My Camino journey continued with early morning breakfast of a fresh bread roll and tea at O Nino. One of the pleasures of a private hostel. Francisco, Matilda and others from the previous day drifted in to fortify themselves and prepare for another day’s walking.
Overnight rain had once again left the cobblestone roads slippery. It was still raining very lightly so I used my rain jacket and backpack waterproof cover. The rising sun soon chased the rain away and it was time to take off the rain gear.
Cobblestone Path 
Stone Path
Reassuring Signpost
The route soon left the road and continued on paths and lanes for most of the morning. Thousands of footsteps over hundreds of years had worn depressions in the stone path in the centre photograph above.
The first part of the day was spent climbing the 270m Alto S. Bento. A much easier climb than the previous day. From the top, it was downhill all the way to Valenca.
As so often happened around mid-morning, a bar suddenly appeared. Just plonked down on the side of the road quite far from any other buildings. Two Austrian women who I had seen the day before were enjoying glasses of fresh orange juice, so I joined them. They left before me with a “Bom Camino”. These frequent short connections with other pilgrims were highlights of my Camino journey.
I should note that it was hard to tell the difference between a bar, a cafe and a restaurant. All served alcohol, children sat with adults anywhere. Restaurants served meals, some bars and cafes did while others only served a limited range of snacks and pastries.
Selfie Embarrassment
At the village of Quinta da Bouca, I passed the two Austrian women. A few minutes later, I spotted a traffic mirror placed at a blind intersection. Being of a generation that finds it impossible to take “selfies” I thought it would help me get a photo of myself to prove that I had actually walked the route.
Laughing at my misguided efforts, the two offered to take the photo for me.
Another hour and a half of walking along lanes and quiet roads got me to Valenca, the last town in Portugal. Valenca qualified for city status in 2009. Dating back to Roman times, the city is dominated by a massive fortress. The pilgrim route goes through the fortress. The wikipedia page for Valenca provides details of the city’s history.
According to the Valenca website, in 2019 I was one of 88 310 pilgrims who passed through or started their pilgrimages in the two cities.
Valenca street – fort in background 
Central square 
The Fort and yellow arrow route marker
The fort is a massive structure. Most of the historical buildings inside its walls are still intact, including a Roman milestone.
My Camino Journey Into Spain
Crossing the last street outside the fort brought me to the bridge over the Rio Minho and my last few steps in Portugal. Arriving in Spain, I adjusted my watch to Spanish time. Spain is an hour ahead of Portugal because apart from Galicia which is directly North of Portugal, the rest of Spain stretches much further East.
Both countries are part of the European Union, so there is no demarcated border, customs or immigration formalities. I stepped onto the bridge in Portugal and stepped off it in Spain.
Tui with a population of 17 000 is a little bigger than Valenca. The area around Tui has been inhabited since prehistoric times.
Climbing the first hill, I arrived at the Tui Cathedral which was built between the 11th to 13 centuries. On the steps was the enterprising owner of a private hostel, Hostel Jorge. He handed me a flier and in good English gave me directions. As I wanted to look inside the cathedral, I told him I would get there later.
Leaving the Cathedral, I was again accosted by the owner of Hostel Jorge who told me he would show me the way to the hostel. It was quite early in the day, not many pilgrims were arriving. I guessed he thought a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush.
Rio Minho 
Tui Cathedral 
View from Hostel Jorge
Hostel Jorge
He was right, it was not far. On the way, he told me the price was 15euro which included breakfast, tea, coffee and use of the washer and drier. That sounded reasonable so I abandoned my earlier idea of looking for a municipal Albergue.
I was the first arrival and had a choice of a 5 or 6 bed room. I chose one of the lower bunks in the smaller room. The single bed was too close to the door for a quiet night.
As I was writing my notes for the day, an attractive young woman cyclist came in and claimed the bed. She was from Latvia, spoke excellent English and intended finishing the journey from Porto to Santiago in 6 days. At an average of 40 km a day that would not be too difficult.
She went off to shower and came back so scantily clad in a sports bra and thong that I thought she was naked. She did not seem at all concerned so I focused my eyes on my notebook while she climbed under her blanket for a nap.
The next two pilgrims were Klara and Martina, two young women from the Czech Republic. Both blonde and with excellent English. They also went to shower however, they came back slightly more covered than the Latvian cyclist.
I could only assume that because of my grey beard and advanced years they thought I was so old I must be harmless.
View from Hostel Jorge 
Hostel Jorge 
Tui street
The restaurants in Tui seemed to be geared towards regular tourists rather than pilgrims. I could not find one with a Peregrino menu. After some searching, I found one with a reasonably priced menu on display on the outer wall. Entering the courtyard I saw that several other pilgrims had the same idea. I ordered spaghetti bolognaise and of course, a jug of red wine.
Tables had filled up quickly, Hella, a German woman who was cycling the whole 630 km from Lisbon to Santiago asked if she could join me. Her English was at least as good as mine. She was a pharmaceutical representative and worked for the parent corporation of a company I had worked for when I first arrived in South Africa. With that and the Camino in common, we had plenty to talk about. She had brought her own bicycle in pieces on the aeroplane, assembled it at the start and would take it apart again in Santiago to fly home.
A Good Day On My Camino Journey
It had been a comparatively short day’s walk of 20 km with a couple more walking around the old buildings in the city. Expenses for the day were 30.25 euro, the hostel and supper above budget. The orange juice at 3 euro an extra expense but worth it as I had not been eating much fruit up till then.
Despite the short distance covered on today’s Camino journey, it had been a day rich with sights, country lanes and trails, narrow twisty streets, old buildings, the Cathedral and meeting many interesting people.
Before turning in for the night, I filled the water bladder in my backpack and propped it against my bunk ready for an early start the next morning. One of the disadvantages of a bladder became obvious when Klara and Martina, came back and stepped in a large pool of water next to my pack. The drinking tube had got under the pack and the weight had opened the valve in the mouthpiece letting a litre of water seep over the floor.
As I found on most days of the Camino journey, a long walk, a mix of solitude and good conversations, a light meal with wine, a comfortable bed and the simple life of a pilgrim gave me a good night’s sleep.
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