut across to it! My thinking was 'why go right when the map arrows said keep left to San Martin!' We stopped again further on and looked around. The big hill stood in front, and my map said Quintanilha must lay behind it.
A big motorway was on our left and what looked like San Martin lay slightly behind us on the left some distance off.
We, or maybe I decided that our best way now, rather than turn back, was to get on the edge of the motorway and use that to get round the left of the hill in front and when we come to a sign to Quintanilha to take it.
What a mess we got into! For one thing, we'd forgotten there was a big river to cross! We hadn't thought about how newly built or how big the motorway was! As time progressed we did feel that even if we'd used the Camino way as suggested in our books it wouldn't have been re-marked after the road was built anyway!!!
We struggled with our packs across some rough terrain (no path here), climbed a steep bank, noted a white old farmhouse and tracks on the far side of the huge new motorway!
"That is probably the white farmhouse we are supposed to go in front of, that’s mentioned in my book" said Janis.
"Well we can't get across here, lets follow the road and cross at that slip road just down there" I said pointing to a little used slip road that ran off on our side of the motorway. It went down a slope and under it, heading for San Martin maybe! Down we went, round a roundabout, where not a sign was to be seen! Once we were on the other side, the road we were on headed downhill fast. I got worried as I thought we should follow the direction of the motorway and bypass the village of San Martin! We saw a service road that climbed steeply up to our right to the side of the motorway, where we thought it must run parallel with it. I called to Janis and we decided to take a chance! That was a hard climb, we were almost on our hands and knees! At the top we followed the fence over uneven, scrubby ground for a few hundred meters or more, but then the so-called service track fizzled out! What now!!!
A tall wire fence blocked us from walking down hill to our left in the direction of San Martin. Another chain link fence, just as big stopped us getting onto the motorway!
We walked a little further down to a fence that now joined the two together. There was no way out but back!!!! First we tried to climb the fence but that was unsuccessful. Then I spotted a dry, rough concrete water channel that went underneath the fence and joined a bigger trench that ran down the side of the motorway! The chain link fencing extended down into the water trench to stop animals getting on the motorway, and hikers I guess!! I got in the trench and pulled on the bottom wire and it lifted a little. I asked Janis if he thought he could get underneath! The backpacks had to come off and we pushed them through first then Janis crawled under! He then held it up while I got through, I tucked the wire back in position while Janis picked up his bag. I hooked up to mine and we walked down the concrete shoot into the main ditch that was built to take floodwater off the motorway.
The rough concrete trench was deep and we walked in it downhill for a while then I climbed up and over the steel barrier onto the smooth road and walked there until I could see the motorway stretch across the valley and on forever over an enormous bridge.
This was probably a couple of kilometres long, and continued into the distance with no hope of getting off!
As soon as I arrived at the bridge end I could see it was far too dangerous to cross! There was no room to walk behind the steel barrier, cars and trucks were belting past, nearly blowing me over with the wind as I stood there, let alone what it must be like in the middle, hundreds of feet up as well. I decided the police would soon spot us too if we risked crossing it, we were lucky to not have been seen as yet. But what now!
By looking over the side and down into the valley, I could see a small road go under the huge bridge we were standing on towards Quintanilha. The small road was our side of the river but this bridge that we were on, could not be the one we were supposed to cross on. If we could get down to that little road and go under this bridge there must be an old stone bridge across the river later, although I could not see one from here. We knew from our map books Quintanilha was in Portugal and we were standing in Spain, the river was the border between the two countries! Choosing discretion rather than valour we went back to the trench and looked at the fence. The bottom of the fence wouldn’t lift and even if it had, there was a ten-foot drop the other side! We would break a leg or worse if we tried that!
Where the blocking fence joined the one that was supposed to stop us getting onto the motorway, about 3 meters away was a corner post with braces made of steel pipes. Janis was half way up and there was nothing for it but for this old 70-year-old to do but follow. I chucked my rucksack over first to Janis. I found chain link fences are not easy to climb as they wobble and flex but I got over and fell onto the long grass and managed to stop falling down the steep bank.
