Stage 1: Porto - Labruge

Stage 1 completed! 💪🥳

Starting this morning around 08:15 in roughly 15°C and dense fog. With the 'Douro' always on the left side, I first headed west towards the Atlantic. After about 5km, I finally reached the sea, even if there wasn’t much to see at first.

I took a few kilometers to warm up; at first, the goal of 23km (it ended up being almost 25) seemed quite difficult to reach. But after about 7-10 km, my body got used to the load and weight :)

At the tourist info in Matosinhos, I picked up a stamp, refilled my water, and then coincidentally ran into Julie again :)

Together we continued, still through dense fog and urban areas.

From Matosinhos, we walked along the wide promenade for several kilometers, until we switched to a wooden path at 'Praia Azul'. This took us in a very idyllic way for a good 10 km directly along the beach. Gradually, the fog began to lift and we could really enjoy the path by the sea.

In between, we made smaller breaks to eat or drink something, or just to stretch and give our feet a little break.

However, the last 5 km felt quite long. My legs got heavy, and I was reminded again that there were still 8kg extra on my back.

We were all the happier when we finally arrived at the pilgrim hostel in Labruge after precisely 6 hours. After checking in, it was time for a shower and laundry.

Then came the hunger... Despite tired legs, we (along with some other pilgrims) made our way back to the beach (900m) with stiff muscles and joints to casually eat and drink something there. The view made the walk absolutely worth it!

To wrap up, we cooled our feet in the sea (brrrr!) and stretched from head to toe.

Refreshed, revitalized, and loosened up, we headed back to the hostel. Now it’s time to rest, recharge energy, and cream and massage the feet :)

Conclusion:

• No blisters - good shoe choice!
• More than 25 km doesn’t have to be a must
• The backpack is great - although a bit heavy (in the end, we'll see what could have been saved)
• Sunburn on the calves 😀 (Don’t forget to cream your legs!)

Now I’m exhausted but also proud that the first stage went quite well.

Let’s see how I feel tomorrow morning... 😅