Autumn 2023 European Itinerary
“You’re off to great places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So ... get on your way!”
By popular request, here’s a synopsis of the route I traveled across Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Austria, and Gibraltar between August and December 2023:
Aug 28-Sept 6, 2023
Lisbon, Portugal, population 500K
I loved walking around Lisbon, where the calçada (tiled sidewalks and parkways) underfoot were ever-changing works of art and azulejos (glazed ceramic tiles) graced nearly every building. “Free” walking tours (where you tip the guide at your leisure) of the Baixa, Chiado, Barrio Alto, and Alfama neighborhoods proved a great way to meet other travelers and get to know the culture of different areas of the city. And in the town where Fado – a uniquely Portuguese vocal art form – was born, one can duck into a Fado performance in any local bar or restaurant in the Alfama neighborhood. Day trips to the equally charming towns of Sintra (where one must visit the Quinto da Regaleira, Moorish Castle, and Pena Palace) and Cascais are a must-do!
Sept 6-Sept 18
Gradil, Portugal, population 1K
While volunteering at an Iberian Wolf Sanctuary, Centro de Recuperacoa do Lobo Iberia, I enjoyed weekend day trips to Fátima (the holy city where the Virgen is believed to have appeared to three shepherd children), Óbidos (a tiny walled village), Nazaré (where surfers congregate to tackle the world’s largest waves in late autumn), and Mafra (whose National Palace inspired Portuguese Nobel Prize laureate José Saramago’s novel Baltasar and Blimunda).
The Camino
Sept 18-20
Porto (aka Oporto), Portugal, population 215K
Porto is home to what is widely considered the world’s most beautiful train station, São Bento, and the world’s most beautiful bookstore, Livraria Lello. But I especially enjoyed her bridges: walking the Dom Luís I Bridge at sunset and clipping into a climber’s harness to scale the steel structure of the Ponte da Arrábida bridge after dark are experiences I won’t soon forget.
Sept 21
Labruge, Portugal, population 3K
This tiny beach town (one road ~ 5 blocks long) is most notable for the region’s most charming proprietor at the aptly-named Smiling Places Guest House.
Sept 22
Vila do Conde, Portugal, population 79.5K
I thought this was a beautiful town. There’s a river on one side with a lovely park, and the ocean on the other. Blessedly, it isn’t too hilly. (I’m applying Portuguese standards here, which means it’s definitely hilly but the hills aren’t deadly.)
Sept 23
Esposende, Portugal, population 35K
The waterfront walkway in this town is amazing, with bike paths and walking paths and boardwalks all along the estuary. The folks here get extra points from this animal-lover for their attunement to the protection of wildlife.
Sept 24 & 25
Viana do Castelo, Portugal, population 89K
This town lives up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in the north of Portugal. Located at the mouth of the river Lima with its extravagant religious buildings and plazas, the town is also known for artisan traditions including filigree gold work. From here, I took a day trip to Ponte de Lima (population 41K), home to the International Garden Festival, which is quaint as can be. Were I to move to Portugal (which, surprisingly, given that everyone else is moving there, I’m not inclined to do), I’d likely situate myself in one of these two towns.
Sept 26
Vila Praia de Âncora, Portugal, population 4.5K
I’m not a fan of this town. It harkened to Atlantic City in the late 70s. Enough said.
Sept 27 & 28
A Guarda, Spain, population 10.5K
The walk into this town was spectacular, along a boardwalk aside rugged cliffs abutting an arboretum. The town itself, however, struck me as tired and somewhat depressed. That said, every time I walked through it I did so during siesta, so it can be forgiven for seeming abandoned. While the town itself didn’t charm me, the whole place took on an intoxicating floral scent in the evening that made me swoon. I slept with all my windows wide open, drinking it in.
Sept 29
Oia, Spain, population 3K
Oia was beautiful — all old stone buildings with tons of personality, but every last one of them looked to be a rental for tourists. I don’t think I saw a single local resident the whole time. One tiny & not-well-stocked grocery at the very top of a remarkably steep hill seemed to attest that people more often pass through, rather than live, in this ancient architectural wonder of a town.
