Mealhada to Agueda

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Having hoofed out of El Caballo (yes we did get an omelette for dinner and no we didn’t go to the DISCOTECA) at a very civilised 8.25am (because Allan set the alarm for 6.00pm instead of 6.00am and thank goodness Lori can knock loudly and I can pack very quickly) we are very pleased with ourselves….26km and we walked into Agueda at 2.30pm AND we had two stops along the way for cafe Americano and argua con gas con gelo…

Today we headed out through a series of small urban villages and having had an irreverent conversation with Rad about ‘objets d’arts’ along Phoenix Road in Spirivood and whether I had spotted any similar ‘prizes’ on our stroll through Portugal, we turned a corner and there before our eyes were a couple of “pieces”. They have now been recorded in the blog for posterity sake but neither come anywhere close to the magnificence of “THOR the THUNDER GOD” in Jean Street Beaconsfield which arguably alongside “DISCO MADONNA” on Phoenix Road are examples of the highest forms of objets d’arts ‘d ethnic front yard.

Exiting the villages we headed back into eucalyptus forest and after a couple of kilometres we came to the sign which signals that we are leaving another region and entering the Agueda region. This will take as almost through to Porto. Although the path was through several sections of forest and vineyards, by far the majority of the walking was on asphalt roads. We normally complain about this, but today it wasn’t too bad because the roads were quiet. Walking through the last of the eucalyptus forests we could hear the sounds of kids – lots of kids – and it wasn’t until we came out of the forest that we discovered that we were walking towards amazing sports facilities and multiple soccer pitches and stadiums that appear to have been constructed for the European Championships several years ago. Fantastic facilities and loads of kids participating in their phys ed lessons – funny same sounds of kids playing sport no matter what the language.

Heading on through several more villages and several pretty heavy industrial areas we both were wondering whether if this were the first camino that we had undertaken would we have considered coming back for a second – the jury is still out. The asphalt and the industrial areas are definite put offs, but once we are onto the trails and away from the traffic it all becomes enticing.

Today’s “lessons” included that chopping wood (in particular eucalyptus) is made MUCH simpler with a heavy duty pneumatic wood splitter attached to the back of a Massey Ferguson tractor AND Kiwi Fruit grows on vines…not only are our calves getting exercise but we’re learning things as well!

So, coming into Agueda which is built along the banks of the river…..was very pleasant and pleasing – the time was great and we were able to locate the accomodation easily. This is our home base for two days as the villages that we are walking through do not have accomodation – so we walk our kilometres and then get transported back to the hotel and the reverse happens in the morning. – transported back to where we finished the day before – mod cons that the old pilgrims wouldn’t have enjoyed.