will i am's delayed diary

Morning call was at 6:00 AM and we checked out of the hotel at about 7:45 AM after breakfast. Started the journey in mist and rain. During our toilet stop, we bought a 2 KG box of huge strawberries for just EUR5. Sweet and juicy snacks! The first leg of our journey brought us to Guarda some 243 KM away. Hardly realized that we had crossed the border into Spain. No fanfare, just a change in time zone. Our lunch stop was at Restorante A Mexicana . Not sure if it was really Mexican food. Started with vegetable soup like usual and that was followed by pork chops and rice with beans. The dessert was a light as air flan called pudim molotov . Continued our journey to Salamanca some 160 KM away. Salamanca is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that throbs with the power of knowledge and youth. Students from all over flock to this ancient Celtic city to study in the beautiful blonde sandstone buildings. According to the local guide, the attraction of Salamanca lies not only the quality

According to the original itinerary, we had a day of private devotion in Fatima after our morning mass at Chapel Senora de Las Dolores. But I guess there's only so much praying and quiet contemplation one can do. We were offered a mini tour at an extra cost of EUR20 per pax. That brought us to the coastal town of Nazaré, just 40KM from Fatima. In that town is a gem of a church, Church of Nossa Senhora da Nazaré which is related to the Legend of Nazaré. Legend states that Dom Fuas Roupinho was out hunting and nearly chased a deer off a cliff if not for the intervention of the Virgin Mary. When we arrived, rain and mist enveloped the whole place. Rushed inside and was greeted by a Door of Mercy called Porto Santa da Misericordia in Portuguese. The interior of the church looked as old as the one in Santarém, but this was more elaborate with its baroque twisted columns, gilded coffer ceiling and beautiful ceramics. For a donation of EUR1, we were allowed up to view the statue of

Technically, our pilgrimage only started on the 13th. Got our morning call at 6:30 AM, but on and off I was awake because I could hear my mother rummaging through her luggage whole night. Breakfast was not half bad with a good selection of local breads and buns, eggs and breakfast meats. Coffee was mild though. While waiting for the group to assemble at the lobby, I realized that I was quick becoming the de facto IT support guy for the group of old aunties ( average age was 65 ). They come to me for all sorts of problems-- How to log in to the wifi? Why won't my phone charge? How do I use the travel power adapter? How do I What's App this picture to my daughter? Why can't I switch on my phone? Quite a serious situation because one lady actually was trying to plug in the travel adapter to her phone sans the power cable! On that day, we had a local tour guide who brought us around the grounds. Dominating the grounds is the Sanctuary of Fatima with a tall central bell