We scrambled downward for a bit and came onto a gravel track and soon the small tarmac road. We looked both ways but could see no old river bridge! Turning right we walked under the motorway and followed the road for a long while but still with out seeing a bridge! We came to and passed the village perched up on the hill the other side of the river. There was a slip road down to the river and a flat gravel area with a café very near the road we were on, but when we went down we could see it had been closed for ages. Here in the river was a small narrow piece of concrete, jutting out and some debris that more or less reached the other bank but a lot of it was underwater, and the river was running fast! We ruled this crossing out and looked up a bit further. There was a road across! Well maybe ford would have been a better description, as it was under a foot or more of fast running water with a meter and a half waterfall this side to catch any one who slipped over! This was no good anyway as there was Janis's blistered feet to consider!'No! there must be a bridge, didn't the book say so!'
We went back up to the road and walked up river for a while but in the end we could see for miles, there was no bridge!
We both thought we should have something to eat and think things over.
"Lets go back to the ford and eat there, we are both tired but after some food and a drink the brains might work better" I said.
Back on the stony beach we took off out rucksacks, and rustled up some food and sat on the bigger rocks looking around for ideas.
I could see it was far too wide for me to carry my tall friend across, especially with no shoes on or just my flip-flops, we'd both finish up in the river.
We were looking again now at the debris and this lower wall that was concrete and about only 12cm wide
"If we can put a few stones in this first wet bit, we can get to the wall that is sticking up just out the water!" Janis said and was already picking up stones to throw in!
Crossing his stepping stones he put a few more where the water was going over the top of the wall in its middle to make a stepping stone there. I tried it first, and by balancing with my two staffs I managed to get to the end of the walls. The next bit was a little trickier. I pulled a few branches off the tree trunk jammed there half submerged. I moved it round a bit, bent one slim branch that got in my way, then quickly almost ran across. Wow! In the middle my staff missed the trunk and went deep in the water without touching the bottom! The current grabbed it but I just caught my balance by grabbing a whippy branch and reached the next obstacle. This was the large tree root with bits of root sticking out. I bent one or two out the way, held one and got over the to the other side! With a jump I managed to get over the next bit of water to land ashore! I threw a few big stones in the middle of this last gap and then negotiated my way back. Janis was trying to break a branch to use as a balance pole as he had no staffs!
"Hang on" I said "I have a knife that will do the job"
Going to my rucksack I got out my knife and with the saw I cut it to the length he wanted. Ok we're ready to go, we put on our rucksacks. I went first with my bag and left it there, then came back to help Janis over the last tree trunk bit in case he got stuck there, as it was the hardest part. The pole helped him a lot and before I could be much help we were both in Portugal!!!!!
This photo is looking back from Portugal!
Ok, we looked around, read and deciphered the notices to see if they would help us but again we had to make another decision! The hill to the village went very steeply up and the only cart track went to the right along the riverbank, but I thought it probably would double back at an angle to get a slope that could be driven up! There was a vague sign of a path that was probably more often used by the young villagers coming down to swim. Could we manage to climb up it? We decided we would give it a try! Janis went first. It was hard but it wasn't long before we came onto the dirt track that we could not see from below, but that was sure to go to the village.
This was a car width and easier to climb. I took off my bag and pulled it and at last we came into the quiet village. I know we were looking for a bar but I can't remember if we found one so probably didn't.
Soon we are walking high up with some great views of Portugal!
We saw wild Lavender and those pretty yellow flowers with maroon centres.
We came down off the high ground and down into a valley and to our amazement villagers were ploughing the fields with oxen!
The dogs were barking at us and the workers stopped and waved. We waved back and they then continued turning the oxen around and ploughing back the other way. I still think, although I had to zoom in and lost a little sharpness, that these were some of my best photos!
Shortly after we arrived at Refega. This was so quaint, it was also like turning the clock back a century or so.
A tiny church and a water fountain made us stop to refill our bottles.
We asked one old gentleman if it was good water and we were told it was and he was very interested in our journey.
We in turn asked if we could see in the church. He went off and came back with the key and we were shown in. It was the prettiest little church I had seen on this trip. It was cosy and had a very friendly feel, a place where your prayers might be heard! We were both impressed and touched by being allowed to see it.
I have no idea how old the building was but it was definitely very old! On coming out we started to fill our water bottles when our guide asked if we would like a glass of wine. Not wanting to offend we said we would love to!
