Today’s stroll, in lovely weather, was mainly uphill or so it seemed. It was up and down through a series of hills. Good practice for what is to come.
Last nights stay, in a shared bunk bed room, with a snoring German lady, left us a little weary. Our room, was well guarded by a large German Shepherd named Killer. The guard dog.
We had a group dinner with a couple of ladies from The Netherlands and the lady from Germany. Our first group dinner on this Camino. On previous Caminos we had group dinners every other night. This is reflective of the smaller number of pilgrims walking the Camino Portuguese vs the Camino Frances.
We started to day with a couple of espressos and toasted sandwich before heading out on the very busy, very narrow village roads. The German lady started earlier and we caught up and past her in an hour of so.
Apart from a few times we had to walk on some busy roads, most of today was on pleasant country roads and through villages and farm land. Later in the day we had to keep an eye on a bushfire that was developing ahead of us and what seemec to be some smaller fires around us. Portugal has planted vast eucalyptus plantations and in this weather its not suprising they are having some bushfires.
It’s Spring and the fields are full of flowers.
In the heading i say, “or nearby”, our accommodation is about 1.2km out of town and off the Camino. We are staying in a Casa Rural, with a local family. Their house, or should I say mansion, no I mean palace, is set in a walled manicured garden, with Swans, fountains, olive grove, their own river, etc, etc. from what we can determine, the owners children run the establishment and their father runs/owns a cannery.
We also stopped Barcelos which is preparing for Portugues national day on April 25.
No this has nothing to do with Portuguese national day, it is to do with a miracle that occurred when a rooster came back to life to proclaim a murders innocence (look it up).
Russ and Jan's Camino 