In the east of Portugal some two thirds of the way from Lisbon to Porto, is Fátima, revolving around its famous Roman Catholic, Marian shrine. It was established in response to the pastorinhos, three little shepherds named Lucía, Jacinta and Francisco who had angelic apparitions in 1917 and walked from their home in Aljustrel to Fatima (2 kms) where this holy place was established as a result.
Here are the little shepherds in the middle of roundabout
‘A journey to the altar of the world’ as the Portuguese tourist website calls it, can be made on foot, a pilgrimage to the shrine in Fátima along the four Fátima Ways: the Tagus, the Northern, the Nazaré and the Carmelite Ways, from Lisbon, Spain (Valença), Sítio in Nazaré (‘where the earth ends and the sea begins’) and Coimbra respectively. Based on the life and work of Sister Lúcia, who lived in the Carmelo de Santa Teresa [Carmelite Convent of St Teresa].
The church at the Fátima shrineCloisters, open on one side to the yawning public arena, provides a little shade
There is a large church, mainly white, with small bright and modern stained glass windows, and behind it is a vast space where the Pope gives his addresses. There are all the conveniences you would expect in such a place which draws the penitentious and worshipful thousands from around the globe.
A moving depiction of grief‘Our Lady’ and I
An altogether more peaceful place to visit in Fátima is Valinhos, accessed by the Via Sacra. It is one of the “nurturing grounds for the soul” that Bernadette Flanagan describes in ‘Embracing Solitude’ (p3).
The little shepherd’s Camino, the via Sacra
The birthplace of the little shepherds is the location of this second shrine – arrived at by a walk, with the Stations of the Cross along the way, and set amidst evocative olive groves.
There were many nuns aroundOne of the Stations of the CrossThe XIV Station
The quiet and preserved natural environment means that I saw many more birds (and flies) than I have seen so far – a pair of jays, a robin, greenfinch, sparrows, an giant grasshopper, stalkfuls of snails and the white, bobbed tail of a rabbit as it loped away.
Believe me, it was the an inch long!The great, green grasshopperThere were two jays under the olive treesQueues of snails
I seemed to attract more attention than usual – perhaps the rucksack and baton were the reason. A man gestured for me to stop and he took my photo. He shook my hand and said he was from Brazil. Another gent asked if I was a pilgrim (!) and, in an Australian accent, said he would walk 25 kms a day from Porto a day ahead of me.
There is always a choice of which way to turn
A third, a Portuguese, asked if I needed an albergue to stay in, but I had already spent the night in the city in a small, single room with a private bathroom in a great stack of serviced apartments.
The ‘What Else’ guesthouse where I sayed in Fatima, PortugalThe window display at the guest house refelcted the reason for this town being the way it isThe sun was high by the ime I left the guest house an had a good walk to the shrine, enjoying the brightly coloured housesAnd passing this little chapel at a road junctionI sat in this olive grove and meditatedFlowers all around
I have spent 2 days in the region of Dornes, at the border between Castelo Branco and Santarém, Portugal. September 2019.
Turn off the N238 onto a forest track at this junction
The Grande Rota do Zâzere (#33, 370 kms) starts at the Serra da Estrella and follows the River Zâzere to its confluence with the River Tagus at Constância.
Eerie light caused by the Portuguese forest fires
The first day was windy. The smell of burning was alarming, not for myself on the opposite side of the river, but for the trees and people over the hillside.
Smoke rising in Castelo Branco
An ominous plume of smoke, orange grey and thick, was rising from behind it and slowly it filled the sky, obliterating the sun. The talk was of despair at how nature was responding to our greedy behaviour.
A mixed wood of ferns, eucalyptus and pine
The water was murky, the wind was rallying in the eucalyptus woods, and black ash fell on me as I swam.
Ash at the edge of the river
After the endless toing and froing of the emergency services the day before – noisy, yellow bi-planes circling, landing on the lake and, air bound again, leaving to release their wet loads onto the undergrowth (or so I imagined) – there had been rain, most gratefully received.
Emergency services collect waterChecking for damage
And the next morning the sky was clear.
The day after – a magnificent azure sky
High above, I spotted a pair of birds, glimpsing their white under-carriages, and was impressed by their jet, square-ended wings. Not long after, they were joined by others. They made a few flaps to raise themselves, but then lazed on the thermals, way above, around and around so that I could feel their pleasure. When they landed on the water, they splashed like happy dogs!
