The second stage of the Camino Portuguese, I had to walk 22.4 km from Vila do Conde to the town of Esposende.
In the morning, I left Residencial Princesa do Ave at about half past eight and set out for the promenade. My legs and back hurt, but I could walk. In the morning it was gloomy and foggy. Soon, other pilgrims began to meet.
One last look at Vila do Conde
Along the way, I came across an interesting church, Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Lapa
Later, such a monument came across – Monumento ao Pescador de Vila do Conde – Monument to fishermen from Vila do Conde
A funny signpost near one of the beach bars
I think these things are for hanging fish.
Póvoa de Varzim pier with lighthouse and Marina da Póvoa de Varzim
Monument Homenagem às Mulheres do Mar – Dedicated to the women of the sea
Thus, I moved from Vila do Conde to the town of Póvoa de Varzim.
There is an entire wall where the history of the city is told on azulejo tiles.
Monument to Fernando da Silva Gonçalves. Nando Gonçalves – caricaturist, painter, portraitist, visual artist, musician, he was born and died in Póvoa de Varzim.
Then the road went along the promenade with many cafes. Here, a woman with a dog suddenly approached me and asked if I was a pilgrim. I said yes, and she gave me a small silver shell pendant, a symbol of pilgrims, which I attached to my bag. It was very nice and pleasant.
Pilgrim signs are found in the most unexpected places
And then the ocean appeared again in all its beauty and majesty. Its endless expanses, blue waves and endless horizons capture the imagination. The sound of the surf and the smell of salt water create an atmosphere of peace and freedom. It inspires, soothes and makes you think about our beautiful world.
Then the promenade ended and the wooden walkways began.
It is 210 km to Santiago, but it is probably in a straight line.
And again my favorite wooden paths. They run along the coast and allow pilgrims to enjoy beautiful views of the ocean, blue waves and endless horizons.
Met on the road Albergue de Aguçadoura. It was open and you could use the toilet and put a stamp. My first stamp for today.
Then the road again followed a wooden path along the ocean, and such round stone towers were often encountered.
Then the road turned away from the ocean and a golf course and a football stadium appeared on the left.
Then the road suddenly split – you could continue along the wooden road towards the golf course, but a yellow arrow pointed to the village and all the pilgrims followed the arrows towards the town of Apúlia. I didn’t really like walking around the village, it was hot and not so interesting.
Cute detail on the way
I really didn’t want to go through the city in the heat and in Apulia I turned to the side of the seaside. Besides, I wanted to eat, and there were many restaurants on the promenade.
The restaurant I chose was called Quininha (Av. da Colonia 43, 4740-077 Apúlia). I ordered a vegetable soup and a salad with tuna, as well as a beer, only 14.5 euros.
After I sat in the restaurant, the muscles on my legs ached with double strength, for the first half hour I hobbled more than I walked. I didn’t want to go away from the ocean and decided to go to Fão along the promenade, although the path of St. James was different. But in any case, the path of St. James and my path were to cross in the same place – on the bridge to the city of Esposende.
Way to Fão
Since all the pilgrims went on a different road, no one met me for a long time
But then I got back on the road to Esposende. Pilgrims are waiting here
Pilgrim cafes where you can put a stamp have started to appear. In one of these cafes, I put a second stamp.
But finally I came to Esposende, it was about three o’clock in the afternoon.
In Esposende, I spent the night at the RIVER ZEN HOUSE guesthouse.
The statistics for today
After rest, I went for a walk along the promenade and had dinner in a restaurant. The distance on the second day was approximately the same as on the previous one, only the situation was aggravated by pain in the muscles. In the evening it turned out that my phone charger broke, and I needed to protect the charge as much as possible so that it would last the whole next day until I buy a new one.
Portugal
Porto
Hotels
- Residencial Princesa do Ave, Vila do Conde
- Baixinho Guest House, Vila Praia de Âncora
- Hotel Terra Linda, Viana do Castelo
- River Zen House, Esposende
