Forte de São Clemente

The day started the way all days should start. After just a small unplanned loop, we found a great coffee place, and I had my first pastille de nata , a Portuguese pastry, of the trip.
The day was somewhat overcast, and in the 60's, a perfect walking day.
The trail was beautiful. It was surrounded by many kinds and colors of wildflowers and trees. The ascents and decents were very manageable.
We came across a small cafe just as we were getting hungry and had great sandwiches. The woman who made our sandwiches did not speak any English, but with the help of Google Translate, we were able to make ourselves understood. It was a very friendly little place.
Up to that point, it was an absolutely perfect day.
We supposedly only had about 45 minutes of walking left to our night's lodging. We followed the signs, but that ended up taking us in a big loop. We tried Apple navigation and went in another loop. Google maps was sending us the same way. After 2 1/2 frustrating hours, we admitted our defeat and walked back to the friendly cafe, which, after all this time, we were again very close to.
Kathy had typed out our predicament in Google Translate and asked if someone could give us a ride. The owner, a very nice man, agreed to. We offered to pay him, but he refused to accept anything.
We were there within 10 minutes. We still can't figure out what we did wrong, but the woman who owns the place we are staying at said the trail had been changed.
All the trouble, though, has pretty much been wiped away by the beautiful place we are staying. It has a pool, many beautiful flowers, windmills from 1820, and a wonderful room.
The woman who owns it made us supper, a delicious soup and spaghetti.
She has a very sad story, though. She is from Germany and bought this property along with her husband and two sons. Her two sons returned to Germany, and now her husband is in Germany going through chemotherapy. She is trying to keep things up all alone. Hopefully, she will get some help soon.
We were able to see the sunset over the ocean, which is still at least a day or two away.
My body made it through a 16 mile day, for which I am very thankful. All in all, it has been a very beautiful day.Read more