Sept 30
Baiona, Spain, population 12K
The beach, the waterfront marina, and the waterfront park are the places to be in Baiona. As for the rest: kinda dingy, kinda grey.
Oct 1 & 2
Vigo, Spain, population 295K
Vigo is known the world over for its Christmas light display. Any other time of year, the must-do trip is to Isla Cíes via ferry. Fragrant pine woods, a sweeping arc of soft sand, and wind-sculpted rock formations define the islet. Escaping the mainland for the island is the thing to do.
Oct 3
Redondela, Spain, population 29K
This cute little town, populated by an endless litany of fruit stands, has a little train-on-wheels driven by an old man who will take you touring and drop you at the beach to run with the sand in your toes. What’s not to like about that?
Oct 4
Arcade, Spain, population 5K
Arcade struck me as the ugliest town I visited – one long industrial road, nothing more. Walking in on a death-trap of a highway didn’t help. But … on the way out of town I walked through what turned out to be a cute village. I’m not sure if it was the other side of Arcade’s proverbial tracks or if it was a different town altogether. Just saying: it turned out there was something nice I nearly missed.
Oct 5 & 6
Pontevedra, Spain, population 83K
I walked into Pontevedra along the “Camino Complementario,” an idyllic alternate-to-the-road path winding through the woods, with a river flowing alongside. So I was already happy, and then the city’s car-free center won me over. In the heart of the city is the Plaza de la Herrería, with a classic Spanish arcade on one side and a convent and the church of San Francisco on the other which, according to tradition, St. Francis himself founded when he stopped in Pontevedra while walking the Camino Portugués. The city also sports a scallop-shaped church, the Iglesia de la Virgen Peregrina, dedicated to pilgrims of the Camino, so it’s no surprise Pontevedra is a pilgram favorite.
Oct 7
Combarro, Spain, population 2K
Right outside Pontevedra the Camino splits: the traditional Camino is to the right while the Variante Espiritual is to the left. I took the Spiritual Variant to Combarro, famous for two things: 1) Hórreos, or granaries: charming storage huts on stilts built in the shape of tiny chapels where food is over-wintered (the Spanish equivalent of cold storage), and 2) Crucieros: 18th and 19th century granite-carved crosses with the Virgin facing the sea, representing not just religious symbolism but also a personal crossroads. The historical town center is tiny tiny tiny, but glorious, with cobbled footpaths (no cars in the town center) that wend around boulders apparently deemed too big to move when the ‘roads’ were built.
Oct 8
A Armenteira, Spain (no real population outside of the convent)
I spent the night with the nuns in the Monasterio de Armenteira, who host a pilgrim's blessing at 7:00 p.m. in the oratory of the community of sisters located in the cloister. I was grateful for the peaceful respite of this village of women.
Oct 9
Vilanova de Arousa, Spain, population 10.5K
The route from A Armenteira to Vilanova de Arousa is called the Route of Stone and Water, said to be the highlight of the whole Camino and the most beautiful day of walking on any route. I concur. I have reflected back on this day nearly every day since – the stone mill cabins, the forest, the waterfalls – and every time, it brings me peace and joy. The town I reached at the end of the day, though quite nice, pales in comparison to the path that gets you there.
Oct 10
Teo, Spain, population 18.5K
Teo is hardly a town. I think that the 18.5K population estimate must refer to the whole region but I would have hardly noticed anyway, as I rolled in tired after a long but fascinating day that started with a boat ride to Pontescures via La Barca del Peregrino along the Via Crucis on the Río Ulla, then a walk from there to Padrón and on to Teo. Padrón is a relevant place in the history of the Camino. According to legend, the remains of St. James first arrived by boat here, when his body was transported back to Spain by his disciples. I stopped to visit the stone they used to moor their boat, called Pedrón, which is presently housed under the altar inside the Iglesia de Santiago.
Oct 11 & 12
Santiago de Compostela, Spain, population 96.5K
This is the end of the Camino, where the Pilgrims Office stamps your passport for the final time nearby the Cathedral, where hundreds or sometimes thousands of people greet you upon arrival. I finished my walk with a visit to the underground Tomb of St. James, beneath the nave; climbed onto the roof of the Cathedral for a view of the city; then attended formal mass where they swung the massive botafumiero, wafting incense over the freshly-arrived (and historically not well-smelling) pilgrims.
