There was no accommodation inside 25 kms and at this stage we decided that it would be too risky to walk with a leg well below full capacity.  We scanned the maps eager to see other possibilities, but the patchiness of distances, many over 20 kms, was too vast. From Porto onwards there appears to be closer distances between sleeps and a much larger support system to give both of us peace of mind. 

In the meantime, we will spend a little time here in Porto because it is a beautiful city with lots to see. The first thing we did was to visit the Cathedral and follow the yellow arrow for a few kilometres to have some bearings when we do leave. Once again the arrows are very clear, but you have to focus to get out of a large city because the many twists and turns, and other things,   can entice your concentration.

As we entered Porto by train, there was a slight lean on our carriage as passengers sighted the river Douro. While it is an ordinary river, at one stage in town it has found a way through the hillsides, creating a ‘river in a gorge effect’, deep enough to get a train to lean. It’s a spectacular sight not for its appearance but because this gorge is in a big city.

Our camino reconnoitre led us firstly down a myriad of steps, where dark residences with little doors and windows in varied colours contrasted vividly with the shops on the other side lit through large windows and normal doors. Narrow cobbled pathways led us back and up from the valley floor, yellow arrows giving ‘passers by’ something to think and talk about.

As we passed a sign, unfocussed as we were, we saw a young couple with large and dirty back packs, a fair sign they were pilgrims and had started some time ago. I asked them about directions but they were still walking (in their minds), but the young Italian showed me his App  called mapyCZ, while the young Canadian woman suggested another called ‘# Wisely + The Camino Portugues’ – we’ll look at both. It was lovely and invigorating to talk with these two young pilgrims.

Back home, looking out on graceful buildings from the fourth floor of our 5-bed suite (which my “genius booking.com” partner got for a song), we contemplate the next chapter in our unusual camino story.