Today was an excellent day. Sunny, warm, but not too hot. I left the hostel and headed out of Viana de Costelo about 8:00am. I was able to follow a few pilgrims out of town and this time, I didn’t get lost.
I was warned in my guide that I’d be walking on a lot of road and I was. Still I was close to the sea, hiking past farmland and through some pretty villages.
I made Ancora, after about 16 kms and found a hostel with the help of a lovely young man from the Czech Republic. The hostel is right on the beach and I am going to treat myself to a delicious fish dinner tonight.
The celebrity note is because two people asked to take a picture with me. The first was a young man, Paul, from Poland, who was travelling with his wife and two other family members. He was amazed at my age and wanted to show his kids. Maybe they don’t have a grandmother.
The other request was on the road. A hiker from Latvia asked for a picture, which his friend took. He tried to explain in broken English, that I was very old and he thought that was special.
I guess I should take that as a compliment of sorts. Somehow, I never got those requests when I was younger. So there really is something to be said about growing old.
The only tragedy of the day was that I left my guide book in a cafe, where I had lunch. God knows where I will end up tomorrow.
Bom Caminho