Day 1 Porto to Motosinhos

Today we started our Camino. We were a little nervous but anxious to get to this part. We started at the cathedral and got our stamp for our credential, a kind of passport that gets stamped along the way. We did a devotional about the disciples on the road to Emmaus - how they did not recognize Jesus as they were walking along but he revealed himself to them at the breaking of bread. There are devotionals for the whole trip. On our way down to the river we unknowingly started the same day as a half marathon, so there were loads of people to navigate, as well as closed or blocked roads. As we walked along the river, we had to walk on a small metal footbridge since the runners got the road. It wobbled when you walked on it. It was good to get back on solid ground after that bit.

We thought our first day was to be 6.5 miles, but it was more like 8.0 miles. We arrived in Motosinhos, a beach town, around 1:30. We dropped our packs in the reception area of the guest house since we could not check in until 3:00, went to eat lunch by the beach, got our credential stamped, and checked in. We relaxed for awhile, then went to watch the sunset. It was a beautiful evening. Tomorrow we have a longer day and it is supposed to be hot, so we need an early start to walk while it’s cooler.Read more