Day 3 - Vilar do Pinheiro to Arcos

All packed up and ready for the day, we walked to the São Bento station and caught the Metro leaving Porto for the trip back to Vilar do Pinheiro where we joined the Camino once again.

We passed through suburban villages, mostly walking on roadsides. Drivers seem aware of pilgrims and walkers, and slow down when they pass.  Sometimes there’s a sidewalk… a very, very narrow sidewalk that comes and goes.

After about three miles today, we had edged out of the city and into more rural areas. We stopped at the Ramiro Cafe for our morning galão (latte) and pastel de nata. We’re getting hooked! The coffees cost €1 or €2 and pastel de natas are usually less than €1 and they’re delicious. The cafes know how to lure in the pilgrims. They offer special pilgrim meals, free WiFi and ‘carimbos’ (stamps for the pilgrim passport).

We have been getting our ‘carimbos’ by the way… at least two a day. Every hotel and most restaurants and cafes will gladly stamp our ‘credencial’. We even got one at a fire station! Sometimes the stamps are plain and boring. Ramiro Cafe had a pretty good one.

Several people along the way leave out fresh fruit or offer fresh water for passing pilgrims. Everywhere we go, we hear Bom Caminho from locals and other pilgrims.

We’ve been leaving our lodgings early enough to appreciate morning sounds and smells. Birdsong, sheep baaing, roosters crowing, dogs barking. The smell of bread and pastries as we near a cafe. The fragrance of roses and wisteria and wildflowers wafting through the air. It’s also planting season here and we unfortunately happened to walk by a farmers field that was just getting sprayed with manure. Yes, sprayed by a tanker truck with liquified manure. The smell was nearly overwhelming as we rushed by, swarmed by associated clouds of flies that hung out in the area. We passed several more fields later in the day that had just been ‘treated’.  We now refer to them as campos (fields) do poo-poo. Yuck!

A highlight of the day was crossing the Ponte Dom Zameiro. Named after a local nobleman, this ancient granite bridge was originally built by the Romans to cross  the Ave River and later renovated during medieval times. Located on a historic Roman/medieval road (Via Veteris) which connects Porto to Ponte de Lima, the bridge has been used by soldiers and traders, tradesmen, walkers and pilgrims for over two millennia… an awe inspiring thought as we walked across.

This was a long walking day - 13.7 miles. Our feet are holding up well so far. Blisters are always a worry, but so far, so good. We could see the town of Arcos, our destination for the day, in the distance.

We were stiff and sore at the end of the day and very pleased to see Vila d’Arcos, our accommodations for the night, right beside the path. Hot showers, dinner prepared by our host, a glass of wine, and a comfy room and bed for the night. Life is good.

Tomorrow, we’re off to Barcelos, known throughout Portugal for its Legend of the Barcelos Rooster. Should be interesting. Get a good night’s sleep then come on along.