Day 14/3 Mealhada to Agueda

Today we walked 25.6 kilometers with 90% of our journey over paved roads. It wasn't the most scenic part of the Camino, but the weather was perfect for a long hike; mostly overcast with a slight breeze and temperatures in the low 20's.

The short time we spent on the unpaved trails saw us go through areas forested with cork and eucalyptus trees. The aroma permeating the air in the eucalyptus grove was heavenly. I was just a little disappointed with the lack of Koala bears in the trees.

We got under way this morning at 6:45 and couldn't stop for coffee until 9:15 in Avelhas de Caminho, 13.5 km into our walk. Sadly, by the time we arrived, the entire Pastel de Nata inventory had been sold and I had to content myself with a rather inferior pastry. I was happy to find they also had a gluten free cake for Brenda which, in the end was also less than satisfactory.

Our next pit stop was just 4.5 kms later in Aguada de Baixo, after which we marched the remaining 7.5 kms into Agueda.

Brenda, Anita, Ernie and I (The Core Four) were periodically joined throughout the morning by Wil and a young German woman, Maren, who is doing a solo Camino.

When we arrived in Agueda at 1:00, The Core Four grabbed a table at a cafe right next to the trail, ordered some ice-cold beer and waited for our companions to arrive.

We lunched at Balance Fitfood and had dinner at the upscale Manjar de Helena before calling it a night at 9:00.

These early starts and long walks call for hitting the sack well before our regular bedtime.Read more