Finding my way...

Yesterday I forgot to note that the man on the bike who was the first to wish me Bom Caminho, he did that at about 1030-1045... That is 0530-0545 Montreal time.

Well 50 years ago at the same time I was born.

Things work out like that.  I am tired at the end of my day,  I walk in out of the rain to discover I am in the hotel I want to be in and I am whisked upstairs to a room ... lucky number 6. 

Just when you think you might be lost the yellow arrow is there.  

But I am ahead of myself...

The wifi issues the night before might have been mine, passwords. Anyhow after a quick load of yesterday's adventures, check email.... I was away by 0830 hr. 

Following the map I located the swing bridge to cross, only it was not to be...

I had to walk a long way to another bridge. Around the port. 

It's a big port. 

Not really sure how many extra kms .. I will add about 3. 

The sun made a few appearances today! Back to the bridge and then a few blocks to the ocean again. 

Not all streets are actually labelled like this one. 

Okay so this is going to be like wall diving... Keep the ocean on your left and the earth on your right. 

Nice walkway. Many kms of boardwalk too. 

I finally decided to walk down on the sand... When I was close to water it was not so bad. 

Better to see the old men and the sea...

Digging for clams I guess, many were actually fishing as well. 

All the while looking left to the sea, to the right is a large electrical something.  And that is one of the many restaurants along the way.  I had my mid morning coffee and tart there.  I took my boots off to air out.  It was nice. 

Last night I must have walked around in circles many times over trying to find a restaurant, everywhere coffee shops.  How do they all stay in business.  I wondered about all these restaurants on the beach too.  In the summer there are probably many people here... Not so much now. 

It's really hard to take pictures of waves to try and show how big they are....

Maybe 10-15 ft waves...?!

Look what I found!  My yellow arrows!

I am on track and pointed in the right direction. 

It could be a picture of some big suburban houses.... But it's really a picture of two black cats sleeping on a roof!

I have a lot of walking to do....

.... There is diving on this trip? Doh, I don't have my gear!

This my artistic boardwalk vegetation shot. 

There were many signs telling you about the vegetation.  My brain just did not feel like absorbing this information. 

And if I was not on the boardwalk, this was the bike path.  Not really sure what the grey part is for if the walking and riding is split on the red ..?

They looked like open concrete graves...salty fish bins!

A walk though a little fishing village of sorts...

Just when I thought all Portuguese cats were black!  I have seen dogs too. 

I liked this because of all the tiles...

Thank you... Obrigada...

I am not picking up this language too well.  The dictionary comes out when I try to decipher the menus!!

Ooh another artsy shot. ...

There is usually an arrow to help me on my way. 

A nice spot, good size garden...

Always churches...

Hey somewhere back there I stopped for lunch.  I really wanted a sandwich, but sat down before I realized this was not an option.  Out comes the dictionary and I ended up with some type of meat with rice and french fries.  The waiter changed the tv to an English Channel and I watched 'conspiracies unsealed'. 

Did you know aliens have landed, and time travel happens too.  Not to mention the usual Masons are playing with world domination. ...

Ever onward....

Through a tile town.  Cobblestones are not, I repeat NOT fun to walk on...

By farm fields....

If the former could have been Indonesia, then this could be California...

These are almost Vancouver. 

Okay so by now my feet are sore all over, and my knees hurt.  I shift my pack a bit, but the pain is on the lower half of the body.  I know I just had a birthday, but right now I walk like an old lady.  Each step is hard, an effort. 

The ground gets softer as the trail leads through an open area away from the ocean.  I walk for quite some time without any yellow arrows ....

If this walk is about faith, it is having faith that you are really on the right trail in life. That everything will be okay in the end...

But if you need the reassurance, it's there. 

More fields, more painful cobble streets.  I have no idea where I am, except that I am here. 

Through another town. Sidewalks- yea!

The rain started, but I managed to get my coat on and pack covered in time.  I took out my guide to see where I was....

And I was happy to learn that I was almost where my day would end at ...Vila de Conde 

Usually it's all positive reinforcement of where to go.  Sometimes with some negative reinforcing to tell you where not to go... Or like this - both. 

Look another church. 

Tomorrow I will turn right.  Right now I turn left... And search for the Pensau Patarata overlooking the harbour, with a restaurant so once in from the rain, I will not have to go out in it again. 

It's raining harder now and I need to look at the guide again to see what street, maybe I ask, that door, no, one more around the corner instead....

I walk in tired, wet, no Portuguese, I set my pack down to dig out my guide to ask where the place I have chosen is... And she says right here!

I ask if she has a room and she leads me up to room #6, tells me it's 25 Eur and I should shower and rest first. 

I sit down and take off my boots, dig through the pack and climb into the shower, clean dry clothes.  I was dry from the rain... but humidity, sweat ... It's good to be dry. 

I head downstairs to get an expresso, no tarts :(

Can't quite get into this small coffee stuff.  If I order an American coffee, it gets confusing that I don't want milk. 

The lady that met me when I walked in has stepped away.   An older lady now hands me the key to my room.  I ask the others who appear to also work here about wifi... Weefee.  They are not sure. I try to show my phone.... There is much conversation between two people, he searches for something and finally produces a business card and shows me the phone number.  At the same time the old lady come back from the front desk area also with the same card.  I try to explain this is not what I need.  They tell me someone will help me at about 6 pm. Then my friend,  the kind lady who understands what I need, walks back in. She says yes there is wifi and shows me a sign and helps me with the password.  

I go back upstairs to rest again before dinner.  I cannot see where heat will come from in my room and decide to use my sleeping bag on the bed. 

Later I head down for dinner.  I know I ordered chicken for dinner, but it was a surprise how it was cooked.... Ha with rice and french fries again. 

Matoshinhos - Vila de Conde .. 25km

0830- 1600 hrs .... Roughly 3.5 km/hr

Time to sleep, tomorrow is another big day.