July 13, Tomar, 459 km

A 0 day in Tomar. Yesterday was a bit different. So far I have been walking on minor roads, or through fields of corn, grapes, tomatoes, on dirt farm roads. The Camino routed me over hills and through a forest of eucalyptus trees on access roads (just bulldozed) to a cell tower. The route became unmarked. Started going the wrong way, but my Camino app got me back on track to an overpass to cross a main highway. After that it was well marked. It was about 25 km and quite a bit of up and down. Got to my room a little after 4. Room has a/c, and the hotel has a pool. It’s a boutique place with only 6 rooms right in the heart of the city.

Last night about 10:30 pm a parade through town of the knights Templar came through. Today I hiked up to the convent overlooking the city. Tomorrow is back on the Camino. I am getting acclimated to the Camino much more quickly than last year. Achilles gets a bit sore but manageable. Body and mind are at peace. I do miss interacting with pilgrims. I believe that will become quite common starting in porto. So far I have seen 8 others walking the Camino.