Póvoa de Varzim to Esposende, Portugal

September 25, 2026

It felt like I was awake most of the night but my energy level was fine all day so maybe I did sleep better than I thought.  I took a couple Ibuprofen before I started walking and maybe they helped too because I felt 70%!  We were on our way before 8 am.

Our walk today was 22 km.  It was from the bottom blue arrow up to the black arrow-

There are statues everywhere and most are of men-

The wall was in better light this morning-

I spent a lot of the morning walking on the boardwalk which is nice and springy-

There were farmers spreading seaweed out to dry-

There were also covered piles to protect it from getting wet-

They use it to fertilize their sandy fields and it’s free!  They just have to drag it up to higher ground-

There are a few windmills along the way.  They were used to grind grains but now some are abandoned and others have been restored as homes-

There are also commercial gardens-

next to a golf course that no one was playing-

There were lots of nice plants-

The last of the beach for the day-

I switched a few times between the Litoral Norte route-

and the Coastal Route.  I’ll do anything not to have to walk on cobblestones and the Norte route was a lot of walking through villages and on roads.  That’s very hard on the legs!

Should have been a translator-

A typical cemetery-

We are staying at the Esposende Guest House in Esposende-

We have been booking two days in advance because apparently September is high season.  So far we haven’t had any trouble.

We were here early so had time to get a few groceries, eat- I had a doner kabob, and saw St. Jean-

in one of the churches!  He is the reason I am here!

Looking forward to another sunny day and a great walk tomorrow!

Aldeia Nova to Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal

September 24, 2026

We were on the road at 8 a.m. walking to Póvoa de Varzim about 20 km away-

We walked along the coast in the fog-

The Memória Obelisk marks the spot where on July 8, 1832, King Pedro IV and 7500 soldiers disembarked marking the end of the absolutist regime that had dominated Portugal-

Even though this is supposedly the second most popular Camino, there are few signs along the way-

Along the coast there are lots of wooden boardwalks which are fairly easy to walk on and gentle on the body-

Along the Angeiras Beach are six clusters of tanks from the Roman Period ( 3rd-4th A.D.) which were used for salting fish-

An interesting plant; looks like a sedum-

We walked through a working fishing village where we saw numerous sizes of traps-

A good catch: eel, crab, lobster and fish-

Also octopus-

This man is stuffing sardines into traps to bait octopus-

Gas is expensive when one Euro = $1.61-

More views of the Atlantic-

Quirky mosaic decoration-

Fortaleza da Póvoa de Varzim There’s a fort in Povoa de Varzim is also known as the Fortress of Nossa Senora da Conceição.  It was originally built in the 1400s and rebuilt in 1701 to protect the town from pirate attacks-

a cool fountain at the casino-

and some tile walls close to the marina telling the history of the area-

We are staying at The Sardines and Friends Hostel-

in a private room with a bunk bed.  Mirjanne graciously said she would sleep on the top bed.  I don’t think I could climb up there I am so stiff and sore!

Tomorrow we are off to Esposende which is about 20 km.  I hope my stiffness lightens up a bit!

P.S