Day 21 – September 13, 2016 - Porto, Portugal – 0.00 Miles Started the day out by taking the vehicular up so we didn’t have to walk up the steep hill to view the Se Cathedral. Our next stop was the Lello & Irmao book store so we could see not only the books but also the gorgeous curved staircase inside the store. We then made our way over to the Torre dos Clerigos (The Tower) and viewed the chapel plus walked up the 240 steps to the top of the tower where we got some great views of the city. The final thing we did while in Porto was to attend a port tasting at the Calem wine factory which was very interesting. When we got back to our hotel, Julian and Moria , friends ... read more

Day 19 – September 11, 2016 - Grijo, Portugal to Porto, Portugal - 11.7 Miles Sergio and his daughter arrived at Sao Joao da Madeira at 9 am to take us back to Grijo where we had stopped walking yesterday. After dropping us off at the Church of the Monastery of Saint Saviour of Grijo, we were fortunate to have this nice gentleman give us a tour of the church and stamp our pilgrim’s passport. As we leave the church, we walk pass a cemetery where we see people placing fresh flowers on various graves or lighting candles. We continue walking down the Avenida do Mosteiro and eventually make a right hand turn walking around the huge walls of the monastery in the general direction of Vila Nova de Gaia. It’s not long be before we ... read more

Day 17 – September 9, 2016 - Albergaria-a-Velha, Portugal to Sao Joao da Madeira - 19.12 Miles When I checked the temperature on my phone it said it was only 54 degrees out. As we headed out the hotel door, I wished I had put on my fleece top, bottom half of my hiking pants and gloves – burr was it cold!!! The trail had us winding throughout the streets of Albergaria-a-Velha before leading us to a forest track. Upon leaving the forest we passed by the statue of Our Lady. We now begin walking on a very busy secondary road dodging fast moving cars. I was never so happy when the trail made a turn onto a woodland path taking us away from all those crazy drivers. It’s not long before the woodland path turns ... read more

A few fun pictures taken the morning of September 8, 2016 as we leave Agueda, Portugal.... read more

Day 14 – September 6, 2016 - Coimbra, Portugal to Mealhada, Portugal - 16.3 Miles After having a wonderful breakfast and saying goodbye to the awesome employees at Hotel Vila Gale, our day begins. We start by following the busy street under the bridge for the I-10 before turning right onto another busy secondary road. As we proceed up the road we pass under the railway bridge and continue to the petrol station where we turn onto an old asphalt road leaving Coimbra behind us. We now walk alongside an overgrown canal parallel to the rail line. As we continue walking we soon pass through the small village of Ademia and then onto Fornos. While we were looking at a sign in Fornos for Casa Morais which was formerly a medieval pilgrim inn, we are greeted ... read more