DAY ONE – The Beginning of the Portugues Camino – Calm start.

15 May

Thursday,14 th May,2026

After a taxi ride,organised by Mike and shared also with Sharon and Rob, we arrived at Birmingham International in good time. Surprisingly quiet in the “ Drop Off “ zone and even more deserted at the Jet2 Check- in point. The time from dropping of the hold luggage to exiting Security was less than 20 painless minutes! Fastest yet.

It occurred to me that the reason everywhere was so relatively quiet was possibly because the Wetherspoons was rammed with passengers, with a queue to boot.

So with two hours to kill, we found a quieter coffee spot, having met up with Rita and Dave in Departures. We have all exchanged the expression “ small world” after a conversation, which came to pass when Dave realised that he and I had both attended St Philip’s Grammar School. Dave being younger than me ( like most people) started a few years after me, but happened to remark that he had a cousin who had attended at the same time as me. He said his cousin had gone on to become the Headteacher of Holy Cross School, Walmley – this immediately rang a bell.
“ Your cousin wasn’t Paul King was it?”
“ Yes” he replied in astonishment.
“ I was his “ best man” “, I replied.
I went on to describe Paul and our friendship of close on 70 years ….
“ Well, I”ll be….”
Small World” indeed.

Already the Camino was springing pleasant surprises….

Not quite so pleasant was the 45 minute delay to take-off, however some time was made up and we arrived in good time.

It took twenty minutes to clear security at Porto airport, thankfully there was no biometric test! Taxis to the hotels- we were glad we did not have to use public transport.
The hotel,is opposite Porto FC’s stadium. We met up in the hotel lobby.
I set off to find somewhere “ local” for dinner. Normally this would not have been a problem,but May 14 th is Ascension Day – many paces were closed.
After a frustrating few minutes I came across this place and made a reservation for the eight of us.
Everyone in good form
It had a good,vibe – no tourists except us! I was really pleased that the menu featured several versions of a dish unique to Porto.
The Francescinha which most of us ordered and just about managed to finish.
A francesinha (meaning “little Frenchie”) is an iconic Portuguese sandwich originating from Porto, developed in the 1950s as a local take on the French croque monsieur. It is a massive, high-calorie, toasted sandwich made with thick bread, filled with various meats—typically steak, ham, sausage, and linguiça—covered in melted cheese, and smothered in a rich, spicy tomato-and-beer sauce. 
SMILE FOR ANITA’S SELFIE

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