Camino Portuguese, Day 17, Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Porto to Vila do Conde (21.17 miles/34.09 km)

Another long day on the Camino, although very nice it was completely different in many ways.

Being some distance from the start of the coastal route, we walked to the metro station and then took a subway back to the Porto Cathedral where we had taken the Uber yesterday. Walking through cities, especially the big ones, is always a little challenging with the Wheelie. It was three stories down to our subway platform, and because the elevator was not working, I had to use the escalator, which is a bit tricky with the Wheelie. Once down on the train platform we realized we were on the wrong side, so back up the escalators and then back down on the other side. Then of course it’s standing in the subway car trying to negotiate the Wheelie between the morning commuters and staying out of the way of everyone standing and going in and out on stops. We got to the cathedral fairly quick and got off at the exact place we got picked up yesterday, so I felt I didn’t miss any of the Camino.

We walked down a steep street to the Douro River where the Coastal Camino starts. It is also the place where the many tourist boats dock, and that time of morning the docks were already starting to get crowded with tourists. Having the Wheelie always draws attention, and one of the first persons to approach me was a tourist from Wisconsin wearing a Green Bay Packers shirt, my favorite football team. Actually, the best team!

I had been a little conflicted as to which route to take, but once on the river and starting the trek towards the ocean I was happy I chose the coastal route because I was in awe at the beauty of scenery and found myself constantly stopping to take pictures.

The Camino follows the Douro River to the ocean and then turns north. From there all the way to Vila do Conte, my stopping place today, it ran right on or next to the beach. Most of the path today was on boardwalks, occasionally on concrete or asphalt walkways.

The whole feel of the Camino changed from the sometimes rugged hilly paths to the now flat terrain and beautiful ocean beach views. But the biggest change was the weather. It was windy and cold, with a strong steady breeze of 10-15 miles per hour, and gusts well over over 20 mph. Even though it was cool, being sweaty made for very chilly walking conditions, and tomorrow I may wear the lightweight wool shirt I had regretted bringing.

One of the other differences is that there are little cafes, bars, and restaurants everywhere because this is a tourist area. The path traveled through undeveloped areas and then would go through pockets of little beach villages with the typical beach houses and cafes. One of the popular items at the numerous restaurants along the coast here is to have large outside BBQs for not only the locally caught fish, but other meats, so you would constantly get that delicious smell to make you hungry.

The tourist season along the coast is technically over for this time of year, due to the colder weather and winds, which makes trekking on the boardwalk and paths very easy. I had heard comments that it can get crowded, and I can see how it would be difficult trekking on the narrow boardwalks, especially with the Wheelie.

The day was very pleasant, though the winds were a little bit of a distraction. My routine of starting and stopping early has gone out the door because I have found myself stopping more to look at the scenery and the temptation of stopping at all the places to eat. Walking with someone else also changes my routine, but it’s been nice having Paul along.

I didn’t get to my place to stay, Lapa Vintage, a so Allen guest house, until after 6:00 pm. It is a house with four rooms, two share a common bath, and two like mine are separate and have their own bath.

I like arriving early because the day really doesn’t end once I get to the lodging because after cleaning up, I wash my clothes every night, find a mercado (market) for essential for the next day, find a place to eat, and then of course write my blog. Sometimes after a long hard day my mind is too tired to write my blog. Yes, I have thought of not writing my blog, but I really write it as a diary for myself so I can look at it later and it brings back exact memories of that particular day.

Tonight I did not have time to go the the mercado, but I fortunately did walk around the corner, a block away, and had dinner at a recommended restaurant. It was one of those one of a kind wonderful finds. Small restaurant, nice English speaking people, and great food. The cook came out and showed me the menu, but without chicken, so she offered to make me a chicken meal. It was thinly sliced and grill chicken breasts covered in grilled onions and mushrooms. Large plate of rice, huge plate of grilled green beans, beer, larger bottle of mineral water, €12 ($13.30). Plus, there were four friendly Irish woman, two mothers with their daughters, on the table next to me that I had a great time talking to.

I got back to my room after 9:00 and started to wrote my blog, but I was too tired to finish it so I will in the morning. There goes my routine! It was a long but pleasant day and it will be good tomorrow too because the coastal route is flat and cool, and I will work on getting back into an earlier routine.

Best wishes to all,

Ted

Please excuse the typos, spelling, grammar, etc., as I am typing this on my phone, and I am probably pretty tired.

If you would like to see the Alzheimer’s Association website, see our team page, and donated, please go to:

act.alz.org/goto/tedstrek