18km. A very cold start to our walking day, with rain on and off for most of the morning. We didn’t get breakfast at the Residencial we stayed at last night, so we walked 3+km to Grijo and got coffee and cheese rolls at a little cafe there. Most of the day’s walk was on paved roads through the southern suburbs of Porto, with one section of unpaved and cobblestoned Roman road. Of all the surfaces we walk on, cobblestones have got to be The Worst! Hard, uneven and unpredictable. I’m sure they are rough on the cars that drive on them as well.
We stopped a couple of times for snacks along the way, but it was too cold to sit for too long, so we just kept on walking and reached our hotel in Porto by 3pm. We’re staying at the B&B Hotel Porto Centro, a gorgeous new hotel in an old cinema. There is a large B&W photo of Ingrid Bergman on the wall of our room.
Rest day tomorrow, which will give us a chance to see a bit of Porto.
Walking in the rain again on a Roman road
Flowers on every grave
Judy at the Pont Louis I bridge (click for larger version)
Porto and the river (click on image for larger version)
Porto stage options: If you are walking to Porto there is another hotel that has been built about 7km north of Sao Joao Da Madeira. It is the Hotel Feira Pedra Bela. This would make the leg to Porto a more manageable 28km.
Hi there people the Eiffel Bridge is it a train bridge or tram you seem to be going OK hows your blisters Judy they seem to be back in time which is not all that bad close Sat till Mon life was at a better pace
Actually, we got it wrong, Ron. The bridge in the photo isn’t the Eiffel, but was built at around the same time as Eiffel was doing stuff – 1887. The Eiffel bridge is a bit further west towards the coast and we’ll put a photo of it up soon. Feet are good now thanks, although they still look pretty terrible. They don’t hurt when I walk, which is the main thing.
We were talking with friends about the Australian Olmpics yesterday and could not remember in which year it took place, so thank you for the info. Our best friend has a nephew in the group SAVAGE GARDEN who played at these olympics.
Walking on cobbled roads must be a strain on your back, not such as easy walk as last year. The rain and cold doesn’t help. Margaret.
I liked Savage Garden – I guess it’s a sign of my advancing age that I enjoyed their music because I could undertand their lyrics! So your friend’s nephew would be Daniel? Just guessing, as he was born in the UK.
Yes Judy, Daniel was born in the hospital where I worked. We hear their music played almost daily on our radio and they were very popular in Canada when we we there.
I don’t envy you walking along busy roads. I used to hate the sound of traffic going by when on rambles, although our walks are mainly through country side. I noticed you have blue sky as it was here yesterday with a temperature of 22 degrees. Warm for us Brits.