Distance: 28.0km (481.9km), time spent: 7:43.
Weather: Another sunny day.
Breakfast is included in the price, but we should have asked to get it at an earlier time, as the German girls did. Reason for my eagerness to get an early start is that I want to get early to Viana do Castelo. Another city that based on what I have read and heard about it, warrants an extra day. That I will not do, so I hope to arrive there early instead, giving me time to explore what I want to see.
Leaving Esposende walking past the Forte de São João Batista.
June walks with me from the beginning, or I walk with her depending on how you see it. Walking through the streets we find an iphone lost on the pavement. First snag of the day. What do we do? Not many people around and we are not exactly fluent in Portuguese. I first try at what looks like a hospital or a home for the elderly, but although they appear helpful, I get no way. Fortunately we meet a woman afterwards that speaks enough English and promises to deliver the lost iphone to the police. Which we eventually must have done too, just do not know where it is.
Somehow I never get tired of the wonderful tiles in Portugal.
Although this is the coastal route, the Camino does not go next to the sea today. The only exception is the walk out of Esposende on the esplanade towards Forte de São João Batista. There are some confusing waymarks after the fortress leading into a forest, but my guidebook and other waymarks points in another direction. I yearn for the woods, but decides for the roads. The confusing waymarks appear to be a shortcut.
The entrance and path up to the Santuário de Guia.
Santuário de Guia.
The Albergue São Miguel in Marinhas, where I originally had planned to go to yesterday, seems nice. The Camino now follow roads through villages and rural areas and can at best be described as pleasant, even peaceful. There is not much traffic on the small roads we walk on, and June is also a pleasant walking companion. She on the other hand, has to endure listening to my endless talks about how much I want to climb up into the hills we see above us.
View towards Viana do Castelo (the Basílica de Santa Luzia visible) from the cliffs above Santuário de Guia.
June then gets to experience the outcome of all my exploration urges, witnessing the curious part of me. As I have said, I have been looking up at the hills above almost all the way, but when we arrive in Belinho, my curious eyes spot a chapel and more higher up. Second snag of the day. I argue hardly against myself, but I know that I will lose the argument and have to get up there. Next to the Igrje Paroquial is the town hall (Junta da Freguesia de Belinho), the woman working there lets me leave my backpack there while I go up. I only have to be back down again before she closes, but I should have enough time. She also gives me directions on how to get there. As I have been babbling away all the time that I want to go up into the hills, I send June a text with 'Going up', which I hope should be sufficient to let her know that I have gone up.
Statues and idols at Santuário de Guia.
What I have seen up there is the Santuário de Guia and the path leading up to it is great. Reminiscent of the stairs leading up to some of the temples in Shikoku in Japan. A long staircase of stone leads up to the sanctuary. Idols, small statues and crosses are passed by on the way up. At the end there is a terrace of stone with nice views over the hills, ocean and past and future walk. I would have liked to see the inside of the chapel, but it is closed. Further up there are some cliffs with a cross that has even better views of the surroundings. And all over are more small statues and idols. To me this was a wonderful sort of Christian representation of some of the temples high up on Shikoku. Sometimes my curiosity really pays off. June is of course long gone when I am back down again.
A local collection of statues.
Afterwards, the Camino enters a pleasant woodland path, passing by a monument (the Antas-Esposende Camino stone monument) from where it is not apparent where you should continue. This short wonderful walk poses new challenges to my curiosity as I see a cross and statue on the rocky hilltop above me. There is a short influx of pilgrims around the Ponte do Sebastião bridge over the Neiva river.
The Antas-Esposende Camino stone monument.
From the bridge there is a short and mildly steep climb. At the top, near a church there is a new albergue. Here I meet a couple of other pilgrims, among them Tara that also was in Vila do Conde and that we briefly met in the morning. The funny part is this. They all ask me if I am the missing Norwegian. Apparently June had reported me as missing, so clearly my message had been misunderstood.
Ponte do Sebastião.
Before another short, but fine, woodland path I pass by what is the oldest church outside of Spain that is dedicated to santiago. The Igreja de Santiago de Castelo do Neiva, which is partly under reconstruction. The Camino, although nice, actually takes an interesting choice of way, going around in a wide turn only to return just on the other side of the church.
