Our attic room was hot and stuffy and we woke at 11:30pm very uncomfortable. We put on the AC and that helped but it was a somewhat restless night leading to a late waking time and departure. We had a good breakfast at the closest bakery we found and my toast was two of the thickest pieces of bread imaginable, toasted and then with jam on both sides. Kind of like four pieces of toast—quite the feast for this toast lover!
We waited out a bit of the morning rain so didn’t get away until 10:30. Across a bridge and out to a beach-side promenade, with a stop at the tourist office for a stamp and advice about the weather. Today it would be the waves that were a concern, so we were advised that the boardwalk would likely be okay but to move inland if needed.
It was a stunning day with crashing waves, strong wind and frequent rain. But we got good at figuring out when to don ponchos and when we could pack them away. The port in Matasinhos and oil refinery in Leços don’t add to the charm, but even they couldn’t take away from the glorious beaches. But given the “red alert” for waves, we just enjoyed the beaches from the boardwalks rather than venturing down onto them.
Walking along the water meant not needing to worry about route finding which made for a relaxing day. There were fountains along the way to refill our water bottles but most beach bathrooms were locked. We did scout a gas station and used bathrooms there, then were just starting in on our buns and sheep’s cheese when the skies opened. Luckily there was a good place to take cover and where we could finish our simple lunch.
We knew we were making slow progress with stops to add and take off layers. And so although only 21 kilometres, it was a longish day. There were some interesting Roman ruins - places for processing fish and drying salt - as well as the Iron Age ruins at São Paio. The final stretch is a boardwalk between the dunes and a bird reserve. Here the wind was fierce, the boardwalk covered in sand (and collapsed in places) and then, of course, it started to rain. But through it all, we were so happy to be out walking and when the sun came out it was glorious.
As the day was coming to an end, Vila do Conde came into view and we crossed a bridge and made our way up through the town to our hotel for the night. It turned out the proprietor had recently sold the hotel and we were his final guests. We shared some thoughts about ending one’s work and wondering what comes next since Nedjo and I have recently done the same, wrapping up our shared business of the past thirteen years.
We enjoyed a great dinner at Costa Verde, located just two blocks away: soup, fish, a small bottle of vinho verde and chocolate cake—stuffed for only €22 and ready for a good night’s sleep.