He led us to the other side of an old farm building and he tried to open a low stable door under an old tumbledown balcony. He searched for the key and couldn't find it so, after rattling the old door, he left us to sit on some old planks set up for that purpose while he went to look. We noticed the keyhole was as big as those of the flourmills we saw yesterday, so the key must have been just as big chuckle! He seemed genuinely upset when he returned without it! "I must have dropped it somewhere" he apologised! There was to be no vino at this stop, chuckle, so we told him it didn't matter. We were grateful to be asked and would probably be better off for not drinking at this time of day chuckle! We had to put our watches back an hour in Portugal so were having trouble adjusting to the new time anyway. We walked out of the village with no more stops, as it had no shops or bars and headed up into the hills again.
The rough track we were soon walking on looked so green and beautiful but there were problems keeping Janis's blistered feet dry, even mine too!
This valley at one time must have been all farmed and used for growing crops as the stream was dammed four times for irrigation, (not once as Janis's instruction papers had said!) On the right hand side of the cart track was a stone wall, built to retain the steep bank, next to it there was a water channel (riego) retained by a small earth wall, which carried fast flowing water! Next to that was our little used cart track and on the other side was another low stone wall then a steep bank down to the big stream. Unfortunately the mud wall that retained the water in the channel was in dire need of repair and much, if not most, of the water was finding its way out of the channel onto the cart track where we were trying to walk! It was especially bad where floodwater was running off the hillside and overwhelmed it and more water headed down our path! Some bits were like ponds with a few rocks in!
The grass was long and unkempt and Janis and I picked our way, stepping from one clump of grass to the next to try to keep our feet dry! It was pretty hopeless! In the end, Janis, in an effort to keep his feet from getting wetter still (I remember now he had sandals on!) climbed the stone wall on the far side of the channel and started walking parallel to the track in the meadow above. This didn't solve the problem much as the long grass, tall brambles and muddy bogs, where the rainwater water flowed down the meadows, made it just as bad for him there. We lost sight of each other and kept calling out, so as not to lose contact. The stone wall and brambles got higher and higher! Now I held my staff up above my head as high as I could, so he might see it and know where I was.In the field above, the brambles and boggy ground became worse and eventually Janis made his way back to the track! Unfortunately now the wall was two meters high! It was not easy but he managed to get down without hurting himself and we continued up the valley.
When is a gully a ravine! We walked for a long way trying to decide that, because it said in the book
"When you suddenly come to a ravine turn right and keep straight on, left at fork onto stony track veering left uphill then turn right at next crossing onto a green lane"
Green Lane!! We had seen nothing but a green lane chuckle and water, some rocks too!
We did of course eventually come out onto a road but we were not sure it was the road we were supposed to be on. To be truthful I don’t remember arriving at Palacios.
But we must have done, not that there would have been much there for two tired hikers. In the village of Babe (some maps spell that Bare! it was bare too chuckle!) I text Maisie saying we hoped to get to Gimonde! We had had enough of boggy country tracks and were pleased that here higher up the tracks were dry. It was 6 kms to Gimonde and we had it in writing there were 3 bars and we both thought we had seen that there was a hostel there too! Later, as we came over a brow of the hill we got our first view of Briganca in the distance!
At the top of another rise we saw on our right a restaurant. Both of us were very, very tired as we walked up to it. There was no one about, we banged on the door but no one came. We sat on the entrance patio and had a drink of water and wandered round, I saw some folk next door in front of a workshop of some kind, but by the time I got down the steps to ask them, they had disappeared. We even walked around the back but there was no one there. We had to get to Briganca somehow, another 4.5 to 6 kms depending on what book we looked at. That is, if this was Gimonde where we were!!!
We decided to stick to the road as we thought it would be easier, after all we had seen Briganca-it can't be much further! We went back to the road and saw a lady getting in a car near a few cottages. Janis tried to get some information from her but she seemed frightened of us and jumped in her car and drove off! We continued downhill and we were doing well when a vehicle stopped beside us and asked where we were going! "Brigancia, we're on Camino to Santiago," " I answered.
Janis said, "Can we get a lift?"
That was it I realised, I'd said it to others before, take one lift and you'll take the next one! We were very tired though and had walked a long way over incredible tough country with little good food, much of the time worrying where we were and now we could get Brigancia quickly and have some hope of a good night and good food in a big town! Excuses tut tut! We put the rucksacks in the back and squashed into the front!
