Day 19/8 Porto to Vila do Conde

Today we set off onto the classic Caminho coastal trail as we make our way north into Spain. Yesterday's weather forecast had called for overnight thunderstorms and light rain all Sunday morning. Brenda and I dutifully put the rain covers on our backpacks and had our umbrellas and raincoats close at hand when we departed Porto at 7:00. Anita went for full protection, wearing her rain jacket and rain pants.

We had only gone a couple kilometers when lo and behold, we once again came across Wil, who was seated in a bus shelter. Yesterday he mentioned he had developed some pain in his right toe, and had gone to a clinic for some treatment. Sadly, this morning the pain was too great for him to continue and his fifth caminho came to a sudden end. He was waiting for his son to make arrangements for him to fly back to Amsterdam this afternoon. We're not sure if he or we were sadder about this development, but we wished him well and promised to stay in touch before saying au revoir.

By 10:00 we had felt only one or two raindrops and the skies were turning blue. An ounce of prevention, I guess.

We had planned to stop for coffee at around the 6 km mark, but made an early pit stop only 4 kms into our hike because we came across a pastry shop where people were lined up out the door. We weren't disappointed. I had the best Pastel de Nata yet, still warm from the oven, and Brenda's Bolo de Arroz was a big hit, much better than the one she had the other day.

Our next break was at 12 kms at another very popular pastry shop where I couldn't resist having one of their almond tarts.

The walk out of Porto was very unexciting, mostly through residential areas and industrial parks. We walked a very short distance along a Roman road and eventually came into an agricultural area where corn was growing everywhere we looked. We came across a small free-run farm where chickens, goats, pigs and even a peacock happily ran around the barnyard. It was nice to see animals being treated so well.

Our third stop had been planned for around 18 kms, but there were no cafes or restaurants to be found, as is often the case on Sundays in Europe. At 22 kms we found a large shopping mall and stopped there for a surprisingly delicious lunch at the supermarket food court.

The next 7 kms were mostly under bright sunshine and I was very happy when we stopped for a cool one at a patio filled with people only 400 meters from our hotel. We'll all be returning there for dinner tonight to take advantage of their 8 euro pilgrim's dinner special.

This was my longest day on the Caminho and I was grateful the elevation gain was slight and gentle. Nonetheless, I'm pretty certain I'll sleep well tonight.

Distance walked since Lisbon: approx. 402 kmsRead more