I had just begun to acclimate to the time change and felt that I was finally sleeping through the night when we decided it was time to leave and start our walk. Per my usual, I could not sleep as I anticipated the beginning of our walkabout. I woke up hourly, checking to see how much longer it would be before we began. To say I was excited would be an understatement.
I am an early riser and love to begin my day while it is still dark. So, I thought it was a significant compromise when I suggested we wake up at seven o’clock to start the following day. I think my girls thought I was crazy to wake up so early, but they obliged me.
Our guidebook suggested that we consider taking the bus to leave the city center. Because the way markings are challenging and the abundance of early morning traffic in the city, we opted to take the 500 Bus to Motoshinos and begin along the coastline. We would later see that we could have just headed north from our room and walked along the coast, and we would have ended up in the same place, but this realization came to us after we completed our walk and returned to Porto.
The air was crisp and clear as we began. The sea was alluring, and soon we were lost in our thoughts and the beautiful landscape. We would walk nearly twenty miles on our first day. And while the terrain was easy, the winds off the Atlantic coast were gusty and would tire us out.
We came into Vila do Conde at about 3:00 in the afternoon and found a lovely pensoa or pension. In Europe, a pension is a boardinghouse, and we were able to find a room with three beds. In addition, it was connected to a small market/bakery and café/bar. We could not have asked for anything better.
We showered, washed a few garments, and headed downstairs. Although they do not serve dinner until 8:00, our host was happy to serve us bread, ham, cheese, and a glass of wine. My idea of the perfect meal!
We chatted with a woman from Finland who celebrates her birthday month each year with a walkabout. She told us that she had done this for several years and would take the entire month before returning home. Part of the joy for me with this kind of travel is meeting people from various places around the world and listening to their stories. I learn so much this way.
I will admit I was the first to bed that night. In fact, I fell asleep with my clothes on. I tend to get cold after I stop walking, and curling up under the covers puts me right to sleep.
We are getting used to walking with each other. It will take a while before we get our rhythm, but I am content with our learning process. Barcellos tomorrow! Bom Caminho
Tom and Nancy’s Journeys 