Soon we are in the town centre trying to get our driver to understand us and stop near the tourist office. We hoped they would know where we might get both food and a bed. He seemed to understand and swung around a traffic island and stopped the ute blocking traffic in the middle of the road. He told us to hurry and all three of us bailed out and heaved out the rucksacks. Our driver pointed to the corner, then was in the driving seat and gone! We stood for a moment taking stock of where we were!
We were in the middle of a dual carriageway, on the centre strip! This strip was wide, mostly brick paved, but park like with gardens, seats and things. On looking back the way we had come, we saw on a corner by the traffic roundabout the tourist office!
We both hurried across to it. No light on inside and the door was locked! "Oh dear!" A ticket in the window gave the opening times, I read 2.30 to 5pm! I looked down at my watch it said 5 to 5! Janis had put it right when we had entered Portugal! I banged again on the door but no one came! "Oh B….. what now!!!!
We pulled out the papers and books and I read out the name of a place that I thought was probably run by nuns,
"Santa Casa Misericordia, will give shelter to pilgrims and its near here it says!"
I have no idea where I got that information from now, but I had it written down then! We asked several people and walked in vain for a while. A group of youngsters thought it was very funny but sent us up the hill
and somehow we found the big wrought iron entrance gates to this big hospital type building! Followed by Janis I dragged my bag over the gravel to the front entrance, up the big flight of steps and through the big glass doors! Every one of the staff wore white coats. Seeing a girl sitting at a reception desk we went over and asked her. Like all hospitals everyone is in a hurry and the Sister has to be found before we can learn anything,"Yes you can stop here but not till seven."
"Oh dear," I say "Where can we eat? and as my friend has terrible blisters we need a doctor to attend to his feet"
The lady I was talking to was on the mobile phone telling the sister this, when suddenly she appeared round a bend in the corridor, came over to us and I tried to explain again. I was informed there was a resident doctor service. We must follow her and she would see to it that Janis's blisters were treated. We had both been hurrying after her while she spoke. We turned a corner as she banged on a door and explained to the nurses inside that Janis needed treatment to his feet. Janis now looked at me and panicked!
"I can't let them see to my feet with out showering first" he exclaimed!
Sister saw his face and looked at me to explain. When I did, she almost burst out laughing and said
"That’s alright. We will go back to the desk and one of the nurses will take you both to the bathroom to shower. Then come back here and I will see to it that there is a doctor still in attendance to see to his feet and by then it will be the right time for you to be here, and you can eat with the staff!"
We followed her back to the desk and a nurse who spoke a very, very tiny bit of Spanish said for us follow her and we were off in the opposite direction! The place was like a maze with slopes to different levels and lots of corridors, old folk wandering around, and nurses running all directions. We passed a few old folk and our nurse stoped,
"Wait here!" she said as she went to calm one old dear who was starting to panic and get out of her bed as she saw two strange men outside her bedroom!!!!Coming back our nurse opened a door, grabbed some towels, and turns and unlocked a door on the other side of hall. She hustled Janis in, told him to return to the desk when he was done, asked him if there was anything he needed and when he shook his head, dashed back down the passage!
Janis came out again and got his wash gear from his bag and asked me to guard his rucksack then he shuts the door and showered while I stood in the passage with three or four old ladies peeping at me from half closed doors!
"It's a bit wet in there. Hard to keep the water off the floor." Janis said as he came out and we changed places.
He went off back down the passage as I pulled my rucksack into the bathroom and parked it. I shut the door, and I could see what he meant! Water was everywhere! It was a big room with a toilet, bath and some wide stainless steel racking down one wall. A number of damp places on the walls and ceiling marked where other bathrooms adjoined. Two small sash windows let in defused daylight. The high old-fashioned bath dominated the room, as only the tap end of it was joined to the wall! There was a flexible shower on the taps. I understand now, two assistants could stand, one each side and help wash the person showering! I was, after all in an old folks home! There was no curtain to stop the shower water going everywhere! The bath has many colours of rust pattern stains, the room had seen better days. I decide I'd better get started, strip off and balanced my clothes on my rucksack to keep them dry!
