Under the plum trees: I get by with a little help...

Day of rest... done.

Pack loaded, socks dry, boots on,

(wait for it...)

Are you ready boots,

start walking .....

I left the hotel about 0815 hrs.

Wandered down the road to find a marker.

Downhill to town.

It was along way to a cafe for morning coffee. I walked in and thought about coffee and then... oh #€%& I forgot to get stamps from the hotel!!

I am not walking back up with my pack, I am not leaving my pack....

I try in my best non Spanish to ask what a taxi would cost up and back.

The two women staff don't quite understand, a taxi to Ponteverde? No just 2 mins up the hill and back.

... The man reading the newspaper at the counter gets it and he offers to drive me. He downs his coffee. We get to the hotel. He explains he will just turn the vehicle around leave the pack.

I ring the hotel bell and wake up the inn keeper who has the best morining hair going. It is Saturday morning and he was at the restaurant drinking last night...

I get my two stamps for the two nights and I climb back in with the nice guy who I could not understand his name.

He explains (in Spanish) that he has done the Camino Frances on a bike. He drops me back at the cafe where I get my coffee and cakes for breakfast.

Then, (I guess I am out practice with the day off) I walk two blocks in the wrong direction. I get to an intersection and search for my arrow or shell. Nothing.

I ask a woman crossing the street toward me ... Por favor ..Camino? She replies no and points back to the street with the cafe. Back to the corner hoping the staff don't see me again. They would wonder if I will ever get to Santiago!

It is a nice little town. Would have been nice to have stayed closer to the town- but the point was not to site see, but to be off my foot. I guess I ' done good'.

There must be more to these structures?

Bread man has come and gone.

The foot is feeling pretty good. It hurts still, but I stop more often and pressure point massage, and stretch.

Somewhere along here I started to think about all my friends and family that are with me on this Camino. Many who provided much needed support are here in spirit... Others have given me things that I carry with me today...

Hankerchiefs from my sister, a pocket knife from my brother, a shirt my mother helped me pick out, bandanas from my step mother have helped me carry home extras (bread for yesterday!), a warm under layer from a good friend, a t shirt I bought with a dive buddy when on a trip on the west coast of Vancouver Island, some little clips that are crucial to attaching my little day pack from another dive buddy who likes to organize trips, throat medication my brother brought for me (all cleared up), several quick dry items bought for the last time I set off on an adventure to visit my brother, and I think how I keep meeting my dad on the other side of the world as he chases my brother around as well.

Good friends and family... I am almost in tears ... happy tears though.

Rest, stretch, pee not necessarily in that order. The internet also said drink lots of fluids for happy muscles...

This man was carrying a rope and there was evidence of sheep on the trail. I think he had just led his sheep to a pasture.

This hypothesis was supported when I saw this lady shortly after (at about 1000 hrs).

Look a new colour scheme. Blue background to my yellow arrow. Maybe it leads to an Ikea...

Nice trails today.

Another pee break almost a disaster... Need to remember to always look where I set my pack down..... Centimeters away from doggie do!

Portugal, Spain... barking dogs... Everyone has a dog in their yard who barks at everything. All types of dogs, big scary dogs and little tough dogs.

I stopped for lunch at 1215 hrs in a cafe on the long road into town. I had ham, cheese tapas, bread, wine and some veggie things that were great. The same cheese potato thing I had yesterday and a sweet potato turnover.

Sheepies....

There was a long stretch on the side of this road that leads into Ponteverde. Sorry Dad I did not record all the little suburbs.

More sheepies.....!

By 1400 hrs I finally got to town.

When I get to cities I sometimes I wonder if the Camino leads through not nice neighborhoods...

I stopped to look at my guide as the hotel I had chosen was off the Camino and I wanted to see what street. I asked a lady where I was.... She took the guide and was set to lead me off in what I decided was the wrong direction. I thanked her, took my guide and followed arrows until it was obvious where I needed to go.

Everyone one out on a Saturday...

Ponteverde is a wonderful old medieval city....at least the centre of the city is.

It is centred on the Camino. This is the Santuario da Peregrina.

I found my hotel - Ruas. 35€ for the night and they take card. Cute little room with everything one needs. Rest, shower, change, rest, then walk alittle while the sun is still out.