Great birds enjoying the windPlaying and soaring
The mixed plantation behind the rocky beach also drew my attention at intervals: the crackle of brittle leaves, which every now and then fell onto the surface without my noticing how they had got so far from their origin unnoticed; the dry seed pods which fell, singly; and the wiggling of the triangular and smooth, green aspen leaves on their stalks. The silver-green soft fronds of a pine new to me has seeded in the yellow clay of the foreshore and it tickles my elbows.
Self-seeded mini treesLong, sharp sections of eucalyptus trunks sloughing offOchre clay and turquoise watersThe unidentified pineAnd its seed podsSparkling Aspen
As I stepped into the water a grass coloured fish darted away silently. I lay as quietly as I could, just sculling under the surface to keep myself afloat, when something leapt twice: up, arcing in a blur, down and then again, up and over, making a plash each time.
The wind creating endless patterns on the surface
The distant voices of fishermen on the opposite bank roused me from my meditation and, eyes open, I admired the ripples stippling the reflections of the slopes across the channel.
The broken rocks had sharp edges – not the most comfortable of resting places I admit
A few others bathed along the shore, two camped overnight. There was a water skier, five boisterous water scooters, an altogether calmer paddle boarder, and quite a lot of small yachts, but the predominant sound was of nature.
I sat and gazed – you can see why
At night when I swum under the hidden full moon, the water was like a thick liquid slate and the plaintive sound of an owl came from the trees, so different from in the morning when a single sweet call serenaded me. At lunch time, a tapping and knocking could be heard (but not seen) in the forest, and in a garden, a Jay zipped from branch to branch and screeched its existence. The enormous and garish ‘wasps’ buzzed so ferociously I was momentarily woken from my reverie.
A massive wasp or bee sort of insect which made the loudest buzz I have ever heard!
Don’t all rush down there at once and spoil the peace!
A walk from North Berwick to Dunbar, part of the John Muir Way, East Lothian. July 13th 2019. 30 kms / 18.6 miles
The mound of Berwick Law. You can just see the chapel and the famous herringbone on the summit
I remembered: the binoculars – definitely worth taking because East Lothian is a birdwatcher’s paradise. I saw 5 spoonbills through a kind man’s telescope (he had to lower it considerably so I could see, which was sweet of him). They looked like huge fluffy white poodoodles (or whatever they are called), with Edward Lear beaks (you know how he made drawings of amalgamated animals and kitchen utensils!) Also my walking baton pole which came in handy for the mud caused by the torrential rain. I forgot: tissues / toilet paper and my mobile phone charger – when will I learn? I lost: my sun hat. Twice. Once a motorist stopped and rolled his window down so I went back quite a long way to get it – all run over it was with muddy tyre marks. I wore it when the sun came out and then lost it again. Never to be found – not by me anyway.
Pool at the foot of Berwick Law, near North Berwick, East Lothian, ScotlandA rather picturesque Wall I thoughtLooking through the gap in a stone wall to the wheat beyond
I had not done a long-distance walk for a long time and I managed to get quite stressed to start with, meaning that more little things went wrong, until… I got into the first green part and the butterflies (some chocolate brown and others white – twice one kissed me on the cheek) were playing, and the raindrops sat bulbous on the bramble flowers catching the glint of the sun, and I got bitten by black and white flying beasties. I was back!
Arable fields, East Lothian, Scotland
The man in a green National Trust for Scotland t shirt said ‘Lady on a mission’ as I swung through the gate and skirted around Berwick Law. I have been up to the top in the past and it’s well worth it, but today I was headed south through meadows and woods, around fields and coastline – it was delightful.
I smiled out loud as I made my way through an ash wood, all smooth, straight, pale trunks
Two runners in electric blue went jogging slowly past, having a laugh. Several jaunty ladies wished me good day, and I rather rashly added to my brief conversation with a hiker going in the opposite direction, that at least it had not rained.
The very definition of a lowering sky!
