Coimbra to Mealhada to Agueda – July 14,15th

Leaving Coimbra we were all exhausted, especially me. We walked through olive groves and eucalyptus woods and at midday along a stretch of busy main road till the Camino meandered off through woodland paths for eight kilometers. The main road was a much more direct five kilometers. We took one look at each other and set off down the main road – gladly inhaling exhaust fumes for the next 5 k’s.  Usually it’s about the journey but today was definitely about the destination!

From Mealhada as usual we started out around 5:30 just before sunrise. I was lagging today but Will and Sam mentally pulled me along in their good natured way.  In a couple of hours we were ready for a coffee – and noticed,with anticipation, that various cafes were marked on the route. The cafes in this part of Portugal, however, have rather occasional opening hours. After walking for a few hours and passing three cafes which showed no sign of opening in the foreseeable future, we came across a minimart where we could buy some fruit. We asked if there was a cafe nearby – the storekeeper said no but that she would gladly make us some coffee.  We sat on plastic chairs in the minimart sipping coffee and feeling like we were at the Ritz!

  As we get closer to Porto, the second largest city in Portugal,the villages are getting closer together and we have passed through several industrial zones. We have left the olive groves behind although there are still eucalyptus groves and a few fields in between the villages. 

Two incidents stood out today. The first was when I was walking alone and totally missed one of the yellow arrows. I was in a not particularly friendly town – hungry, hot and lost. I was about to panic and then said to myself – this is the Camino. Just go with the flow – and at that moment Sam decided to detour off the Camino to buy cigarettes in the store that I was standing beside! The second incident was that afternoon when, for the first time on the Camino, I realized I had run out of water.  As we passed a warehouse, a man came out and asked if we were walking to Santiago. When we said yes he darted back into the warehouse and came back out with a bottle of water and two apples for each of us!