All the rest yesterday paid off. We walked about 25 km (15.5 mi) today, including two steep hills amounting to 388 m (1273 ft) climbs. The descents were more arduous than the rises, but provided us with beautiful vistas. Descending Monte Cornedo we could see Redondela in the distance. (left) We stopped at the central… Continue reading June 22: Arcade
Category: Portugal
June 20: Tui, Spain
Yesterday when we left Ponte de Lima, it was only 14 C (57 F), cloudy, and with a 50% chance of rain. For this reason, I put on all my rain gear and covered the backpack. After three hours, all my clothes were wet from perspiration; the plastic rain coat and pants preventing evaporation; but… Continue reading June 20: Tui, Spain
June 18: Ponte de Lima
Left Tamel (São Pedro Fins) and within 15 minutes we needed to put on all our rain gear. Of course, once we had it all on, it stopped raining. We had to walk 1.5 hours before coffee…you would have laughed to see me almost run down the hill to the cafe. It’s amazing how hungry… Continue reading June 18: Ponte de Lima
June 16: Tamel (São Pedro Fins)
To avoid congested inner city streets through industrial parks, we took the metro in Porto to Vilar do Pinheiro and then walked to São Pedro de Rates 19.4 km (12 mi) away. It was probably the most difficult walk to date, mostly on cobble-stoned pathways which pounded our feet like meat tenderizers. Since this is… Continue reading June 16: Tamel (São Pedro Fins)
June 14: Porto
We left Coimbra around 10 and arrived in Porto around 12:30. Porto is the largest city I have seen in Portugal, with large buildings and plazas that remind me of Madrid, Spain. The train station, Sao Bento is adorned with blue and white tiles. Leaving the station, I was dwarfed by tall stone buildings that… Continue reading June 14: Porto
June 13: Coimbra
We left Rabacal at 8:09, planning to have breakfast in the next town (Zambujal) 3.2 km (2.5 mi) away. As we approached the town, I told Dennis that from now on we needed to eat before hiking; I was running out of energy. In town, we discovered that the cafe does not open until 1… Continue reading June 13: Coimbra
June 12: Rabacal
Perfect day, at last. We left Ansiao around 11 A.M., after running a few errands. The sun was shining and the temps were near 70 F. For most of the day we walked on dirt paths–so much better than yesterday’s pavement. Along the narrow cart paths were flowers, birds, butterflies with occasional sheep, goats, and… Continue reading June 12: Rabacal
June 11: Ansiao
Yesterday, I had no Internet connection; we were very rural. We hiked a full stage: 31.3 km (over 19 mi) to Alvaiazere. The last 6 km seemed to go on forever. We stayed in a nice residencial called Bras. Since it was a fiesta day, there were very few people about. I think we say… Continue reading June 11: Ansiao
June 9: Tomar
We are starting to get into our stride–walked 22.5 km (14) today. It was cold and rainy when we started, warmed enough to make it comfortable for walking, and remained overcast all day. The road was filled with snails, which the Portuguese collect for food. This evening, the Templar town of Tomar, the restaurant specialty… Continue reading June 9: Tomar
June 8: Golega
Because Dennis’ foot is still suffering, we decided to take the train to Santarem. It took us only 26 minutes to travel what would have taken us 8 to 10 hrs of walking. Near the plaza of the Igreja N. S. da Conceioao (Our Lade of Conception) we went to the tourist office to locate… Continue reading June 8: Golega