April 7, 2025,  17.5 miles (6 hours) walked along the Central route of the Portuguese Camino de Santiago.

Today’s footsteps took me from Porto, through Cappella da Ramada Alta, by the Padrão da Légua stone cross, through Araújo, over Rio Leça, on to Moreira, Monsteiro, Gião, Vairão and finally to Vilarinho.

As I left Porto, I was able to see Porto University, Ingreja do Carmo, an 18th Century structure, with beautiful, blue “azulejos” tiles covering the side wall, “Rus de Cedofeita” – a shopping mecca, as well as passing 17th century buildings, white Capela da Ramada Alta, on past blue & white tiled Ingreja do Carvalhido, Padrão da Légua, and Igreja de São Pedro (17th century).  

The first ten miles definitely felt like leaving the city, through industrial and uninspiring urban areas. This amounted to lots of traffic, pedestrian crossings and just city walking.

Once out of that scene, there were some lovely meadows and agricultural stretches, yet there was also considerable amount of time along a busy highway with minimal if any shoulder – and with maniacal drivers that almost seemed like they wanted to hit pilgrims!!  Maybe a right of passage allows motorists to have a tool in their vehicle that they can stamp on the outside of their car when they hit or buzz a pilgrim!?  I know that’s mean, yet that’s what it felt like, 99% of the time!!  I was grateful to arrive at my lodging alive! Seriously!  And as physically taxing as walking so many miles is with a backpack, in the hot sun, that added stress of dodging the cars amplified my exhaustion!!! 

Yet my mood was elevated by my housemates – all women!! A rarity on the Camino!!  I first met a gal from Brazil and I enjoyed great conversation with her – she is doing this Camino in celebration of her 40th birthday tomorrow!!  We were joined by a woman from Tel Aviv who started walking from the airport!! Added to the mix were two teachers from London, a mom and daughter from Czech Republic and three other Brazilian women.  All in all, another great day on the Camino!!

April 8, 18.5 miles walked, 6.5 hours

It was generally agreed that we would all get up around 6:00 and leave around 7:00, so trying to figure out how to minimize noise and sneak out in the morning was to be mitigated by that.  However the Czech Republic people slept in so we others still tried to be quiet without light, doing our morning rituals and getting out the door.  

Even with that, we left at different times, and though I crossed paths with the two gals from London as they were trying to decide where to go for a meal mid morning, and one of the women from Brazil and pilgrim from Israel as they left a church that I then went into, I didn’t see the others and didn’t end up reuniting at the end of the day.  I was hoping we could convene at the albergue I planned to stay at.  When I arrived at 2:30 and discovered they didn’t open up until 4:00, I implemented a Plan B and stayed in a private property that was extremely inviting, the lobby’s air conditioning beckoning me in! I had my own shower and a backyard in the sunshine – it was 76° today!! Sweaty with a backpack on yet really, really pleasant after concluding the day!!   

As for the day’s trekking, my morning was lovely – over a Roman bridge on a Roman road with some remaining walls of that era, within a quaint, little hamlet alongside a eucalyptus forest, smelling aromatic in the morning’s cool air.  Calla lilies are growing wild here and their bold and floral perfume invites me to enjoy my uplifting surroundings!

Highway walking continued, interspersed with more rural roads, and I had to be super diligent to avoid being hit by cars that were speeding through the area!!   My feet led me past many little churches, commemorative sites, medieval walls and cobblestone streets.  We passed through São Mamede, Arcos, São Pedro de Rates, Pedrs Furada, Pereira and into Barcelos.

This city is worthy of more exploration than I had the energy for. And even as an Internet search project, I have no gumption right now to research to share with you.  Perhaps you may want to do so on your own, or I may do so in the future… Anyway, it was very cool to come across a Roman bridge into my accommodations tonight!