I squelched along a narrow way with piles of horse manure and single tyre marks which suggested other users I thankfully did not meet. When it rained I was on a long farm track which quickly became two channels of fast flowing water. There was a section which reminded me of a Kent walk, because it had serious new, silver metal fences on each side, and one smelly uphill section through the Drylaw Composting site where I discovered a make-shift children’s play area.
cof
cof
There was the unmistakable sound of a wild bee swarm several times along the way, and the hideous screech of racing cars around East Linton. One blissful result of the downpour was that they stopped, although they restarted when the sun reappeared.
Half way I stopped for refreshments at Smeaton Nursery where there is a gallery and shop. Helen Gray is the Smeaton Estate Artist
There are lots of plants, a Victorian tea room (soup, salads, cream teas, delicious looking cakes), and a gallery shop selling all manner of paintings, cards and gifts. The staff were particularly friendly and helpful while I dried off a little in the sun – boots off and not so waterproofs laid out on the table.
The mature trees of Smeaton Nursery grounds where there are woods, a lake and pony arenaPreston Mill reminding me of a disused oast house in YaldingStunning weeping willows along the River Tyne outside East Linton
You could be forgiven for thinking there was no bee or butterfly problems if you saw the number of them I did on this walk. There is a beautiful long stretch along the river where comfrey grows in abundance and the sliver green fronds of the willows dip into the water.
Bridge over the River Tyne
There were so many wild flowers I lost count: chamomile with green orbs which had lost their white petals – not just short stalked, but long and waving in the breeze;
elder flowers practically turning into berries as I passed; ripe cow parsley covered with Comon Red Soldier Beetles; ox eye daisies amongst the fields of bearded barley; brilliant scarlet poppies in the hedgerows; and miles of roses, sweet secented and in a variety of firey colours.
Wild flowersPink rose bay willowherb contrasting with yellow ray flowersBarley tickling the groundCowparsleyDog roses in the hedgrows
As well as the spoonbills (above), there was a buttercup headed yellow hammer bathing in a puddle, gaggles of very excited sparrows with their wings all a flutter near the horse paddock, and a piebald square tailed kite sailing overhead.
Caterpillars having a feast – there were about 20 on this one plantSquelchy slug – one of the biggest ever – seen in the dappled woods opposite the East Links Family Park where there were emus grazing alongside llamas and donkeysRed beetles on cow parsley
The more you walk the better it is because there are so many memories of other treks gone by, people met, places visited. The first black raven crawed and reminded me of Orkney. The second clearly warned me of the coming shower, which I promptly ignored and so got very quickly wet through. I was still damp 4 hours later when I marched into Dunbar.
Old stone bridge over the River Tyne, East Lothian, Scotland
There are three bays at the end of the day: the flat wetlands of Tyninghame, the red sandstone stacks of Belhaven (not to mention the real ale, the yellow house, and the John Muir Country Park with its caravans and little swan lake), and finally around the golf links I went barefoot to the gull studded cliffs of Dunbar itself.
The distinctive Scots Pines of Tyninghame Bay, East Lothian, ScotlandCreek at Tyninghame BayBass Rock and Tyninghame Bay, East Lothian, ScotlandBelhaven Bay, East Lothian, ScotlandComing through the arch into Dunbar Bay, East Lothian, ScotlandThe man himself – John Muir, featured in Dunbar Bay, East Lothian, Scotland
It’s a hedgrow and fields walk
Its a meadows walk
Its a skirting round the hills and not going up walk
It’s a coast to coast walk with arable land in between
It’s a walk full of wild roses,
A very well signposted walk
While the birds call all you have to do….. is walk!
Practicalities
I arrived at North Berwick around 11.30am, and in Dunbar 7 and a half hours later, with an hour’s stop and an extra 2 kms in the middle to and from the Smeaton Nursery tea rooms off the main route. I was reliably informed that the tea room at Tyninghame is also lovely.
I took the train from Edinburgh to North Berwick with Scotrail (who very kindly refinded my fare to Dunbar which I made by mistake – thank you). It took 45 minutes and cost £7 single. I might have rather annoyed the gentleman in a cravat opposite, but had lovely chat with a Northern Irish dog walker from Glasgow on his way to follow Mcllroy round the golf course.
Walk from the station in NB to Lady Jane Road, turn right up it and after a few minutes on the right you will find the John Muir Walkway signs. Alternatively start at the Seabird Centre and walk through Lodge Grounds by St Andrews Well. There is a lot to see in NB.
