I wake at the hostel in the morning with no plans. Food seems like a good idea, but to say my thoughts go beyond this would be a lie.
Ziko texts to see where I am. He and Walid have made a bit of a mistake and have no place to sleep in Sintra tonight, with all hostels booked. I suggest they meet me at Gargem, a small cafe in Sintra I’ve quickly decided is my spot, so we can figure something out together.
They arrive. We figure nothing out. We don’t even try.
“Okay, I just talked to a tuk tuk driver and he said it’s 10 each to take us up to the Palace,” Ziko announces upon his return from smoking a cigarette.
“Wait, what? I thought you were looking for a hostel for tonight?”
“It’s fine, it’ll happen. I want to see the palace before we leave Sintra, which apparently may be today. Are you coming with us?”
“Sure, why not?” I’ve got nothing on my schedule.
We spend hours exploring Palacio Pena and the beautiful gardens attached, before eventually hiking down, past the Moorish Castle, and back into Sintra.
Maya comes to wake Bryn and I. Jimmy is leaving. We drag ourselves out of bed for hugs and well wishes that feel much too soon and not at all real. They leave for the airport. Everyone is sad.
The cleaning lady knocks way too early, and we chaotically check out of our apartment.
Get attacked by pigeons while eating breakfast.
Find a park and lie down.
The vibe has changed.
We all feel the coming of the end of this chapter.
Eventually it doesn’t make sense for us to stay any longer. The boys need to check into their final room for Portugal, and Bryn and I need to get back to her parents house in Sintra.
We keep hugging and then finding more things to say. Excuses to not walk away.
It’s hard to believe I’ve only known them for a week. It feels like a lifetime. They feel like family.
Finally we go.
Three goodbyes in one day. Ouch.
Our group has been halved.
Girls with girls, boys with boys.
The house is quiet the rest of the day. Maya, Bryn, and I only being social long enough to make dinner before retreating to our caves of quiet and recovery once more.
Making friends abroad is one of my favorite, most rewarding things, but it’s also incredibly difficult sometimes. You connect with people quickly and deeply while traveling. But eventually, typically sooner rather than later, you’ll have to part ways once more, and continue your separate journeys.
The train from Sintra to Lisbon is only an hour, and after spending nearly the whole day on the computer applying to housesits, I decide to hop on it and meet Maya and her parents and their family friends at an Irish pub to watch Fabio play.
The tunes are fantastic. Player after player turning up to join, until they have a circle of 10 or 12 instruments. As I sit, sipping an Irish coffee, watching Fabio (who I met on the streets of Galway four years ago) play his bouzouki, listening to patrons bang on tables and clap along, I’m washed in a wave of nostalgia for Ireland. Perhaps it’s time to return.
Though the departure of the boys has put a damper on the mood of the last few days, Maya and I have something to look forward to shortly after they leave. A highly anticipated reunion. Once again, a thankfully short time after our initial separation.
This morning we leave Sintra, catch a train to Lisbon, a train to Porto, walk a mere 12 minutes, and open the door to the smile of our beautiful friend, Thomas. Three of the four big dipper, star siblings back together. Mazunte, Mexico to Porto, Portugal.
“So what are your plans after we leave Porto?” Thomas asks me.
“Dude, I have no idea what I’m doing on this trip, if I’m honest. Maybe I’ll hang with you until you go off to volunteer on the 13th. Maybe I’ll return south with Maya on the 4th. Maybe I’ll head off on my own to do the Camino Portuguese. It’s all in the air.”
“I see. Well, maybe we both just head off on the Camino when Maya leaves.”
“Yeah, maybe we do!”
And the plan feels set, loose as it is.
Let’s return to the Camino.
Sometimes it’s that simple.
But first, let’s adventure in Portugal.
“Okay, so what’s the plan here?” Thomas asks as we lounge in our apartment. “I mean, it’s so good to see you guys, but what are we actually doing? We talked about camping in the group text, do we have a place?”
“Nope, not at all.”
“So is there a plan or a goal or an idea?”
“The plan right now is that tomorrow we’ll make a plan.”
He laughs. “So, we’ve all just traveled from different areas to meet each other in Porto, we’ve got 5 days, and no plans.”
“Exactly. It’s going to be perfect.”
And it is.
It’s nearly 5pm, the day wearing on quickly. “Make a plan” has been on our to-do list all day, and we’ve made no moves towards getting it checked off.
We decide to catch the bus along the coast and get a glass of wine at the end of the beach in Porto. There, we claim, there, we’ll make our plan.
But their wifi is spotty, so Maya is the only one able to do much of anything.
Thomas mentions an interest in seeing the first and only national park in Portugal, in the North, near Spain. Peneda-Geres.
We more or less pick a random town on the map that puts us close to the park. Gerěs.
“There’s a noon bus to Braga tomorrow. I think from there we can get to Gerěs, and from Geres we can hitchhike. Shall I buy them? They are…” she pauses, checking the Flixbus app. “Nevermind, I’m buying them. They are 2 euros each. We’re going to Braga at noon. We’ll figure the rest out from there.”
“Well there you go. Plan set. Wasn’t that easy?”
And it is easy. The whole camping trip is a breeze. Which will have to wait to be written about once I'm off the Camino de Santiago. But the whole week is an incredibly clear reminder to let go. To flow. To release control. These things I struggle with. These things which allow beauty into my life. And I’m thankful, once again, to have met beings who help me do this.
Wow! Maya, your mom shared the link to this. This is great! Enjoy your travels.
ReplyDeleteThis is Giles btw.
DeleteThanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed! 🙏🙏
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