Day 14 Malaposta to Porto

Since we were staying in a pretty nice hotel, we decided to sleep in and take advantage of their breakfast before we started, therefore we got a little later start today. There was a light rain when we started and the morning was mostly overcast making for nice hiking. There was also a nice breeze all day even when the sun came out making for a pretty delightful day. Unfortunately, the scenery was pretty boring. Think about walking around your suburban neighborhoods for 17 miles. That's what today was. We saw nice areas, run down areas, some shops, restaurants, and some businesses all on cobble stone roads, then repeat. We had a little bit of eucalyptus wooded area and one monastery for a little variety, but really pretty boring. We added some steps and a hill because we missed an arrow! But walking into Porto made up for it. What a beautiful city! We are taking a two day rest from walking so we can explore the city of Porto.

We saw our Mexican friends early in the day once but that was it for anyone we knew. Saw very few pilgrims going our way.

This week in Porto, students at that university are celebrating the end of the year of studies. There was a parade today (before we got here) and the square we had to walk through had thousands of students wearing top hats and canes as well as the traditional school robe. The color of their hat reflected their course of study. They have activities planned for the week.

Trivia note - JK Rowling spent two years in Porto after her mom died. There were many Portuguese influences that have appeared in her Harry Potter books, including the cloaks that university students wear.Read more