My return was by bus from Dunar on the Edinburgh Express which leaves at 29 minutes past each hour on a Saturday afternoon / evening and costs £5.70. It takes an hour, leaves from the high Street, and doesn’t put you down at the bus station but at Waverley Railway Station, Edinburgh.
Greek Orthodox religious street shrine, Achiropitos Church, Thessaloniki, Greece
I liked Thessaloníki. It’s a mixture of dusty urban streets with shops selling beach umbrellas, interesting portals, attractive heritage sights, a glittering seafront, and varied cultural delights.
Captivating umbrella sculpture being used for community gathering
One minute I was standing surprised in front of a shop that seemed to be only selling beach umbrellas, the next I spotted a woman behind one on a far away balcony.
I stopped off here partly to break my journey to the north, but mainly to meet Shiatsu practitioners and teachers.
Evening drinks with Marie-Helene and a yummy lunch with Daphne were both really satisfying exchanges. The joy of meeting others in my own, rather niche profession and being able to talk shop, knowing they speak the same language (Shiatsu I mean! I spoke French with one and English with the other) was delightful.
I had a chirpy visitor as I sipped my fizzy mineral water, and gazed at the shining sea over the top of my laptop
Doorways
Beautiful doorways abound.
Copper bells outside a bar
I thought it was a church, but it turned out to be a night club! Thessaloniki, Greece
Someone’s front door – care and attention to detail make for everyday beauty hereA domestic front garden of contrasting coloursDoric columns adorn this frontage. Thessaloniki, Greece
Hostel accommodation
There was WiFi at the Studio Arabas hostel where I stayed for 2 nights, on Satchouri. I booked through Hostelworld. It is steeply uphill and I didn’t have time to explore the Old Town that it is in because I was meeting people in the part nearer the sea where most of the monuments are – that’s a good trek down and climb back up so be warned.
I left early to walk the hour to the bus station and caught the morning sunlight, Thessaloniki
The hostel was clean, but not in a squeaky clean sort of way. I got some advice from the lovely Charlotte while I was there. Although you can’t do this at her place…
Tip
… It is always worth booking a hostel by phone or in person because you often get money off or a free breakfast. They save money on the fees they have to pay to the third party, the booking website.
The book fair was on that day, Thessaloniki, Greece
Cafés
I was on my way to a meeting but needed a cup of tea. It was going to be an hour’s walk. Until, that is, I spied Vermilion.
Just my sort of place. Creative and friendly, good WiFi and recycled jewellery.
I was early and they were cleaning and preparing for the day, Vermilion, Thessaloníki, Greece
The menu was handwritten in the front of an exercise book
Nearby are other nice places – a bakery, cheese shop and more.
Recycled jewellery made by the owner
B caféCafé full of young people including women playing backgammon
Local people resting in the shade
I was fascinated to glimpse women sewing and men and women sharing a drink in the shade.
A group of men in the distance, taken with the zoom. They went back and forth through a door in the wall behind – I was so curious!
You can just about make out the women who had been keeping the church yard spic and span, taking a welcome break
She turned round and gave me a huge smile so I asked permission to snap
Churches
In Greece many people draw a cross on themselves when they see a church. A woman on the train did it as we whizzed past one. Later I saw a man walking a dog, doing the same thing .
The priest was just emerging as I crept around the lovely church near my hostel
Greek Orthodox Church, Thessaloniki, Greece
Columns
There are Classical Greek columns everywhere in Thessaloniki.
Ionic columns add finesse to the Cathedral, Thessaloniki, Greece
Ruins
City wallsArch of Galerius, Thessaloniki, Greece
This ancient monument was built in 305 AD following the final victory of Emperor Galerius against the Persians.
Carvings from the arch
I liked the apartment blocks cheek by jowl with the ancient stone
Gardens
The sunken garden of the Greek Orthodox Church of St Demetrios
Everywhere there was marble – walls, floors, and columns of course!
The marble basement of the B cafe at the Museum of Byzantine Culture
Other sights
Padlocks for peaceEnjoying the sunset togetherTrumpeter in silhouetteMuseum of Byzantine CultureGreek Archeological MuseumSarcophagus, part of the Field, House, Garden, Grave exhibition at the Archeological Museum
Church at nightGraffitiAlexander the Great. The spears are arranged in the formation from his best known battleWoman of Pindos, 1940An undressed version Emanuel Pappas (1772- 1821) and me with my clothes on. He was the leader of the Greek War of Independence.
