Camino Portuguese

A 18-day adventure by The Wine Friends Read more

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Trip start
May 14, 2024
Camino Portuguese Traveler
Porto Arrival
May 16–17, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
It’s been a couple of great days hanging out with Jay in Porto waiting for our bodies to get accustomed to the time change. We spent the days exploring the city. Porto is a wonderful city known for the beautiful ceramic tiles that adorn many of the buildings and a beautiful area down by the river with cafes to enjoy a meal or just a glass of wine. We walked across the Dom Luís Bridge over the Rio Douro to the city of Vila Nova de Gaia. Later we met up with a Watercolor artist I’ve followed that paints while walking the Caminos (Vincent Monluc) at a cafe on the river. Tomorrow morning we start our Camino with our first day of walking along the beach to Labruge.Read more
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Camino Portuguese Traveler
Day 1, To Labruge
May 17, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F
Day 1

Today we left our place “The Lost Inn; Porto” about 7:45am. It was a mostly beautiful day, passing lighthouses and abandoned forts under sunshine mixed with occasional rain. Much of the time we were walking on boardwalks over the sand with the ocean on our left. Occasionally we were on traditional Portuguese cobblestone paths which are often white stones accented with black stone decoration (or the reverse). Being so close to the ocean, of course we had to eat seafood for lunch and dinner. Eighteen and a half miles and 43,000 steps later we arrived in Labruge about 4pm where we stayed at the Casa de Praia Guest House.

Tomorrow we are off to Arcos.Read more
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Camino Portuguese Traveler
Day 2, To Arcos
May 18, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F
Portuguese Camino Day 2: To Arcos

Today started off with more walking on boardwalks by the ocean, mixed in with the typical Portuguese stone black and white cobblestone walkways.
Once we got to Vila do Conde the route involved walking on lots of small two lane roads with virtually no shoulder to cut across from the coastal (or Sendai Litoral) route to the central Camino.
We had a really great lunch in the little village of Strada. The food was great and the people were spectacular. The wife/hostess gave Jay a large scallop shell (since he didn’t have one) and then the husband (and chef) got his tool kit with drill and proceeded to drill a hole so Jay could hang it from his backpack.
Side story…. We ordered pork ribs with roasted potatoes and salad. I was a little concerned because in Texas, pork ribs are definitely finger food. But, we were dining at a nice restaurant in Portugal so I didn’t know the proper etiquette. I asked the hostess if pork ribs should be eaten with your hands?… with a completely strait face she said “yes it’s much easier than eating them with your feet…”
Today was a shorter day than yesterday but our feet were still complaining from yesterday.
Fortunately we arrived at our Villa de Arcos a little before 3p. We were ready to take off our shoes and enjoy a little wine after about 23 kilometers (14.6 miles) or 33k steps…Read more
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Camino Portuguese Traveler
Day 3, To Barcelos
May 18, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
Camino Portuguese Day 3: to Barcelos.

It was a great day today. Nice weather and a nice walk. We left Arcos in the fog but things cleared up fast. We ended up going off the “normal” path for an alternate path that took us through the trees to a beautiful hilltop church with a nice restaurant and a view to the sea. It was up, up, up and then down, down, down but definitely worth the journey. Speaking of “normal”, the first day and a half instead of taking the traditional or “normal” route, we walked up the coast on what is called the “Senda Litoral” route. Along that route you see very few yellow arrows guiding you. However, you do see lots of beautiful coastline and sand. (Perhaps the arrows are difficult to paint in the sand. Besides, if the ocean is on your left, you’re going the right way…)
Once we reached Vila do Conde we cut over to the traditional Camino Portuguese route. Now that we are on the traditional route, we are seeing lots of the comforting yellow arrows the tell us we are indeed on the”way”.
When we got to Barcelos we checked into our room (free upgrade at Casa da Ana!) super nice room! Then we took our showers and washed our dirty laundry. Feeling clean and refreshed, we headed out to see the town. Tomorrow we are at Casa de Fernanda. Our first true albergue.Read more
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Camino Portuguese Traveler
Day 4, To “Casa da Fernanda”
May 19, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
Another beautiful day on the Camino Portuguese. We left our room in Barcelos at 8am and stopped by the bar next door for a croissant and coffee. Tonight we are staying at our first real Albergue; Casa da Fernanda.

