Caminha to Oia

We had a quick breakfast at the hotel before heading a mile down the street to catch a small, speed boat across the minho river to Spain. The company is called Popeye and Popeye is the captain.  His wife made it clear that she is not Olive Oil.  She was very sweet and gave us each a little gift. The trip took about 10 minutes and we crossed the border somewhere in the middle of the river.

Since today was going to be a short walk to A Guarda, we decided to walk an extra 7 miles today to Oia to make tomorrow's walk shorter (that one is scheduled to be 18 miles!).  We walked 5 miles from the boat dock to A Guarda, where our hotels were, and dropped off our backpacks so we could walk the additional 7 miles without the extra weight.  We walked through an urban forest, coastal rock-embeded trails, and along a main road.  The rocky coast here resembles northern California. We took a taxi back to A Guarda and I went straight to my hotel to do laundry and rest. 

I'm staying at Hotel Convento San Benito which was a convent from around 1582 to 1984, if I remember correctly.  The hotel is beautiful and contains a small museum, the cloister, and a welcome glass of port wine. My room has a radiator, which is really exciting when you want your laundry to dry quickly. While I was resting, I looked up restaurants.  Many closed early because it's Monday but I found one open that looked good.  Bob and Sue went straight to eat when we arrived so I asked where they went.  Turns out, it was the same place I had decided on and they liked it.  I headed out and stopped in at the church attached to my hotel and then went to the restaurant, O Cangrexal. This has been my favorite meal of my trip so far. I had an ensalada mixta and scallops.  It was healthy and flavorful.  The salad was huge so I tried to give half to the German couple next to me but they each ordered one and inhaled them. The scallops here are served with the roe which gives them alot more flavor. 

After dinner, I took so pictures of the local beach and went back to my room to get ready for the next day. We walked about 12 miles.Baca lagi