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Join me for a few Peaceful Moments on the third day of the Camino Portugues, today walking from Esposende to Viano do Castelo in Portugal.

This was a big day, not that I really knew it when setting out. Leaving Esposende the path follows the coast before cutting inland and then uphill, and uphill again, and again. It was a hot day with barely a cloud in the sky - a fine day for walking!

After a stop at a cafe with many other pilgrims and then cresting a long hill, finally Viano do Castelo was visible in the distance - still a ways to go. By 2pm it was baking hot and the bridge into town had been crossed and there was a lovely park with benches to take a rest on.

From there I found a magnificent family restaurant for a great meal, bought some provisions and then took the funicular up to Mount of Santa Luzia where the albergue was situated.

When planning the Camino I factored in two rest days. The first one was in Viano do Castelo, a chance to regroup, check equipment and see how I was physically holding up. Viano do Castelo is also a lovely place to explore and rest up for a day.

#Portugal #Camino #CaminoPortugues #VianodoCastelo #Esposende

There is no music with this one - just the sounds of what was around

Some Camino Details
In September-October 2023 I did the Camino Portugues walking about 280km over two weeks from Porto in Portugal to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. This was 13 walking days and 2 rest days. As many people who have walked a Camino will tell you, it is a life changing experience. I totally agree with this and understand why people keep coming back.

I filmed for 20 to 30 seconds several times each day and these videos are those films put together with some captions added. These films give a pretty good impression of what the walking was like on each day.

I stayed mostly in albergues (cheap hostels for pilgrims) but also in one Airbnb and one nice hotel. I pre-booked most of the accommodation. The walking on this Camino is relatively flat (it is along the coast for the most part) and I walked about 20km each day carrying a backpack which weighed about 20lb - yes, I was carrying too much! The food along the way was AMAZING, as were many of the people encountered. A truly memorable experience.

There is no fixed itinerary for the Camino - you decide how far you want to walk each day and there are usually many options for accommodation along the way. This is the route I chose which I matched with how far I thought was a good distance to cover each day.

Day 1: Porto (Matosinhos) to Povoa de Varzim - 25km
Day 2: Povoa de Varzim to Esposende - 20km
Day 3: Esposende to Viano do Castelo - 25.5km