The day started by us leaving the city then making our way past rock wall lined rural lanes as we moved more into the countryside. We’re obviously in wine country with vineyards all around. Finally, we arrived at our Albergue, Casa da Fernanda. There are 12 beds in shared spaces. One room with 4 beds and another with 8. Jay and I are in the smaller space with a young couple from Belgium.
There is also one Italian guy and two elderly women from Canada. (Those two have each done around 15 Camino’s!) There are also five women from Brazil that are part of a hiking club.
Tonight after a wonderful communal dinner, a guitar was passed around and the Belgium woman played and we sang old John Denver and other great sing-along songs. This albergue pretty much sums up the difference in staying at private accommodations vs. albergues. At an albergue you may lose privacy (and possibly an insuite toilet) but you gain friendship and community. For me, I like a mix of the two. If I were 30 years younger, I’d stay at an albergue every time. In any case, today was really fun.
Tomorrow we’re off to Labruga.Read more
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Camino Portuguese Traveler
Day 5, To Labruja
May 21, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
Camino Portuguese Day 5: To Labruja.

Today started with a nice breakfast at our albergue, Casa da Fernanda before heading out on our 24k (about 17 miles and just over 40k steps) day. It was rainy in the morning but part of the time our trail took us through fields of Calla Lily’s (big white flowers) and over hanging Brazil white angel trumpet flowers. (They were actually yellow). It was pretty magical. Around lunchtime the rain stopped before we arrived in Ponte de Lima where we stopped for lunch and ran into friends we had met on previous days. Ponte de Lima is a really charming town that we were told is the oldest in Portugal. After crossing the 2000 year old bridge (considered to be the most important monument in Portugal) we continued on through primarily rural dirt and cobblestone pathways. Around 5:30 arrived at Quinta Labruja. It’s a remodeled building that is the oldest in the village and is reported to have served as a small shop for pilgrims 300 years ago. Quinta Labruja translates to English as “Witch’s Fifth”. The owners did a great job using the witch motif as a theme for decorating when they turned it into a small private hotel with two rooms. They also served a nice dinner for the other two guests and Jay and I. Tomorrow, we are off to another albergue, Passos Albergue Quinta Estrada Romana. In theory, it’s less than an 18k walk.Read more
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Camino Portuguese Traveler
Day 6, To Albergue Quinta Estrada
May 22, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F
Camino Portuguese day 6: to Albergue Quinta Estrada Romana

Today was supposedly a shorter day (about 19k). However, it was a very vertical day, with lots of up up ups and down down downs. That did make it a bit more challenging, but the trails were really beautiful. All in all, I’ll take a long vertical climb through the woods any day, vs. a few minutes on a skinny shoulder of a busy road. We walked over a couple of Roman bridges that are thousands of years old, past monuments where pilgrims have left stones to represent their loved ones and things they have chosen to leave behind, and of course, many many churches. We saw old cork trees and baby sheep. We drank good wine and ate good food with new friends we met today, and some we met days ago on the Camino. We walked in rain and under sunny blue skies. It was an excellent day.Read more
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Camino Portuguese Traveler
Day 7, To O Porriño
May 23, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
Camino Portuguese day 7: to O Porriño
Today was an especially long day, it was just over 31k or about 19 1/4 miles. For you step counters, todays walk was just less than 45,000 steps. That’s about a third more than I like, but it’s what worked out best when planning the stages (days) for this Camino. The fun parts were we made it to Spain yea! It just feels cool to be walking into another country. Just before walking across the bridge to Spain we took a quick walk around a Portuguese fortress in Valença. We saw a couple of Roman bridges and several medieval ones. This area is full of ancient canals that were used for trade and transportation. Some of the canals have virtually filled with silt over the millennia and you could tell where a thousand years (or more…) of carts and people have worn wheel & feet tracks into the stone in the surrounding roads. There was one place where the Camino split. Going left was a little longer but more scenic, so that was our choice. Even so, today had lots of walking on the narrow shoulder of roads. Not our favorite. Tomorrow we walk to Redondela. Less than 18k. Yea! Our feet need a break.Read more
Where did you stay in Porrino? [Jennifer]
4/27/25Reply
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Camino Portuguese Traveler
Day 8, To Casa di Mina (Redondela)
May 24, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
“The walk continues…. Day 8: Today we walked from Porriño to Redondela.” That was all I wrote for my initial social media post I tried to do each evening before going to bed. I was obviously tired…
It actually was an eventful 21k day. Early on we passed the 100 kilometer mark from Santiago. For the great majority of pilgrims that walk the various Caminos to Santiago, that is where they start. The final 100k is what the Catholic Church requires to consider it a pilgrimage and to receive your Compostela when you arrive. The walk was a combination of trails and roadways until we arrived at Casa di Mina about 5k after Redondela. It was a great place to stay. Nice hosts, good food and wine, and most importantly, comfortable beds.Read more
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Camino Portuguese Traveler
Day 9, To Pontevedra
May 25, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
Camino Day 9: to Pontevedra.
I would say today was one of my favorite days so far. It was a beautiful walk today to Pontevedra. Much of it was on natural trails. It also was not too long (about 20k), so we got to our accommodations for the night about 2:30 after eating lunch nearby. Since we passed the 100 kilometer mark yesterday the Camiño is definitely getting more crowded. We are seeing lots of new faces excited to be starting their journey as well as folks we met previously.Read more
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Camino Portuguese Traveler
Day 10, To Caldas de Reis
May 26, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
Camino Portuguese Day 10: to Caldas de Reis

