This is where I should have posted a photo of the breakfast hamper we were treated to the next morning, but we got so excited we forgot. It was an actual hamper, placed on a small stool by our table, with a thermos of coffee, a bottle of milk, another with juice, a choice of bread rolls, butter, jams, ham, cheese, yogurts … everything a hungry pilgrim could ask for (apart from eggs, which she said she would consider adding). Then, reluctantly, we bid farewell to the hostess, her husband and toddler, the dog and the cat, and headed off into the hot, sunny morning. Starting with a bridge, of course.
On the other side we picked up the red path our hostess told us to follow. At this point it was easy enough, just keep the sea close and to your left and you can’t go wrong. We enjoyed a long stop in Esposende with a decent brunch – it was already getting very hot, and other pilgrims came in and poured into the chairs in the shade. We had to use the app to find the right path, as there was a cluster of them.
The beaches were glorious in the sunshine, the boardwalks slightly less so, as there was no shade anywhere. We decided to get up on the main road, hoping to find some shade and a cold drink.
At one point I caught a movement in the corner of my eyes, and something wiggled and fell off the wall and onto some rustling plastic – an adder! Added it to our camino fauna bingo card, along with lizards, horses, cows, cats and dogs and lots of different birds.
When we got to the big cross by the sea we asked an old weather-beaten gentleman if it was possible to walk to Amorosa along the beach, and he said yes, absolutely, but when we tried it was all pebbles and hard going. Seemed to be lots of different little paths around, but the app was no help, and there was no way we were trying them all. So we turned inland again, towards the main road where there would be places to stop, cool down and rehydrate.
It was 1 May, so a lot of places were closed, and there weren’t many to start with … We turned to the twin powers of Wise Pilgrim and Google Maps, and found a café on the main road – and it was closed. As was the albergue. And the shop. We stumbled on towards the only bar Google said was definitely closed – and it was open! A few of the bikers in the shade outside applauded us as we entered the bar, where a lovely young lady who spoke very good English took very good care of us. She sat us down and served up cold beverages and a lovely meal of a shared prego, served with fries and salad and rice cooked with onions, garlic and oil. A feast for two very hot and hungry wanderers!
As we were now approaching the hottest part of the day, she called a taxi, and we were whisked off in an air conditioned car to the Areias Claras hotel by the beach in Amorosa. I had totally misremembered this place, expecting it to be a dated little pension, when in fact it was a big seaside hotel with a fully equipped bar and restaurant.
Nanci dropped everything, grabbed her towel and ran straight down to the beach, as expected, and I went for a cool shower. No sooner had I started, than the bathroom floor was flooded! I went downstairs to tell the receptionist, who sent up an English speaking lady, who inspected and called a manager, and two secs later I was given the key to an even better room with a shaded balcony for clothes drying.
The only ‘problem’ then was that I had to go and sit in the shade outside the downstairs hotel bar with a beer, waiting to catch Nanci so I could tell her about the change. Such is life. When she did come back after her dip in the sea, she decided to make good use of the launderette around the corner. The rest of the evening was spent nibbling chicken wings, our designated perfect hot weather pilgrim food, and going back and forth to check on the washing and drying (Nanci) and not doing a lot at all (me).
The next day would be a short 9 km walk to Viana do Castelo, to allow for a some gentle exploring in the afternoon. I was looking forward to Viana, but Amorosa by night was pretty stunning too:
Somewhere Slowly 