I felt better for the shower, and it was nice warm water, I have had worse chuckle. I put on clean clothes but I never washed my dirty clothes as I would normally have done, but hurried down to find Janis.
I was amazed I found my way! I went straight to the doctor's room but they sent me back to the desk to ask where I might find Janis! I went back and was told he was in the kitchen. This wasn't far away and my new guide showed me in and left! Janis was sitting at a round table in the huge room. Part of it was partitioned off by a wall jutting out and this was the kitchen and washing up area.
"What now?" I asked Janis,
"I was just told to wait here, I think they mean to feed us."
We made ourselves comfortable and wondered where we would sleep! Ladies were washing up and after a time others came in and took their places changing shift we gathered. Now two took over and one laid the table with a tablecloth, wine glasses and places for four people. Neither spoke and when I tried to talk with them it was difficult as only one knew a very little Spanish and no English! A bottle of white wine was brought to the table and I opened it with my penknife and filled the glasses! A big bowl of salad was brought to the table, shared out onto the plates and we quickly got stuck in to that, we were both starving hungry! The bowl was removed and washed and the next course was brought from the oven, a big dish of baked fish and potatoes! This was nice, using traditional salt cod, but I always have trouble with bones and this dish has hundreds chuckle! Still I survived without choking and it tasted good. Yoghurt for the postre (dessert).
That eaten, our table companions returned to the sink and cleaned everything away. It was a little embarrassing but we tried to offer to help wash up but were told it was not necessary! When all was done we asked where we were to sleep. Gathering what we wanted, one lady left to ask and after a while another younger nurse returned and said she would take us but couldn't do that till 8 pm. I tried to ask why and was told we were to sleep in another building and would have to be taken there to unlock the building. I tried to explain we were tired and needed to wash out our shirts etc and wanted an early night. She went to ask again and soon returned and beckoned us to follow her. We went out the front door and down the steps and out the gate, around a street or two, down a flight of wide steps and suddenly we were back, not far away from the roundabout where we had arrived this afternoon. She turned right and at a huge entrance gate in a five or six storey building, she stopped and produced a big key. She opened the gate that might have looked better on a palace if it had been newly painted instead of antique flaking green! We went up some more steps where she unlocked a more normal size door. Now we started climbing in earnest and with a full pack it wasn't easy! After four flights, I think it was, she unlocked another door and we followed her through and down some passages to a big room at the end where there were three beds. She had grabbed blankets from a hall cupboard as we arrived. The walls were stained with huge patches of mould where they were damp and she opened up the window into the well area in the centre of the building! We were about to thank her when she must have thought there must be a better room than this! She beckoned us to follow and said or maybe this other one and took us back down the hall saying as we went that we could use any of the bathrooms on the right! There must have been at least three as I remember! She then took us into a smaller but better room on the left and we said this would do fine! There wasn't anywhere near as many damp or mouldy places! It still had three single beds, a wardrobe and that was about it.
"There are more blankets in the wardrobe" she pointed out to us!
"And the key?" I asked as she turned to go.
"Sorry, I have to lock up and a nurse will come and unlock in the morning" she replied. Janis and I said we would have liked to go for a beer before bed, but there was no way she was going to do anything different! She had been given her orders and that was how it was!!! In fact I think asking to be allowed out for a beer was probably not the right question either.
"A compañero will come at 7 in the morning and unlock the door."
"Gracias"
I hope there is no fire tonight" Janis quipped to as she locked us in!!! It was annoying we couldn't go out to at least look round the town but nothing could be done about that and we were tired. An early night would do us good!
Neither of us could work out what this place had been used for previously, hospital, nurses quarters, old peoples home! The windows weren't bared so definitely not for the insane, you wouldn't want anyone jumping out of these windows! Unfortunately now, like everything we had seen here, all needed lots of money spent on it just to get it up to scratch. Yet here we were, given doctor treatment, food, a bed and hot showers all for nothing! Everyone had been so kind when obviously they were rushed off their feet too!
We washed our clothes, rigged up lines in a front bedroom and opened the windows to get air through, also opened the doors onto a balcony over the street. Here we might possibly get them dry and get some of the damp mouldy air out of the place at the same time. It was cold and starting to drizzle with rain that evening and to be honest we hardly expected anything to dry when we went to our beds.
