Marinhas, Esposende – Viana do Castelo (21 km)

Today's 21 km stage began at 7 in the morning in Esposende, heading for Viana do Castelo.

Today I couldn't walk along the coast because in many places it wasn't possible to get through. So I went inland and I warned Natalie, whom I had met the day before, not to take the coast, that it wasn't passable, but she wanted to go... Result: after half an hour on her own she had to turn back and lost an hour of the trip because of it. But I met her again that afternoon.

Along the way I kept up the tradition of walking 3 laps around every church and chapel that crossed my path. I did the 3 laps with a stone in my hand that represents a sin and that I then left by a door or window of the church.

On the first day I had passed 3 churches and on the second day none. But today they came back in force and along the way I passed 5 churches and 3 chapels where I did the ritual.

Just as I was standing right in front of the eighth church, my shell, which was tied to my backpack, fell off. I felt it was a sign, but only later did I realise the sign was that the churches on the way were over for today: that church had been the last of the day where I did the ritual.

After some time in the middle of the mountain I came across an improvised terrace with drinks, coffee, beer, fruit, cakes.

It had a stamp for the passport and a donation box to help keep the support centre going, where you left a donation according to what you had.

I was picking up a juice and putting €1 in the donation box when Mr Abílio Magalhães, the owner of the place, appeared and I spent half an hour there listening to the stories of that place.

There were pilgrims who filled their bag with everything they could and left nothing, others who drank a whole crate of beer and even a fake pilgrim, a resident of a neighbouring village, who would come by to fill his backpack pretending to be walking the Camino and who, when found out, had to run to avoid getting the handle of a hoe across his back.

I got to the Viana do Castelo hostel at 1 pm and the hostel opened at 1:30 pm. For the second day running I was the first to go into the hostel; after what happened on the first day, I don't go easy any more.

While waiting for the hostel to open I went to eat 2 jesuítas, really good ones, right next to the hostel.

After checking in, showering and a short rest, a group of 6 of us (me, João, Cláudia, Natalie, Anastasia and Sule) went up to the top of Santa Luzia hill and the Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. As if we didn't already have enough km in our legs, we still climbed all the steps on foot to get up there.

Then we went to a terrace by the river and after that to a supermarket to buy a few things for the next day's breakfast, before going back to the hostel, from which I headed out again so that the same 6 of us could go to dinner at the restaurant Kamy, where I shared a seafood rice with Natalie that was delicious.

And so another day went by. Tomorrow I'm heading for Caminha or maybe even crossing over to Spain.