Category: Portugues / Central

Another Day – June 13, 2023

  • Portuguese Central Camino: Day 14 / Tui to Porriño
  • Distance: 11 miles / Total 170.3 miles
  • Ascent: 772’ / Descent: 740’
  • Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
  • Weather: 65 – 70 degrees / blue skies with white clouds

Another day of walking in nature. Soft on the feet. Easy on the eyes.

People seem so small in comparison to the forest.
Now it’s become usual to have other pilgrims in sight.
With only “Wonder Bread” and powdery coffee for breakfast, I willingly walked an extra mile to today’s only Café. Boldly I stepped over the closed chain thinking it’s well advertised so surely it is open. Not so. The owner showed me mercy and made the best coffee, fried his hen’s latest egg, and his toasted his neighbor’s homemade bread.
Truly a lovely walk.
My destination is juxtaposition from today’s walk.

Eyecatchers – June 12, 2023

  • Portuguese Central Camino: Day 13 /Rubiães to Tui, Spain
  • Distance: 12.6 miles / Total 159.3 miles
  • Ascent: 943’ / Descent: 1,449’
  • Time: 7 hours
  • Weather: 60 – 75 degrees / sprinkled rain first hour than blue skies with white clouds

Eyecatchers…

Red house in Valença.
Tui, Spain from Portugal.
Green house in Tui.
Cathedral in Tui.
Cathedral’s Cloisters
Cathedral’s Cloisters
Valença seen from Tui’s Cathedral.
View from Tui’s Cathedral.

Valença

  • Portuguese Central Camino: Day 13 /Rubiães to Tui, Spain
  • Distance: 12.6 miles / Total 159.3 miles
  • Ascent: 943’ / Descent: 1,449’
  • Time: 7 hours
  • Weather: 60 – 75 degrees / sprinkled rain first hour than blue skies with white clouds

It’s a bit unexpected seeing scores of tourist shops within Valença’s famous historic city walls.

Entering the city wall.
Tourist Shops
And more tourist shops.
Valença’s Plaza
Valença’s Santo Estevão

Stumble – June 12, 2023

  • Portuguese Central Camino: Day 13 /Rubiães to Tui, Spain
  • Distance: 12.6 miles / Total 159.3 miles
  • Ascent: 943’ / Descent: 1,449’
  • Time: 7 hours
  • Weather: 60 – 75 degrees / sprinkled rain first hour than blue skies with white clouds

You need no more than an invitation to stop walking and join a friend for coffee. He described the eats as being excellent. Stumbling upon these outstanding treats with the company of a friend is the day’s highlight.

Danish Friend
Shop owner’s wife makes all the remarkable food.
The Toca Café. Not to be missed.
Fallen Flowers

Terrarium – June 12, 2023

  • Portuguese Central Camino: Day 13 / Rubiães to Tui, Spain
  • Distance: 12.6 miles / Total 159.3 miles
  • Ascent: 943’ / Descent: 1,449’
  • Time: 7 hours
  • Weather: 60 – 75 degrees / sprinkled rain first hour than blue skies with white clouds

So green…it is like walking in a terrarium.

Terrarium Territory
Terrarium Territory
Terrarium Territory
Resident of Terrarium Territory.

Superlative – June 11, 2023

  • Portuguese Central Camino: Day 12 /Ponte de Lima to Rubiães
  • Distance: 11.9 miles / Total 146.7 miles
  • Ascent: 1,718’ / Descent: 1,155’
  • Time: 7 hours
  • Weather: 60 – 75 degrees / blue skies with white clouds, DRY SHOES AND SOCKS.

Superlative morning haze. Superlative mountain with the highest elevation for this Camino. Superlative sunny day when all my clothes are finally washed and dried.

Morning Haze
A person’s inclination is to take the flatter road. No such luck.
There’s a reason why the yellow arrow is so big. It screams, “Do it!”
A thoughtful bouquet of flowers spirits the climb.

Strolling – June 10, 2023

  • Portuguese Central Camino: Day 11 /Corgo to Ponte de Lima
  • Distance: 9.9 miles / Total 134.8 miles
  • Ascent: 598’ / Descent: 905’
  • Time: 5 hours
  • Weather: 60 – 70 degrees / overcast with two light rain showers (1st rainy day)

This is where Portuguese spend holiday weekends. Tourism caters to the Portuguese and not the Camino pilgrims. Authentic Portugal…not Camino Portugal.

City Park
Not the Camino yellow arrow on tote bag. Portuguese not pilgrims.
Pilgrim not Portuguese.
City Park

Raindrops – June 10, 2023

  • Portuguese Central Camino: Day 11 /Corgo to Ponte de Lima
  • Distance: 9.9 miles / Total 134.8 miles
  • Ascent: 598’ / Descent: 905’
  • Time: 5 hours
  • Weather: 60 – 70 degrees / overcast with two light rain showers. Wet shoes, wet feet.

Raindrops keep falling.

Raindrops
Orange, this year’s fashion color.
Raindrops
Raindrops
It didn’t rain on their parade. Meike’s (right) tenth return to Fernanda’s (left) Albergue.

Twice – June 10, 2023

  • Portuguese Central Camino: Day 11 /Corgo to Ponte de Lima
  • Distance: 9.9 miles / Total 134.8 miles
  • Ascent: 598’ / Descent: 905’
  • Time: 5 hours
  • Weather: 60 – 70 degrees / overcast with two light rain showers. Wet shoes, wet feet.

Twice is nice…two Medieval bridges.

Another pack of cyclists heading across the bridge.
Eight arches!
Paddlers going under bridge.
Mosaic Camino Scallop Shell