I woke up this morning with nothing to to do. I thought the last day I took a day off was Fromista,where I met Sam, but realized that the day I waited I cycled 80 km around Fromista. I’ve had a couple of short days, and a half-day while I settled things in Santiago, but I think I’ve cycled evey day this trip but the one day in Beja with Wayne and Charlotte. Oops.
The celebration and music festival in the main square made going to sleep difficult, so I slept in a bit, luxurating in my inactivity. Leaving the room this morning, the door handle came off in my hands. Fortunately the door hadn’t latched, so I could get out. My quirky sense of humor tempted me to put the handle back and get the door to latch. Instead, I went downstairs and notified the hostel staff. I also pointed out I could probably fix it; the retaining screw loosen and it just needed an Allen wrench.
I had a pleasant surprise this morning. While tracking down the staff member, I noticed the hostel served breakfast. I’d specifically checked my confimation email the night before to learn they did not. The staff member came back after investigating and asked if I could help. I pulled out my toolkit and fixed ithe door for her. Nice Way Hostel opened only the month before, and she indicated they’ve had some growing pains.
My beloved sandals died. Marnie and I bought sandals at the beach years ago, only to later realize how light they were. My first pair lasted a couple of trips, and Marnie volunteered her pair after that. I’d hoped these would last the trip, but no such luck. I temporarily resurrected them with tape for the day, but they’ve reached their end. I should have burned them, as is the tradition at the end of Camino.
Today I accomplished nothing at all. I took the old city tram to one of the castles in Porto, and walked 2 km further to the next one. I found a carnival in progress, and wandered about the city. Tired of walking up and down the hills of Porto, I took a Metro back to the hostel. At ground level when I got on, two long escalator rides brought be back to the surface with the hostel nearby.
The train for Lisbon leaves at 8:50 am, with the station about 2 km away. Given my overall train paranoia, I’ll try to leave by 7:30 am, get there by 8:00 am, and make sure to find the right platform in time. Rushing through a train station with a loaded touring bike, up and down to get to the platforms through crowds doesn’t make life fun for anyone.