Mealhada Municipality

The bright sunshine and warmer temps made for a promising day on the Camino. However, things took an unexpected turn when the fine gravel turned to rough rocks and ruts; the inevitable happened - a flat tire. Fortunately, there was a spare tube replacement, and John, an experienced tire-changing expert, came to the rescue.

Despite the setback, we continued, enjoying the ever-changing landscape interposed with quaint villages and the occasional pilgrim. While climbing a steep hill, I was halted again when the chain fell off. John continued on, too far off to hear my cry for help. In the distance on the hiking trail, I could hear pilgrims whistling to get his attention. Thankfully, he heard them and made his way back. A stick, the culprit this time.

For the next hour, we bounced our way through a gorgeous but oddly quiet trail, except for the occasional bleating of a baby goat, and joked about things happening in threes. When we arrived at the next town, I looked down, and my phone was gone! It had popped off my Quad Lock, last location, 45 minutes ago. The chances of finding it were slim to none, but we decided it was worth the effort, especially given our protection thus far. I was less than enthusiastic to retrace our route through the rough cratered hills, but it had to be where it was lost. We asked two lone pilgrims to no avail. As I turned up the path, I heard John speaking to someone and could see one of the two women pull a phone from her sack. She found it!! The same two women who whistled a few hours earlier....our Camino angels, interceded no doubt by Our Lady of Fatima! She told us about losing her phone the year before on a Camino and recalled the dreaded feeling. She was determined to find the owner in the next alberge, but there could be no chance of finding us on our biking route. After the harrowing morning, we needed a nourishment break. We stopped at the next local Churrascaria and enjoyed a hearty lunch of meat, meat, and more meat, and reflected on the day's blessings.

One of the best things about a Camino is getting to do it YOUR way. We decided to give the bikes and our bodies a break. Aveiro was the perfect place to do so.Read more