We were surprised when we went to breakfast at 8:00 AM & saw that it was still dark outside. A 1 hour time change makes a big difference in visibility when planning your start time.

It was our coldest day on the hike with a foggy marine layer accompanying us all day. I was very thankful for my warm jacket.

Before we left A Guarda, we came across this lovely tree decorated by an artist using yarn.

Our route today covered 11 miles. Now that my body has adjusted & adapted to the new routine, it was nice to be walking a long distance again. Even though we often could not see the ocean due to the fog, we always heard its roar from waves hitting the rocky shore on our left side as we continued north.

Camino art is always a favorite of mine & I am endlessly grateful for those who take the time to create it for passing pilgrims.

I can never resist collecting images that represent the Camino.

I especially love these small little chapels along the way.

Just another day on the Camino.

Today we left our hotel on a cool cloudy morning & walked 1.5 miles to catch a water taxi across the Minho River which forms part of the border between Portugal & Spain.

After a short 5 minute ride we were in Spain’s Galicia province & a new time zone. Spain is 1 hour later than Portugal.

You quickly realize that Spain is home to the Camino. There are many yellow arrows & signs pointing you in the right direction along constantly with well wishes from the Spaniards.

It was a treat arriving in A Garda from the port after only walking 2.2 miles. By far our shortest walking day. Almost like a nice rest day after the first four long hiking days.

Regional map- The red arrow shows where we are now in A Guarda, Spain; the green arrow shows where we started in Porto, Portugal

We headed out of Viana around 8:40 AM walking past the shipyard.

Viana appeared to be a lovely place to visit; however , yesterday I was too tired to venture much past our hotel. I included a couple photos above from there.

Today, we completed our longest walk yet on this trek- 17.5 miles.

We had 2 routes to choose to go from Viana to Âncora. We chose the one closest to the ocean which was next to perfect. Not only was the view spectacular; but also, we enjoyed a flat path on boardwalks, sidewalks, & packed sand. My feet were saying “thank you” the whole way. (Not a big fan of the cobblestones. 😜)

Along the way you often find small give aways that work on the honor system. It is also common for all Camino Pilgrims to have a scallop shell on their pack.

Odds & ends

Pretty mosaics on apartment buildings

Saw this sign 5 miles before the end of the day.

Tomorrow we leave Portugal & enter Spain.

Another beautiful day in Portugal. We left around 8 AM with a cool chill in the air; but, by 10 AM, it warmed up enough for me to remove my jacket.

Sadly, no boardwalks today & we finally reached those hills we saw looming in the distance on our first day.

Today we covered 16 miles up & over hills with varied terrain. We needed to pull out our trekking poles to maneuver the rocky paths with their many tree roots.

One of my favorite things about the Camino are the people who offer drinks & food for free or for a small donation along the route. This was our first such place on this trip.

Our route also took us past many churches both small & large. Many have pilgrim statues since they are on the path to Santiago.

Our final stretch took us over the Bridge Eiffel. It was designed & built by Gustave Eiffel in 1878. He is the same man who designed & completed building the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 1889.

Legend has it that when the Romans reached Viana in the 1st Century BC , they were so impressed with its beauty that they thought they had reached paradise.

We found a small bakery near our hotel offering this very unique pastry. They taste like apple strudel.

A beautiful day for a walk. Today was a nice 14 mile walk in near perfect weather.

After leaving our hotel a little after 8:00 AM, the sun was just rising over the buildings in Povoa de Varzim.

The route kept the ocean within view almost the entire time. It’s very refreshing to walk with the ocean scent in the air.

One thing we found very interesting was seaweed being harvested along the coast. Seems this process has been going on for centuries here.

Today’s path traversed boardwalks, sand, & cobblestones.

More fun sights along the route:

You know who is celebrating his birthday on the trail.

We enjoyed hiking the Camino de Santiago so much in Autumn 2023 that we decided to return & try a new route.

