Barcelos to Vitorino dos Piães (22km)

We left our accommodation outside of Barcelos this morning by taxi. It was too far to walk into Barcelos and out again so we got dropped off on the outskirts of town and started walking from there. We had 23ish km to our next stop at Vitorino dos Piaes.

We keep an eye out for the signs on the Camino!

We’re getting closer to Santiago…

Today was a typical day on the Camino. I walked with Joanne from South Africa who told me that during COVID lockdowns in Cape Town the government banned the sale of cigarettes and alcohol! OMG. I reckon that it was alcohol that got all of Melbourne through!

Joanne was walking with Ruth from Auckland. She agreed that that’s how they got through lockdowns in NZ too. I learned from Ruth that they used to watch what Jacinda would wear to the press conferences. If she was wearing black it was going to be bad! That made me laugh remembering Dan and his North Face jackets!

We walked through more eucalyptus forests and fields of corn. And there was a church or two.

We saw a storm brewing. Lightning, thunder nearby, but thankfully no rain! It was muggy though, and not very pleasant. Interestingly, the weather conditions seemed to slow down time, with the last 4km to our destination seeming like 15… a real Camino conundrum!

We arrived at our accommodation at Casa Sangres, highly recommend this one for its hosts and facilities. Best shower on the Camino so far. And each bed had its own powerpoint to charge your tech. You see, it’s the little things we pilgrims appreciate!

Met some Italians from northern Italy. It was great to hear a language I fully understand and can speak a little. They were very entertaining. One of them was in his 80s and this was his 10th camino. He smoked like a chimney and loved his wine so… just saying, another Camino miracle there!

Martino, the loudest and most emphatic of them all, took one look at my rather impressive blister (not bragging, but it was about 3cm x2cm…) and promptly set about fixing it with a needle and thread with much gusto and yelling and consultation with the others over just how big the blister was and how tough my heel skin is. So far, as I write this, my foot is still attached and not gangrenous, and the blister is draining. I’m not adding photos of this but get in touch if you want the video!)

Dinner was cooked by the albergue’s owner and was delicious. Vegetable soup, roast chicken, peas and fresh salad. And several wines.

Except for the beautiful moon that night

Day 5 Vitorino dos Piães to Labruja (24km)

The next morning after a particularly noisy night in the dorm (must have been all the wine that caused the snoring?), we woke to a foggy and cool day – perfect walking conditions.

We took our start of day photos…

My feet are better today. I’ve also discovered a sneaky cerveza around lunchtime really fixes the pain.

This little fellow came out to wish us a great walking day.

It was a beautiful walk this morning, here is some of what we saw…

Several shrines to San Tiago

Compared to the Camino Francés this is a very quiet route. We hardly see other pilgrims on the trail or in cafes or bars on the way. This has been a bit disappointing as I really love making new friends while I walk. So apologies no great pilgrim stories today.

We did meet some stone pilgrims (that’s stone not stoned!)…

And one that bears an uncanny resemblance to Gregor!

We arrived in the quaint town of Ponte de Lima in time for the morning market. I was hoping we might catch a mass along the route this morning since it’s Sunday but is clearly people in this region skip mass and just come to spend their Sunday in Ponte de Lima!

Just over the bridge you can get a stamp from this fellow. Noel was pilgrim number 9445 that this man has stamped!

We arrived at our albergue in Labruja called O Conforta. Not the best albergue we’ve stayed at, and wouldn’t recommend. But we did meet a young couple from Germany and an older couple from Israel and shared a few jokes.

Tomorrow we have a VERY BIG CLIMB to Alta de Pórtelo. We’re getting an early night for an early start up the mountain. Hoping to make it to Valenca, just before the Spanish border. Can’t wait to get back to Spain!

So, here’s what I’ve been thinking about the last few days, in no particular order:

• Why do morning kms go really quickly while the last 5 km of the day takes 3 hours?
• Where are all the pilgrims?
• What exactly should I do with the ROML (rest of my life – yes, folks have started going down that rabbit hole)?
• I hope my very bad blister behaves itself up the mountain

And because I like to mark the end of day with a smile here we all are, about to head to bed, photo taken with my socks still drying on the line. (And yes, I know it’s still daylight).