A Couple of Days with Friends
/When they learned we were walking the Camino, old Canadian/British sailing friends we’d met in South America who now live in Portugal, contacted us about getting together when we arrived in Portugal. The Whitby’s offered to pick us up at the Lisbon Airport, transport us to their home in Figueiro dos Vinhos, two hours away, feed us, entertain us, and let us de-jetlag at our leisure. A very generous offer which we were only too happy to accept.
Despite the long delay at the airport, Catherine and Michael were waiting for us with open arms, accompanied by their dog, Ellie, a 17-year-old Chilean fox. Gear all loaded into the car and on our way, Michael threaded his way through airport and late afternoon Lisbon traffic while we relaxed in the back seat.
We chatted all the way to their home, but I’ll be darned if I remember much of the conversation. We were exhausted from the journey. Catherine had dinner nearly ready when we arrived… a delicious soup with shrimp and homemade bread and a crisp Portuguese vinho verde. We stayed awake with effort until 9pm and then crashed. Neither of us moved until 0800 the following day.
Below, their beautiful home atop a hill that overlooks their town of Figueiro dos Vinhos.
After a leisurely breakfast, we headed out to see their ‘neighborhood’. There was lots to see fairly close by and they chose two places to visit that were particularly interesting. We barely made it down the hill from their home when we found something we thought was interesting… a public a laundry spot complete with beautiful murals. Catherine said some local women still do their laundry here.
A 40 minute ride and we arrived at Conímbriga and the ruins of one of the largest Roman settlements ever excavated in Portugal. We checked in at the Visitor’s Center and paid our €5/pp admission fee and set out to explore the ruins.
The Romans arrived in the area ~139 BCE as part of the expeditionary campaigns of Decimus Iunius Brutus. The indigenous Lusitania people already had a settlement here, but the Romans formalized it making it into a prosperous walled town with a forum, commercial shops, thermal spas and baths, aqueducts and some very substantial homes.
Walking the grounds was amazing, just knowing that we were treading on the same paths that ancient Romans walked over 2000 years ago. Take a look.
After a cold beer at the cafe, we headed out to the ‘schist’ village of Casal de São Simão, a 30-minute, rather tortuous drive away. According to Wiki, “Schist Villages (or Aldeias do Xisto) are a network of 27 restored, traditional hamlets located in the mountainous interior of central Portugal. These villages are famous for having nearly all of their houses, structures, and paved streets built from schist, a durable, layered metamorphic stone that is abundant in the region.”
Walking in São Simão was like walking into the past once again. Maybe not the 1st century BCE like Conímbriga, but this historic village traces its origins to medieval times though most of the traditional schist (xisto) homes were built during the 18th and 19th centuries.
After wandering through the town, we stopped for a walk along the nearby Ribeira de Alge.
The ruins of old grist mills still remain along the riverside.
From an overlook, we could look down on São Simão and see the mile-long (1730 m) wooden pathway leading up from the village.
Fragas de São Simão (St. Simon’s Cliffs) are dramatic granite cliffs that dominate the landscape.
We were close to home when we ended our sightseeing day. Michael and David, garbed in man-aprons, were on dinner duty while Catherine and I sat on the front patio enjoying a glass of wine. Both Catherine and Michael are gourmet cooks, but it was Michael’s turn to show his stuff.
Dinner served in the dining room was a grand affair. Michael presented the paella with his usual flair. It was delicious.
We stayed awake until 10 pm, then headed to bed. Tomorrow, the Whitbys would take us to Coimbra to catch a bus to Porto. There we would begin our Camino to Santiago de Compostela.
We can’t say enough about our time with the Whitbys. It was beyond special. We reckoned it had been ~20 years since we’d seen them in Piriapolis, Uruguay and here we were in Portugal as if two decades of life hadn’t passed. Their hospitality and friendship know no bounds. Thank you, Whitbys! Obrigado(a)!