This time we started in Porto, Portugal. Porto is Portugal’s second largest city & is where Port wine originated. We arrived from Lisbon by train. After picking up our Camino passport at the Porto Cathedral, we visited what is claimed to be the most beautiful bookstore in the world.

It’s called Livraria Lello. It’s so popular that you have to get tickets in advance to be admitted. Once inside, you realize why many people believe the author J.K. Rowling who wrote the Harry Potter series was inspired by this bookstore to create the library at Hogwarts. She denies she did; but, she did live in Porto when she was writing her first Harry Potter book.

It is very small store & it is decorated beautifully with a very unique staircase.

Today we started our 260 km walk to Santiago. Before we left I thought our first day was going to be 13 miles; I then learned it would be 15 miles; but, it was actually 17 miles! So glad I didn’t know that before we left. 😜

After taking a metro ride to the coast we crossed a bridge & started the walk that took 8 hours to complete.

On most of the route we enjoyed beautiful views right along the Atlantic Ocean. Remarkably, most of the trail was on a wooden boardwalk. What a luxury for the locals to have such a marvelous walkway.

Here are a few sights we saw along the way.

Happy to be finished on a long first day!

After 40 years, we finally made it back to Lisbon. We first came here over Thanksgiving 1985 when we were living in Germany.

When we returned home, we told our friends we went to San Francisco. To fool them we showed them the following picture with us standing by what looks like the Golden Gate Bridge.

But, then admitted to going to Lisbon which we enjoyed.

We returned visited a few places from that time; but, we also saw many new places here.

Then & Now.

With help from the Internet, I think we are better travelers than we were in the 1980s because it is much easier to research places to visit.

We also enjoy the Netflix show “Somebody Feed Phil” & get tips on places to eat all over the world.

One place we learned about from the show is the Pastes de Belem. This is where Lisbon’s famous custard tarts were first created.

You can find this pastry in any bakery or pastry shop in Portugal; but, from our culinary experience, they make the best.

Legend has it that the sweet which consists of pastry cups filled with an egg & cream custard was probably first baked at the neighboring Jerónimos Monastery.

When Portugal’s monasteries were closed in 1834, a former monk-slash-baker moved his shop to a sugar refinery a few doors down and in 1837, the confection known today from Portugal to Hong Kong was born. 

After getting stuffed with these delights, we enjoyed touring the Jerónimos Monastery.

In the 14th Century, the small Lisbon chapel, Santa Maria de Belém, was presided over by monks of the military-religious Order of Christ. 

Originally built by Prince Henry the Navigator, the monks’ duty was to assist Portuguese sailors & ships leaving port for long journeys. 

Seamen & crew would spend their last night in Portugal within the church, often praying for safe travel and confessing their sins to the monks in case they did not return to land.

The most famous Portuguese sailor was the great explorer Vasco de Gama. He was the first European to reach the Far East by sea around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope who credited his night of prayer in the church with his success. 

Upon de Gama’s triumphant return with new found riches, King Manuel I began constructing a new monastery on the location to showcase the glorious wealth that the Age of Exploration brought to the Portuguese empire.

Today 100s of people stand in line to see the magnificently carved cloisters.

The main thing I remember from our 1985 visit were the beautifully tiled buildings. All over the old city you will see homes, subway stops, churches, & buildings covered in decorative tiles.

The technique to make tiles & to decorate with them was brought to Portugal by the Moors.

The Portuguese word for tile “azulejo” comes from the Arabic word الزليج (al-zellij), which means “polished stones” used for mosaics. 

On our second day, we enjoyed visiting the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (National Tile Museum).

The entire building was filled with amazing murals made from painted tiles.

If we ever have the chance to return to Lisbon, we hope to do a tile painting class which are done in several different workshops in the city.

We feel like there are many places we missed & could easily enjoy more days in this lovely capital.

Other fun stops & sights in Lisbon.