The rain started, so today will be wrapped in plastic, strike that….I will be wrapped in plastic. This is why I brought a zip lock of zip locks, my raincoat, umbrella, and rain pants. I decided to forgo the pants as it seems more of a warm drizzle than anything, plus I’ll be able to put on dry clothes tonight. What luxury!

I walked over the bridge spanning the harbour at Rio Leca, and was enticed by a café with a covered porch claiming they would stamp my pilgrim passport. Done! I needed my daily cappuccino and pastry anyway. This pastel de nata was much more custardy than yesterday… I will be an expert on these before Im done!

The drizzle continued all morning and made for a mysterious walk. Fog obscured much of the landscape, but I could tell the sea was turbulent today. I was on a wooden boardwalk for the most part, and stepped carefully because I know wet wood is among the slickest surfaces out there.

Today was much less urban, and the path took me through dunes, past many historical markers, and small little villages. We are still on the outskirts of Porto and a note in the guidebook about a metro stop into the city remind me of that. Anywhere is walkable if you have the time!

My body is holding up, although there is an ache in my lower back that has been haunting me since I loaded up my lumbar pack for a test run last week. It’s manageable, but I took some pain meds at a morning tea break. I can’t drink coffee and eat pastries all day…I dont think my body will like me much, so I was on a quest for a nice salad for lunch.

Still not much interaction from folks, but in the spirit of being in the moment and receiving what is given, I will continue in my solitary bubble, grateful for the chance to be with my thoughts.

And I found my salad! Right when the sun came out and the sky dried up, I sat down for a rest in a beach café and ordered a nice green salad. They like to put corn on the salads here, no complaints here! I was doing some reading and realized my stay tonight was at a bed and breakfast, or in a woman’s home. Check-in time wasn’t until 6:30pm, so I had gobs of time and had already walked over half of today’s mileage. Again, I could have walked more, but am staying with the itinerary I had already mapped out. It would be a real hassle to change it now with the luggage transfer and all…

So the afternoon was quite lovely, and I even popped open my sun umbrella for a while.

I walked through the charming village of Vila Cha and found a place for a bite and more reading before I could check in. I was surrounded by local families, which was quite nice, and lingering at a table for an hour or two was quite common, so I felt comfortable in my daudle.

When I arrived at Maria’s house, I found I was the only guest, quite a nice change after having been crammed in small rooms with lots of bodies the last few nights. I showered and used my travel heating pad on my neck and shoulders. What luxury!