Three of us set out this morning, but four arrived in the evening!
After walking to Matosinhos yesterday, I took the bus back into Porto and met my father and his partner Rossana at the Wine Hostel in Porto. I accompanied them on a whirlwind tour of the Ribeira district and across the bridge to Vilanova de Gaia (where the port wine lodges are all located). Then we crossed the river again to meet up with my friend Julienne, who happened to be visiting in town, at my favourite hangout in Ribeira, Casa da Horta.
In the morning bus number 500 on the scenic route to Matosinhos was late, and while waiting we met Annette, a German pilgrim also starting out today. We agreed to walk together. And now here we are, already fast friends and sharing a room!
Shortly after getting off the bus we found our first yellow arrow, unauspiciously located underneath a bridge.
We crossed the bridge and were on our way!
Soon after leaving Matosinhos behind we began to walk along a boardwalk over the sand dunes. And the day continued in this way, with the ocean and sandy beaches on our left, holiday apartment complexes and an oil refinery on our right, along the waterfront and over the boardwalks among the sand dunes, past bars and restaurants crowded with Sunday beach-goers and through picturesque fishing villages.
We stopped in one of these for a delicious lunch of arroz con mariscos.
We were already more than halfway to our proposed end point for the day, Vila do Conde. The afternoon sun was hot but the sea breeze and frequent drinking fountains kept us refreshed. We could see Vila do Conde in the distance along the shore, coming closer and closer. And just as we were beginning to feel hot and tired, there it was!
By this time it was after four in the afternoon and the public albergue, which has only 25 beds, was full, but the man at the front desk made a phone call and secured us a room upstairs from the restaurant around the corner. We did not dine there, though my guidebook to Portugal recommended it, as we had already had a big lunch and only wanted some fresh fruit and vegetables. We prepared a simple meal and enjoyed it on the terrace with a bottle of beer, chatting with our new friend Annette.
The perfect ending to a perfect day on the Caminho da Costa!
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| Annette taking photos on the bridge into Vila do Conde |
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| Street art in the making |
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| We are lodged above a French-Portuguese restaurant |
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| My corner of the room |
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| Creative laundry rack |
The route so far: Porto-Matosinhos 12 km + Matosinhos - Vila do Conde 22 km
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