Capela de Nossa Senhora das Mercês.
Sunlight filtered through the dust left by some bikers.
Stumbling out of the serene woods, I arrive at the Mosteiro de São Romão do Neiva, a 10th century Benedictine monastery. However, it is what I see when I turn around that catch my attention. Third snag of the day. There, at the top of a staircase lies the Capela de Senhora do Crasto. Flanking the many stairs to the top are various boards with tiles that depicts scenery from the Bible I guess.
The Capela de Senhora do Crasto and the staircase up to it.
Board with tiles on the path up to the Capela de Senhora do Crasto, marked with Agonia.
Missing the sea, it has still been a nice walk so far. No need for a beacon or lighthouse to show the way today though. No clearer beacon than the Basílica de Santa Luzia cannot be found. I have seen the distinct shape of the basilica from far away today. At first from the sandy beach next to Esposend, and then from the Santuário de Guia and so at regular times throughout the walk. On the final approach to the city, over the Ponte Eiffel (no points for guessing who built the bridge), the basilica is clearly visible on the hill (Monte de Santa Luzia). Despite the several snags of the day, I arrive at a fairly good time, before the clock has struck four.
The door of the Igreja de Santiago in Anha.
Having not booked a place to stay, and not wanting to stay at the albergue, I have to spend some time finding a place to sleep. I end up at the Pensão Viana Mar Residencial, a quirky and creaky place run by a friendly old man. There is no secret that my primary sight today will be the Monte de Santa Luzia, but asking about the closing time of the elevator up, I have good time to get up. Thinking it is a good thing taking a short break, I sit down at the Praça da Republica for a beer. While sitting there, I see June striding past. How did she end up behind me? This is not the first time that has happened during my Camino. I will have to wait to get the answer, she just strode quickly past and disappeared into one of the small streets leading away from the square.
Interesting tiny and colorful flowers.
I go for a walk in the city. It is a beautiful city too. There is a huge inflatable Lego figure in the port area.
Viana do Castelo.
The host at my accommodation is however wrong in one thing, the Elevador de Santa Luzia does not close at seven o'clock, it closes at five. And I just missed it by a minute. To get up to the basilica, I have to use my feet. This will be the third time today that I have to walk on a staircase up to a holy place, but it is probably more scenic than the cablecar. Although quite massive in size, the Basílica de Santa Luzia is simply stunning. Romanesque and Byzantine in origins, it is quite ornamented and boasts large rose-windows on three sides, with a dome at the top. Given that I could see the basilica from far away, I can see far away from it too, with Viana do Castelo in almost full sight below. The sun, having started its descent over the sea, is painting the western side of the basilica in warm sunlight. I am however too late to get inside, it too closed at five o'clock.
Praça da Republica in Viana do Castelo.
Beautiful it is and I want to experience the sunset on the sanctuary. There is still some time to that occur, so I walk up to the Pousada above. From here, I have the basilica in view with the coast as the background. This hotel attracts the more 'exclusive' clientele (or so I have heard), so I indulge myself in an 'exclusive' beer from the bar and sit outside looking at the Basílica de Santa Luzia turning more and more red as the sunset sets in. It is a magical moment. I then go back down to the sanctuary again, to see the sunset itself over the Atlantic. It goes down between the clouds and the sea in the horizon, a fiery ball plunging into the ocean.
The path up to Monte de Santa Lucia.
Basílica de Santa Luzia.
Down in Viana do Castelo, I locate Klaus, Tulle and June for dinner. June tells me that she had to find a toilet and in the search for a café had taken a wrong turn, explaining how I get ahead of her despite being 'missing'. The dinner is good and a perfect end to another great day. June has also brought us some presents, a pineapple cake from Taiwan. We all then agrees to meet up tomorrow morning to visit the basilica together, I guess I am not finished with it.
The Basílica de Santa Luzia in the sunset.
And Viana do Castelo has more in store for me. While walking a little bit at random back towards my accommodation, I meet Sang Hee with two other pilgrims on their way for a night cap (or rather sangria). I join them, but skip the sangria for a beer instead. A wonderful day indeed.
Sunset from Monte de Santa Luzia.
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