Travelling around Greece is straightforward. On this, my second solo trip, I flew to Athens overnight with Air Baltic (on time, efficient) from Edinburgh; walked and took the metro in the capital; and then went to Thessaloniki, Komotini in the north, and the village of Proskinites by bus to see my friends’ new born baby. There I either walked or was driven in the jeep. I returned to Thessaloníki the same way, and then flew to Paris with Transavia for 39 euros.
Greek Orthodox Church, Proskinites, Greece
Travel around Athens
Crossing the road: Wherever you are, beware the motorised scooters – either being driven wildly with one or more people on them, or abandoned in the middle of pavements.
Looks tame sitting on its own like that I know, but add 1+ humans and it becomes lethal!
Like everywhere else in Europe, look left before crossing the road!
Museum antiquities exhibited in Acropolis Metro station
The Athens Metro
Metros are clean, cool in temperature, crowded at rush hour as anywhere in Europe, efficient, regular and all stations are announced in English as well as Greek. Ticket machines are quite easy to use and you can choose to view the screen in English. Tickets cost 2.70 euros for 2 tickets and go down in price if you buy more. You can use one anywhere within 90 minutes, which I didn’t realise and so wasted a second one on a bus connection. Make sure you register your ticket on the machine both in and out of the metro, and in (but not out) on the buses.
Reclining male nude – statue in Acropolis Metro station, Athens, Greece
Trains, buses and travel out of Athens
I took the Athens to Thessaloniki train, even though there is a lot of bad press to be found on the internet about trains in Greece. The service was clean and smooth (“better than the UK, like Italy” said my neighbour!) You can book online via the OSE website.
Athens mainline train station, Greece
Bus travel
For the rest of Greece, the bus is better, but finding information and booking by website is hard work if you don’t read Greek. The main page of the main Greek bus company website (ktelmacedonia.gr) comes up in English on my phone, but the list of places does not and anyway, even looking up the Greek spelling for the places didn’t mean that they appeared on the list although they do have buses which go there! On my laptop, the website was impossible for me to operate. If you are stuck, you could try asking a friendly waitress as they usually speak great English and can often be really helpful making calls for you.
Interesting juxtaposition of satellite tower and saw sculpture, Thessaloniki, Greece
I have discovered this since writing the above : Bus tickets pagebus website KTEL Macedonia – new e tickets available. I am leaving both sets of information so that you have 2 options. Please leave a comment if you find the best way and that will help others. Thank you.
You can also buy ferry tickets, and transport or store luggage through KTEL Macedonia (as above).
The police boarded the Komotini – Thessaloniki bus, looked at random people’s passports, and took 3 men off this morning who had no papers.
On the way to Thessaloniki by train
Which bus station?
It is therefore best to book at the bus station (KTEL has 2 bus stations in Athens: Kifissos and Liossion. Note that when it asks you which one you want to leave from, it also includes ‘Pireus, Athens’ which is actually half an hour away by car so you don’t want that unless you happen to be staying near there). Alternatively you can ring up: I got a very nice man on the phone who spoke manageable English and he took my name and gave me the information and advice I needed. ( When I got there a few days later and went to buy the ticket, he introduced himself to me saying it was he who I had spoken to – what service!) There is a 25 per cent discount in advance which is hard if you are making spontaneous decisions.
The Greek countryside between Athens and Thessaloniki
Other
There is no bla bla car (online car sharing in France, Spain etc) here in Greece. There are regular tolls along the motorways – between 3-13 euros depending on the distance. See below for other people’s blogs about travelling in Greece.
Bus Athens to Thessaloniki 39 euros one way, 59 euros return (note that the English translation says ‘refund’ instead of ‘return’!
The White Tower, Thessaloniki, Greece
23 euros bus Komotini to Thessaloniki (6 hours)
2 euros X1 bus Thessaloniki (dome) Macedonia bus station to airport. Every half hour. Buy ticket from kiosk by bus stop.Very crowded. 40 – 60 minutes.
I left early to walk the hour to the bus station and caught the morning sunlight, Thessaloniki
Walking without a donkey 