To Viana do Castelo

Last night I slept so deep- I was tucked in a cubby with my curtains pulled and I heard nothing until 10am when I opened my eyes to full sunlight and a panic- oh my goodness I never slept so late on a Camino! Luke was asleep too and all the other pilgrims were gone- what a pair we are!! We roused and got backpack and boots together and were out the door as quick as possible and on the road! And then we were in a church within 3 minutes of our hostel- it was the beautiful Igreja da Misericórdia where there was a small altar to San Tiago- a good way to get the day back on the right foot! On the way out of Esposende we passed the memorial of Homem do Mar and the São João Baptista fort and then we ambled through small villages full of houses with red tile roofs. We were greeted by numerous little dog and cats who made sure to let us know they saw us! The day was clear with blue skies and cool breezes- so pleasant and calming. We stopped at a grocery store in Marinhas and bought apples and peaches and protein bars, visited the village church San Miguel and kept going. We visited many churches and chapels today- one had the most beautiful statue of St Thérèse that I’ve ever seen and so I felt my mom with me today! The people in Portugal have a devotion to Our Lady of Fatima so each church has some type of statue or painting of Mary clothed in white as she was described at her miraculous appearances. The flowers on the road were not as plentiful as in the springtime- this has been a hot summer- but the ones we saw were stunning- bougainvillea, oleander, sunflowers and purple morning glory seemed the most plentiful. We entered the eucalyptus forests again and were on rocky paths. I find it amusing that even though you are far from the villages and people, there are still donativos- unmanned booths with goods or snacks for sale- that pop up randomly! Luke bought me a shell bracelet today and we got some fruit and a pain au chocolat too at another one. We stopped in at the O Lampio bar for a soda and were treated to honey and jelly crackers and peanuts- the owner there has done the Camino many times and he’s super kind to pilgrims. His place is jam packed with soccer memorabilia and everything else you could imagine- eclectic to say the least and a must stop! We crossed a thin bridge of concrete blocks over a small waterfall and considered dunking our feet but there were miles to go so we hiked on. From time to time we ran into our new friends from the hostels and it’s fun to see familiar faces like Virginie from France, Petra from Germany and Aimée from Canada. We see lots of families with young kids. Today we met a mom with her 15 year old son and when I shared that Luke and I were mother and son on the same journey we had a sweet connection! 💕 Further up the road in Castelo da Neiva we visited the small church only to find it full of flowers and some ladies working on a float with Our Lady and baby Jesus featured prominently up top. Apparently this Sunday they celebrate the Festa de Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe and there will be parades and men will carry this float/ platform- I wish we could see it being carried because it certainly was lovely! A little further on we visited their large parish church of St James ( San Tiago) which has the distinction of having a remnant of stone that proves a devotion here to St James from the year 863! The woods gave way to farmland soon after and we saw goats, sheep and chickens while we walked on cobblestone streets again. In Anha the church was striking - whitewashed in the Portuguese manner with St James in the niche up top, a painting of him on horseback carrying a shield with a red sword just below that and finally some marvelous front doors with shell decorations- lovely!! Arriving into Viana do Castelo at sunset topped off a long hard beautiful day with a ton of hiking- 18+ miles! This morning may have started with a flourish but the day ended with sore feet and lots of good memories. For now we are tucked into the Albergue De Santa Luzia high up top a mountain above the sea and thanking God for our safe arrival and looking forward to tomorrow and new adventures.Baca lagi