The morning was absolutely stunning. The sun was out. There was a breeze. It was quiet on the streets because it was Sunday. And my path led me into the forest between Albergaria-a-Velha and Albergaria-a-Nova. Here it was clearly visible how close the fires got to people’s houses. A scary thought. Many power lines had fallen over and camino indicators were damaged (which may or may not be because of the recent fires). At one point the yellow arrow was very smudged and I checked my phone to see if I was choosing the right direction. Furthermore, after the recent rain, there were gigantic puddles of water I had to avoid. After this, the way was pretty much on asphalt streets.
I walked passed the albergue in Albergaria-a-Nova, where the majority of pilgrims seem to stay. From there onwards I felt like there were always houses around. It was as if towns, villages and cities were all connected. Many villages had tiny streets and corners where traffic couldn’t see you coming, so I changed from left to right, always trying to make myself visible. I was smashing it and took a break after about 2 hours when I saw a perfect green grassy park with a picnic bench. From here, the next cafés were about half an hour away, so I told myself I’d stop there for a refreshment.
At some point the camino arrow pointed right at a train track. As in, you’d have to walk on it. It looked like they were repairing the tracks to perhaps use them again in the future. Ahead of me, someone had also spray-painted an arrow. A man who was working in his garden waved me through. I had to take a small detour along the main road. I would cross train tracks a few more times today, with walking really close/on top of them somewhere. They seemed to be out of use, but now being repaired. I wonder if they have to change the camino route slightly next year.
My break was in Pinheiro da Bemposta. A man was just opening his bar, putting chairs outside. I ordered an iced tea and sat down in the sun. Moments later the music was turned on and I could enjoy my drink while listening to some golden oldies. Some locals came in as well. When I left, the square was full of life. People picked up bread in the shop, or took a coffee in the cafés. Cars were coming and going. So far it had been quiet, so this lively scene was nice to see.
There were a bunch of ups and downs in the landscape. One up led me to the historical Bemposta. I could see all the way to the sea from here! There were some beautiful, although in some cases dilapidated, old buildings. They lay on the Royal Road that connected important cities at the time. Besides some buildings and a fountain, you can also see the pillory, where public executions used to take place.
A bit later another pilgrim caught up with me. We walked together until the next town. It was one hell of a hill, with a long, steep path that didn’t seem to ever finish. The town’s main street was on top, mostly quiet apart from a few cafés. Boy, did we welcome a cold drink! We weren’t the only walkers taking a break here. After my lunch I continued through the rest of Oliveira de Azeméis by myself. It didn’t seem that far anymore till São João da Madeira. But there were still some hills to enjoy. And finally I heard first, and saw later, a real train. It was pretty small and covered in graffiti. So there were some trains going!
Walking into the city was a bit surreal. After another big hill there were several huge supermarkets and a big shopping mall. I got some supplies and made the last meters towards the town center. I was staying in a hotel today. When I checked in the woman told me in Portuguese that I’d been upgraded. I was now in a renovated room that had its own bathroom. The woman was wonderful, explaining all kinds of things I half understood. I made my after-camino round through town. I went downhill to check out a park and then I regretted it. It wasn’t that great and now I had another hill to climb.
