Valença

We made it to Valença do Minho, our last stop before we cross into Spain. Our hotel, Alojamento da Vila, is inside the walled fortress of the ancient city on the banks of the Minho river which is the border between Portugal and Spain. Tomorrow we are taking a rest day of sorts, only walking across the river to the Spanish city of Tui. The best part is that Spain ‘s time zone is one hour behind Portugal so we might even arrive before we leave!

Today’s walk was long but pleasant. Very gentle hills, many forested sections, and sufficient cafes with restrooms. Sadly, no places to soak our feet today. They say «The Camino provides » but when I was wishing for a fountain all I found was an old sock.

Last night’s communal dinner followed by breakfast with the same group of folks made today fun. Alison & Peter, Claudia & André, and new friends Ashook & Hesha from Canada, all left the hotel together this morning. While we all walked at different paces we managed to catch up to each other at cafes. The cycling boys took off just before us on their way to Caldas de Reis which we will reach 5 days from now. We even ran into our mates Betty and Jan twice today. We walked together for a bit but the rocky path we were on was hard on Betty’s knees so they dropped back. The next time we saw them they were arriving at a cafe in the town of Castro just as we were leaving. They were going to rest a bit then catch a bus or taxi to Valença. We invited Jan to accompany us but he opted to stay with his mother. Such a good son.

When passing through Castro we met Fatima and her dog, Lola. Fatima was born in Portugal but now lives in Canada. She and Lola are living in Castro for several months of r ‘n r, staying at her family home right on the Camino. She asked us many questions about the Camino and we had a really nice chat. Lola is an 11 month old Aussie/Labradoodle mix with a lucious red coat. Very well behaved for her age and breed.

Our room at the Alojamento da Vila is lovely, with balconies overlooking the tiled rooftops and the narrow pedestrian lane below. Our next door neighbors are two German women we’ve exchanged «Bom Caminho!»s with several times over the last five days. We don’t know their names yet but if they hang their laundry out on the balcony, too, we’ll be sure to ask. We do know that they are heading back to Porto tomorrow and plan to finish the Tui to Santiago portion next year. This is their second Camino and they got me excited about getting to Santiago. They say it’s wonderful.

Some of our friends were continuing on to Tui today but others were planning to stop in Valença. I imagine we’ll see some familiar faces at dinner tonight.

As I write, I hear a donkey braying nearby. Perhaps it is the Rastafarian! I must investigate.Read more