Portugal Way - 2nd Day of Walking

2nd stage Lavra to Vila do Conde - Rates 23km

Yes, my first night as a pilgrim, not very exciting, but very cold.

And from this point on, the official pilgrim life begins with everything that goes with it. But first the nice part. Read on!

The route from Lavra to Vila do Conde continues mainly along the coast. There are beautiful stretches of beach and smaller rocks to linger on. You walk the whole time on a one-kilometer long wooden bridge. Fascinating!

But after Vila Cha, the trouble began. Still deceptively beautiful, through the picturesque village until it once again led to a final wooden bridge.

A wall of fog emerged and the most terrible and longest 10km lay ahead of me.

After this last coastal stretch, the path led inland and it had nothing to do with beauty anymore... It went along country roads where cars whizzed by you, through industrial areas where I was walking alone. Where did all the pilgrims go? I walked under highway bridges and was simply desperate... By now, my swollen shoulders hurt, my Achilles tendon was hurting so much that I could hardly walk any further. And on the country roads, there was nowhere to sit down until I eventually, half-desperate, found a small side road to rest.

I didn't want to get up anymore..., but I had to keep going. Luckily, the next hostel was less than 3km away. The pain and the desire for a sip of cola drove me on! I was just glad when I arrived. You couldn't complain, but it was a typical, free pilgrim hostel with 60 beds and only 2 toilets...

But here I met my pilgrim friends for the next day. They took care of me and motivated me! I am strong, the will counts! My blisters are still the lesser problem, but I still received professional help from experienced pilgrims!

This is how you take care of blisters correctly: