Matosinhos → Praia do Paraíso (6,8km)

After a sleepless night due to the noise from the nightlife outside, a house with thin walls and a mind full of thoughts, I got up early.
I didn’t have much to pack, but it took me a while to decide what to put at the bottom of my rucksack and what to keep within easy reach. But I’ll get the hang of it more quickly with each passing day.

My first stop was the pilgrims’ office, where I got the first stamps in my pilgrim’s passport.

I was also able to buy the last pair of walking poles, which saved me having to make another stop at a sports shop. I couldn’t take my own walking poles with me because of hand luggage restrictions, and I need them to support my right ankle.

After half an hour, I reached our destination together with two other pilgrims. They were an elderly couple from New Zealand who wanted to walk 28 km today.
As my errands in Porto had all gone so smoothly and I’d taken the bus instead of the metro as originally planned, my next accommodation was just 6 km away by 10.00.
So, feeling completely relaxed and blessed with lovely weather (18°C, sunshine but windy), I set off on my walk along the shore. After two km, I had coffee, a croissant and a muffin for breakfast, whilst enjoying the sea view.

I quickly realised that I wasn’t the only one setting off on the Camino so late in the year, and several pilgrims – mostly in pairs – overtook me whilst I was taking photos, stopping at every viewpoint and cooling my feet in the Atlantic, which was 16°C.

I went to my new accommodation and was able to get into my room after I’d read all the messages I’d received containing the necessary instructions. Yesterday, I had a similar experience with my room in Porto – I hadn’t read the messages from the landlord properly.😅 There are just too many emails and messages for all the bookings...

After I’d had my pilgrim’s passport stamped and registered my details, I went to a nearby ‘supermarket’. My plan was to cook myself a simple supper (e.g. tortellini), but it turned out to be more of a corner shop run by a very nice elderly lady, with whom I communicated using sign language. For €10, I bought a bar of chocolate, two pastéis de nata, four bread rolls and 200g of cheese. That’ll be my dinner and breakfast, so no cooking today despite having a kitchen. I don’t feel like going out for dinner tonight.