Another really good day on the Camino! We’ve walked a little over 25k today, but that included a little walking around. The day started with a foggy morning but turned into a pretty day with lots of trails through nature past vineyards and scarecrows. (I’m not sure if they had brains). Of course, meeting more new friends and revisiting over a beer with folks we met earlier on the trail is always a highlight.
Caldas de Reis has been known for a millennium for its hot springs. They had a small area that was perfect for Perigrinos to soak their feet in the hot water after a long day walking. Of course, I had to partake.Read more
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Camino Portuguese Traveler
Day 11, To Padrón
May 27, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
Camino Portuguese Day 11: To Padron.

As we get closer to Santiago the crowds on the Camino have continued to increase, yet we seem to run into our friends we have met during our Camino around every turn. We can’t stop at a cafe for coffee, lunch or dinner without being greeted by one or more of the 20 or so folks from around the world that have shared this walk. Tomorrow we will arrive in Santiago and I already know the joy of arriving will be surpassed by the knowledge that it’s the end of this journey with many new friends and a great trip with my brother.Read more
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Camino Portuguese Traveler
Day 12, To Santiago
May 28, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
Camino Portuguese day 12: to Santiago

Today was the final day of this Camino and it also was the most difficult. We knew it would be a difficult day (over 25k) and up up up virtually all the way. Fortunately we got a very early start so we avoided (some) of the heat of the day. It actually ended up being over 30k and over 50,000 steps. Although in full disclosure some of those steps were done dancing in the evening.
That of course leads me back to the great part. Arriving in Santiago you are surrounded by people from all around the world that have walked the multiple routes to end up in Santiago. They are all experiencing the same tumble of emotions; joy, sadness, and the combination of a great sense of completion and exhaustion. There is also always the sense of joy and sadness of the friends you have crossed paths with during the journey and knowledge you very possibly will not cross paths again.Read more
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Camino Portuguese Traveler
The End
May 29, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
It was a great trip! Here are our passports or “credentials”. Since of course Jay and I were traveling together, they are virtually identical.
When you are walking a camino you use these to gain access to the albergues (hostels for pilgrims). Then you get a stamp at each place you stay (and cafes and bars) to prove at the end of the camino you have walked (or rode a bike or horse) the required distance to get your Compostela (100km if walking or 200km if riding a bike or horse). We also both received our distance certificates that confirmed we walked 240 kilometers (150 miles) and our Compostela Certificates (documents from the 13th century written in Latin to prove we completed a pilgrimage.
The passports and certificates are great, but of course the real rewards are the great memories of people and places.
Thank you Jay for all the great memories!Read more
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Trip end
May 31, 2024