2022 Saturday, Oct 1

Malaposta to Porto

The road from Malaposta to Porto showed mostly down in the guidebook until the last big hill going into Porto. In reality, there was some up and down, some pretty steep downhills, and a seemingly never ending hill at the end.

The hike from 9:45 am to 6:55 pm was 15.6 miles and an elevation change of +1118 feet. Our total mileage for the day was 17.2 miles.

Note: we elected to take the Metro into Porto from the furthest south point to one nearest our hotel. Since we have two extra days in Porto, we will walk at least the distance of the Camino miles we missed, and city and industrial walking is not as interesting.

2022  Portugal   Camino Portuguese

Click here to view today’s video: https://www.relive.cc/view/v36A3dYEVZv

Roman road out of Malaposta
Leaving Malaposta, we followed an old Roman road out of town that took us parallel to the highway. Large edge stones and periodic horizontal lines on the road describe the Roman way. After so many years, they’re still pretty uneven and difficult to travel.
Gary and Carol from Oakland and San Rafael
We were greeted on the Roman road by Gary and Carol from Oakland and San Rafael. It turns out we had stayed in the same hotel in Agueda but neither had recognized the other as pilgrims.
Albino and Sokaiya Coutinho gave us refreshments on the trail
We met Albino and Sokaiya Coutinho on the trail. They greeted us as pilgrims and invited us for coffee. We had recently finished breakfast and refused, but it was obvious that feelings were going to be hurt if we didn’t accept something. Sokaiya brought out a soda pop bottle filled with homemade port and paper cups for tasting. In no time, a group of four Camino Fatima pilgrims came by and were also invited to have port. Only Sylvia in their group spoke English, but she explained that they had five more days before reaching Fatima.

At the beginning of our journey, the Fatima Camino and Santiago Camino shared the same paths. As we neared Fatima (near Tomar), the paths diverged. Now we share paths again although walking in opposite directions: Santiago is north while Fatima is south.

the presentation in front of Albino and Sokaiya Coutinho's house
Fatima pilgrims also tasted refreshments
Sylvia and the three other pilgrims heading to Fatima.
the presentation in front of Albino and Sokaiya Coutinho's house
My Lord, do not pass your servant by.
horario
In Spain these grain “barns” were called horarios and were raised to keep out predators. I have not seen one with a crop inside yet this year, and am not sure what to call them in Portugal. More investigation needed.
Eucalyptus trees
We have walked through groves of Eucalyptus trees planted in rows, some of which were being cut. Looking at the load on this truck, you can imagine the “logs” as fence posts, building materials, etc.
cobblestone street
Another cobblestone street.
small village church is also covered in blue tiles
This small village church is also covered in blue tiles. One can only imagine how the speakers on the steeple might be used.
Monastery in Grijó
The Monastery in Grijó covered an extensive acreage and appeared to be active today. We did not visit, but the size was impressive.
rough road over the mountain approaching Porto
Back on rough roads. A helpful townsperson directed us to the correct path and told us to “go over the mountain.” He was not kidding. The path was rough and kept heading up through the woods.
Roger and his dog Midnight on the mountain trail approaching Porto
We met Roger and his dog Midnight on the mountain trail. Roger was born in London and spoke excellent English. He advised us against following the directions we had been given as it would wind through a residential neighborhood. His directions would allow us more quiet forest trekking. We decided to follow his advice, not realizing how poorly maintained the trail would be.
slow going on this rocky narrow trail that required some climbing
Nico, Sophia, and 10-month old Antonio at a Porto restaurant
Finally we reached Porto! We picked a restaurant that allowed us to eat a bit earlier and lighter, hoping for a pizza. This family was seated next to us and it was easy to have a conversation around their 10-month-old, Antonio. Sofia is an HR professional who has worked for US-based companies, and her husband Nico runs a family business of five restaurants (including the one where we were eating) and a hotel. We had such a pleasant evening with them that we hardly noticed that the restaurant filled and had a waiting line when we left.
Restaurante Cervejaria Grill in Porto where we ate dinner
This was our dinner restaurant. When I was talking to our hotel desk clerk asking to stamp my pilgrim credentials, he noticed the stamp from this restaurant. He volunteered that it is quite famous and well attended. We’ll vouch for the crowd we observed!

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