Day 2 testing the feet.

Our last day in Porto found us doing laundry and organizing our packs. We went out for dinner in a local vegan restaurant that had a buffet. Delicious and filling.

We woke early to try to beat some of the forecasted rain. We had a quick breakfast, finished packing, checked to make sure nothing was left behind and headed out. Dropped off the keys, walked down the lane and while standing under an empty restaurant’s awning to get out of the rain we ordered an Uber. We drove up to where we stopped yesterday to continue on. No sense in walking over the same miles.

The driver stopped at the correct spot and we piled out. Out of the rain we pulled on our “rain hiking skirts” – draw string tall kitchen trash bags that we had cut open at the bottom. Works great! We tie them around our waist, scrunch them up under our pack belt and can then quickly pull them down to cover ourselves if the rain dictates. The only downside is the looks we tend to get. Like the group of older men sitting outside a cafe. Lots of head shaking.

The day began as what our Irish friends would call as a soft day. Misty but not dripping. Moist enough to get damp and be happy we had put pack covers on and had rain coats.

Today was all about the coast – it was primarily on an extended boardwalk, the like of which we haven’t seen since we left Lisbon. It was slippery in places so I used my poles, but wonderful to be off pavement and be right next to the water. The saltwater smell reminded me of home. So did the rain and the wind, that fortunately blew from the south, pushing us along from behind.

The birds, aside from the gulls were not plentiful, to Mandy’s dismay, but there was interesting flora. I liked the ground cover that we learned was sea fig, the best. Have to see if I could grow that at home.

Along the way was another lighthouse and numerous monuments. We were happy to find that the signage describing things was also in English. We even saw Roman ruins from around 200-400 AD where they salted fish!

While the boardwalk was enjoyable it did not lend itself to a cafe stop. At least not this time of year. Nor were bathrooms in evidence. We made do.

After far longer than usual we found a bakery just off the boardwalk. Gave us the opportunity for coffee and a snack, which of course, included my favorite here. Pasteis de nata. Yum.

We ventured back out, missing the worst of the rain. We continued on through what was so far the most picturesque working town, full of boats and floats and traps and fishermen washing off their gear. Boy did it smell fishy!

As we neared the albergue for tonight we still had time before we could check in at 1400. What to do? Another cafe stop for coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice.

Still with time to spare we reached the hostel finding only one other pilgrim waiting. Soon others began arriving. By the time the door opened it was quite hectic. This is by far the largest hostel in which I’ve stayed. 90 beds! We got checked in, found our bunks, then watched as hikers filed in. Our room has 15 beds. More than enough.

Not sure how many are here so far but it’s a lot. Mandy was quite savvy in realizing that if we wanted to make dinner in the kitchen that we’d better act quickly. She and Karma found a small market buying supplies and scurried back. Already the large kitchen was filling up.

We sat at a communal table and began introducing ourselves, amazingly finding that there were 3 sets of mother/daughter hikers! Beside us is a mom from Wales with her daughter who lives outside of London and the others are from Denmark, living in Copenhagen. Small world! And the mom grew up in Vejle where I lived! Another chance to chat in Danish. And she beats me in age at 77. Impressive.

Jo, the Welsh mom, was an absolute stitch! We ended up comparing what meds we had to bring. Ha! Everyone seemed to be cooking pasta, an easy meal as we all worked around each other. The kitchen has a number of vending machines with everything from chips to candy to tinned sardines to soda. Jo and I quickly deduced that our mutual favorite thing in it was the snickers. She grabbed coins and with Karma’s help, we figured out how to get one for each of us.

Now, after eating our fill, everyone seems to be settling in. What an interesting group from around the world- those I’ve mentioned plus others from Germany, Italy, Ireland, England and I’m sure others whom we have yet to meet.

Another good, slow day getting my feet back under me. Each day we plan on extending it a bit until we reach a comfortable distance for all of us, but especially for the old Slo-Mo here, or as Mandy’s followers refer to me, Mama Veg.

6.75 miles with 18,297 steps