Oct 13-17
Ventosela, Spain, population 91 (people, total)
Having finished my very long walk, I spent a few days at a friend’s house recouping and reveling in good food, great music, and the company of new friends, with day trips to Ribadavia and the hot springs in Ourense.
Oct 17-21
Girona, Spain, population 100K
Girona was one of my favorite Spanish towns: compact, vibrant, quaint but hopping. I could see myself living there but for the Catalan independence movement and language which seemed like a sizable complication I might not want to contend with. I spent a lot of time delving into the very-local tradition of Castelleres, or human tower builders: think American cheerleaders on steroids, who form free-standing human towers up to nine people tall that perform at local festivals. Nearby, I day-tripped to Cadaqués – where Salvador Dali lived and where I’d move in a heartbeat were it not so isolated – and Figueres to visit Dali’s very funky, very hip museum. I also day-tripped all over the Costa Brava, from Calella to Begu to the Cap de Creux. Gorgeous, all. And windy as hell 24/7.
Oct 21-25
Collioure, France, population 3K
This little beach town with its artistic history, kindly residents, sunny climate, and charming architecture stole my heart.
Oct 25-30
Barcelona, Spain, population 1.6M
Staying in the Gothic Quarter, I spent much of my time admiring Goudi’s masterpieces: Sagrada Familia (good god: the stained glass!), Parque Güell, and Casa Batll. The Rambla is as vibrant and crazy as you’ve heard, and the city as bustling as any I’ve visited. Day trips away from the city included hiking to the top of Monserrat to the monastery to visit the Black Virgen and listen to the boy’s choir sing Salve and Virolai, and a jaunt to Sitges, Spain’s beloved LGBTQ+ mecca, where I took in a drag show at the storied Queenz dinner theatre before riding the midnight bus back to town with the performers.
Oct 30-Nov 3
Valencia, Spain, population 800K
Valencia is a street art haven, with graffiti artists proudly and publicly announcing their work via collaboration in city-wide projects. Through the center of the city a re-routed riverway is now repurposed as Jardin del Turia, a massive city park, which in a central location features a gargantuan statue of Gulliver, the famous traveler, on his back for children (and the young at heart) to clamber over and around. Proving it’s a city for the ages, the Cathedral houses one of the chalices (the storied Holy Grail) claimed to have been used by Jesus to institute the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, while around the corner, outside the gothic Door of Apostles, the Tribunal de las Aguas De la Vega de Valencia continues a thousand-year-old tradition of deciding water issues for farmers in the public square every Thursday afternoon.
Nov 3-5
Cuenca, Spain, population 55K
This whole town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with Casas Colgadas (hanging houses) built over a massive canyon broached by the San Pablo suspension bridge.
Nov 5-9
Córdoba, Spain, population 326K
Were it not for summer temperatures that soar upwards of 120F, I think I could love this town with their flowerpots affixed by the thousands to walls and patios, Royal Stables full of regal Andalusian horses, and the Catedral Mezquita – or Mosque-turned-Cathedral – which is without a doubt one of the most magnificent buildings I’ve ever seen. Sadly, here the brutal tradition of Catholicism is on full display in the Alcázar de Los Reyes Cristianos (or Castle of the Christian Kings) which was the seat of the Spanish Inquisition that decimated the Jewish Quarter to such a degree that these many centuries later there still is not a single rabbi or operational synagogue in the city.
Nov 9-13
Granada, Spain, population 233K
Were I to move to Spain, this is the city that might call me there. The Nasrid Palace in the famous Alhambra complex rivals Córdoba’s Catedral Mezquita in beauty, and the ancient and still-thriving quarters (neighborhoods) of Sacromonte and the Albayzín stole my heart with their sense of historical community that spills onto the streets in the form of lively conversation, street markets, and impromptu flamenco sidewalk dancing. There is an unmistakable Moroccan flavor in the spice markets and colorful lantern and rug shops, which made the city both exotic and accessible. Yes: I liked this one a lot.
