El Camino Portugues: Day 26

To Santiago de Compostela: 207.5 km
Walked today: 22.2 km
Total walked: 420 km

Up at 5 am, gourmet breakfast in the room, supplies we got yesterday: orange juice, a sweet bun and fruit. On the move by 6 am.

We took the metro to the outskirts of Porto, as we were ready to board there was Annie from Sweden. She rode with us and stayed on the train. She was on her way to the coastal route while we are taking the central and traditional Caminho.

When we left the metro station we found ourselves in a busy, narrow highway with no shoulders. Thrilling or scary your choice. This went on for almost 10 km. Asphalt and cobble stones. Then a quiet road, more and more cobblestones. Feet destroyers.

Around 10 am we found a pasteleria in Vilarinho where we had a rest and a ham sandwich. By then my blister on a blister started to make trouble. At the park in front of the pasteleria, I changed the blister plaster and adjusted the boot - it did not help much.

We did have a couple of short breaks from the cobblestone, we crossed another mediaeval bridge which was built for pilgrims and we had a short path through woods.

At around 1 pm we found a full service restaurant so we stopped for a real meal. The place was full and the food was good. We took our time, salad, fish fillets, potatoes and rice accompanied by vinho Verde plus dessert for only €6.50. A lot better and cheaper than Porto. This is what a big Mac meal costs.

Shortly after lunch we saw the first couple of pilgrims, not very talkative but they are staying in the same Quinta, I think they are German and they are walking without backpacks. A bit later we met a Spanish couple also on their way to Santiago.

And then we arrived to our destination, Quinta San Miguel. This is a very nice place, an old mansion and they have managed to keep the old flavour but with all the comforts of home. We got a really big room and the bathroom is down the hall. There ate two swimming pools and they do the laundry for free for pilgrims. Surprisingly it is one of the most economical places we have stayed at.

The church is next door and they had a mass at 7 pm which was perfect for us.

We are really not very hungry so we had soup for dinner and they gave us a package so we can have breakfast at 6 am (they serve breakfast at 8 am).

So now it is 9 pm, bed time.

Santiago el mayor, friend and apostle of Jesus, help us in this journey to your tomb and resting place and pray for us.

Early morning in the cobblestones