We left Porto on 5 May heading for Via Cha. We opted for the coastal route which turned a couple of surprises. The route follows the Atlantic coast, a very upmarket touristy area. The walk was easy, mainly on boardwalks, but long, and as we discovered after two days, hard on the calf muscles. One of the big differences from earlier was the number of pilgrims, most of whom had started the Camino in Porto. Stopped for breakfast and ordered crepes with sugar and jam - yum! Got sugar and ham! All along the coast were rows of Pohutukawa trees, some in flower. I asked a couple of people of they knew the name of the tree. No one did, but they knew they weren't local, but were the only trees that grew along the coast. However, I did get a big from a lady who had never met someone from "the other hemisphere" before. Photos to come.
With Truus on the Porto gondala. The fountain sculpture near our hostel. The church where we went to Mass. The children led the singing for Mother's Day. Most of the churches are very into lots of gold embellished work.
One of the many bridges over the Douro River. Ani, Jacquies cousin from
Holland, joined us for a few days on the Camino. All along the coast are 17th century forts similar to this one.
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