Today's walk, was supposed to be only 19 miles. However, walking into any major town usually resulted in walking through industrial areas and walking along busy roads. Yesterday, I was looking forward to the walk, today was totally different, my energy was low, I really did not want to start, but as we walked it was cathartic, improving my mood with each step. The landscapes were beautiful, hills, l ovely shaded paths, cheerful people. I greeted one "African" girl with Bom Dia and her smile lit up the street as she replied.
We climbed, we descended, it got hotter, but today there were some clouds and it was cooler than it has been.
We ended up with a late breakfast, almost 10 am before we foudnsomewhere to stop. It was a cafe crowded with pilgrims, and lots of other people too. I felt the need for something a little more substantial today, so had two pastries, my beloved pastel de nata and something else flaky and delicious.
Photos often tell a story, this house had water running underneath it, not sure I would want that for myself, but I guess many mills were built over and beside streams and rivers.
It took us till almost 2 pm to reach the next cafe and when we got there he was just closing, so we grabbed a drink and sat outside to cool down a little.
We ate up the miles and Coimbra came into view. As you can see they cut the road right through the Roman aqueduct. We still had a couple of hours to walk.
We had to descend into the city, and find a hotel. Guide books are not always accurate, and the hotel suggested by both our guidebooks no longer existed. But there were plenty of places to stay and lots of restaurants to enjoy. Andre insisted we had to climb up to the University, which is one of the oldest in Europe and situated above the city.
The streets of Coimbra are narrow and cool, again you can see the black and white marble cobblestones. As I walk the streets I realize how tired and abused my feet.
This is the main square inside the university
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The doors to the library are famous. As is the statue of one of the Portuguese Kings
I still have several days with Andre, but realized I was going to miss walking with him as I walked along with other people off and on throughout the day.
Octopus this time, delicious.
So bt the time we got back to the hotel we had actually walked 21 miles. I was ready for bed, but Andre went out to listen to some Fado, a soulful singing style particular to Portugal. I had walked 179 miles since leaving Lisbon, 1/3 of the way to Santiago de Compostella in 8 days. Another early morning tomorrow and a walk to Anaida.
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