Camino Part II - Day Three

Paços to O Porriño
~26 km/16 miles

I got an early start in hopes of beating the heat, but the heat wave broke, and the temperature was very pleasant for walking - plus there was a lot of shade along the route.

I arrived in Valença, the last town on the Camino in Portugal very early, while everything in the walled old town was closed. I walked the ramparts that surround the town, and coukd see the Spanish town of Tui across the river.

After leaving Valença I walked across the bridge which joins Portugal and Spain.

A while after leaving Tui there was quite a dramatic increase in pilgrims on the trail, since many who want to walk the final 100 km to receive their Compostela certificate start there.

I met Brad from San Diego (he started from Porto, not Tui) whom I identified as American by the Trader Joe's sunscreen spray sticking out of his backpack.

Not long after meeting Brad we came to the turn-off for a slightly longer, but more scenic variant along the river where Jen, another American seemed to be debating her options. I urged her to come with us on the variant, and we had a great time walking together.

Brad and I both had places booked in O Porriño, but Jen had cobbled together her own itinerary, and took a bus to Vigo after the three of us had some tapas together.Read more