Nov 13-19
Málaga, Spain, population 580K
Málaga’s wide shopping plazas put me in mind of Vienna, Austria. A port city, Málaga is rimmed in charming beach towns, has devoted her waterfront to the International Botanical Garden sporting over 2,000 different species of plants from all over the world, and I appreciate the way her Mercado de Atrazanas kept me well-stocked with local, seasonal vegetables (though she kept the carnivores and seafood fans even better-supplied!). From here, I day-tripped to Ronda (famous for the bridge and houses built on the cliff above a grand canyon), Setenil (where the buildings are carved underneath and into rocky overhangs), Mijas Pueblo (where donkeys are the primary means of transport), and Puerto Banus and Marbella (the playgrounds of the rich and famous). But hiking the Caminito del Rey along a series of walkways suspended from the side of vast canyon walls was one of my favorite excursions.
November 19-24
Salzburg, Austria, population 152K (and, without meaning to linger there, Frankfurt, Germany, population 752K)
My son attends university in Salzburg and had been planning to meet up with me in Spain, but when his school schedule interfered I decided on the spur of the moment to go to him to celebrate American Thanksgiving together. I love Salzburg – quaint but thrumming – and as luck would have it got to wander her Christmas markets for my second year in a row. I’ve got a bone to pick with Frankfurt, though, where for the second year in a row my travel got thwarted by delays that saw me overnighting where I never intended to be. That said, I met some lovely fellow stranded journey(wo)men and managed to therefore enjoy my short-term hostage situation.
Nov 25-28
Estepona, Spain, population 67K
I wanted to love the south coast (Costa del Sol) town of Estepona, whose whitewashed houses, cobblestone streets, Orchid House, and flower-bedecked porches charmed me, but alas this former farm girl couldn’t picture myself fitting in well among the preponderance of leopard-skin tights and stilettos that are favored by the locals. I did appreciate the proximity to Gibraltar, and hopped a bus to the border (which one must cross on foot by dashing across the runway of the international airport) to spend the day e-biking to the top of the world-famous Rock of Gibraltar. Between the Barbary macaques jumping about on the stone and the tours of the tunnels blasted into the Rock where old cannons still protrude from spy-posts I had a blast in this city.
Nov 28-Dec 2
Seville, Spain, population 690K
Sevilla (in Spanish the city name ends in an A not an English E) suffered a bit in my estimation by being the only place in three months of travels where I encountered much rain. (One of my motivations for leaving Oregon and searching for a new home abroad is to escape the rain and gray gloom of Portland.) Nonetheless, I splashed through puddles at the Plaza de España, wandered from room to room in the gothic Cathedral de Santa María de la Sede (the third largest church in the world and home to Christopher Columbus’ regal tomb) and the Real Alcazar (or still-in-use Royal Palace), raced to the top of La Giralda bell tower (with a ramp system instead of stairs to allow the Muezzin, who issued the call to prayer, to ride his horse up multiple times daily instead of having to walk) and enjoyed one of many flamenco shows at the Museum of Flamenco.
Dec 2-5
Tavira, Portugal, population 28K
Back in Portugal, in the Algarve region on the south coast, I toured Tavira’s salt flats via TukTuk, oogled flamingos, went to church to hear more Fado singing accompanied by typical Portuguese guitarra, and enjoyed watching the Christmas lights – which had been strung, unlit, in every Spanish town for over a month – finally illuminate.
Dec 5-9
Lagos, Portugal, population 32K
Lagos boasts the Algarve’s most famous coastal walk, the Ponta da Piedade, a many-kilometers-long boardwalk system stretching atop sheer cliffs that drop into the Atlantic Ocean. By boat, I also navigated the grottoes and beaches down below.
Dec 9-10
Lisbon, Portugal
Ready to reconnect with family, I returned to Lisbon to catch the Christmas Market in Parque Eduardo VII before flying back to the States for the holidays.
Means of transport utilized:
Jet plane
Car
Bus
High-speed train
Hiking/Foot
Tram
Tourist train
SUP
Tuk Tuk
Metro/Subway
Taxi
Funicular
Bike
Boat/Ferry