Day 20 - ESPOSENDE to Viana do Costello

Today was a very hard 17½-mile walk on the Litoral Path of the Camino. We crossed so many different terrains — cobblestones, sand dunes, pebble stones, and even more sand dunes — which made for some very challenging walking. Along the way we passed countless farms and watched local people harvesting their crops, which was beautiful to see.

One thing we didn’t see were cafés! I made the mistake of not filling up my water jug before leaving the hotel, so at one point we had to detour about 800 meters off the path just to find a café and get some water.

Today definitely turned into an adventure. We walked through beautiful eucalyptus forests where large branches had fallen everywhere, forcing us to climb over and duck under them. At one point we followed a trail we weren’t completely sure about, only to discover it ended in someone’s backyard! We had to jump the fence to get back out to the street and continue on our way.

We also saw beautiful wild horses running through a field, which felt like something out of a movie. Eventually we reached the long bridge leading into the city of Viana do Castelo. That bridge seemed endless, and by then my feet were absolutely killing me. To distract ourselves, Gina and I sang two entire songs even though we barely knew the words!

When we finally made it to our hotel, our feet were sandy and filthy, and all I could think about was getting into a hot shower. After cleaning up, Bob and I met Gina for drinks and appetizers at a nearby bar before heading back to the hotel restaurant for a delicious dinner. Bob and I shared a bottle of wine, and now it’s time to get some much-needed rest because tomorrow is another very long day.

Buen Camino!Read more