Friday – June 30, 2017
After a hearty breakfast, we lingered in Porto for most of the day enjoying the sights, sounds and food of the city.
In the afternoon, we hiked a few miles to the metro rail station, where we hopped on the train and to the Varziela station where we planned to start our hike on the Camino trail.
We arrived at our starting point at 4 pm and walked through the small town near the station on our way to Vila do Conde.
There were numerous small farms along the way with various crops. Most homes in the area had large gardens and a few had artificial lawns.
As we left the town, we got on to the long boardwalk along the extensive beach or ‘ Praia ‘as it is called in Portugal.
Kathy won the prize ( the opportunity to pay for supper ) for being the first to spot a ‘ Fletcha ‘ (arrow in English ) indicating the Camino trail.
While we were hiking the trail, there were several people that greeted us with the word ‘ Camino ‘ in recognition of us walking the path and some pointed us in the direction of the trail.
We arrived at the Erva Doce House in Vila do Conde and checked in at 6 pm.
At 6:30 we took a stroll around the area and found a small restaurant where we had a light but delicious supper.
We celebrated the start of our hike with a chocolate gelato and a cup of cappuccino for desert.
There is a young fellow who is staying in the dorm with me. He is a 29 year old Slovenian named Andre who speaks fluent English and chose to walk the Camino for his vacation. Together with his partner, he runs a company that makes beer and teaches other people the art of making beer.
Tomorrow will be a much longer hike and a good test for us.
Ralf Hamm 