Stage 3: Singing towards Almograve

The second night is not much better than the first; it feels like I hardly had any deep sleep. In the morning, I have a video call appointment, so I leave just before noon.

After a short walk through Vila Nova de Milfontes, I cross the Rio Mira. Then I walk briefly along a major road, passing a field and through an oak grove. I wonder what it must be like for a tree to be stripped alive. 🤔 I also spot a few olive trees. I realize that olives straight from the tree have purple juice, taste very bitter, and leave a fuzzy feeling on the tongue.

I walk along the Rio Mira for a short distance until it flows into the Atlantic at a beach. There, I take my lunch break. After that, I walk past fields and through what I would call scrubland.

Since I started so late, hardly anyone is going in the same direction as I am; I only occasionally meet people coming towards me. This allows me to whistle and sing loudly without hesitation. I even compose my own little song:

     Only me and the trees and the flowers             and the sea, only me and the sea.

     Only me and the sand and the soil and the       sea, only me and the sea. Heyhey

At some point, it's just me, Martin, Katka, Dano, and the sea. I meet the three Slovaks on a long beach where I jump into the water briefly. We walk the rest of the way together; they are super nice, and I learn a few things about Slovakia from them.

In Almograve, I spend the night in a hostel for a change since there is no campsite here. Instead, I save on food; today, it's instant soup. 😁