Amarante to Felgueiras (22 km)

It was a very short day, so I knew that I wouldn’t have to hurry at all. I like leaving around seven, and even with a lot of stops to chitchat with villagers, I was in my hotel by noon.

The scenery was not spectacular, the terrain was definitely not my favorite (all pavement except for a few short detours on dirt), but I really enjoyed the walk. because the trail went through so many villages, there were lots of opportunities to chat.

About 4 km out of Amarante, I met a couple who were working to cut up logs for firewood. They told me it was eucalyptus. I asked if they ever used pine, and they told me that pine is inferior for burning because it burns much more quickly. We didn’t get into any discussion of the other aspects of the eucalyptus vs. pine debate.

I knew that there was a Romanesque church somewhere near the Caminho. Comparing my Wikiloc track with Google Maps, I saw what I thought was a good spot to get off the Caminho and head up to see the church. The women who lived right at that spot assured me that if I stayed on the caminho I would miss the church, and that the only way to see it was to take the road up. Well it turns out they were wrong, and it also turns out that the bar where the person with the keys usually is was closed, and it also turns out that the exterior of the church did not have much Romanesque to enjoy. But oh well.

I passed an entrance to a four-star hotel, Monverde, inside the grounds of a winery, Since I had plenty of time, I decided to go in and take a look. I would not say they welcomed me with open arms, but they did let me walk around and also told me to take all of the literature on the Rota do Románico. All of the hotel buildings are new, there is no nice old solar. More than 40 rooms and there were plenty of cars in the parking lot, so I’m guessing it’s nice.

Much more fun was the talk I had with the woman working in the fields at a vineyard outside Vila da Lixa. She told me that she enjoys working the harvest, picking grapes by hand, but that she was also happy when it was done!

So here I am in Felgueiras, a very big town, maybe even a city. It’s not especially attractive but people are friendly and it was a good way to break up what would otherwise have been a 38 km day into Guimarães. Those days are behind me now.Read more