Porto - day two

One of the things we are discovering is that when we pause for a rest we seem to feel more tired, at least in the short term. Conscious of this we began with a quiet morning - catching up on the washing, meditation, and just sitting for a time. By midday, we felt a bit more energy, and so we headed to the metro to catch a train/tram to Motosinhos, a seaside suburb on the edge of Porto. 

One of the things that makes the Camino so rich is the array of different smells along the way - wild fennel, eucalypt, and earthy farm smells all characterise our experience of the caminho Portuguese. And then there is the near ubiquitous smell of brazier smoke wafting down narrow cobbled laneways or out of back yards, and the delicious aroma of sardines grilling in the open air. This is what hit us as we disembarked from the metro at Motosinhos and it was very enticing. Lured by this olfactory delight, we found ourselves walking down a lane full of little restaurants spilling onto the street and grilling all kinds of delicious looking seafood.

So, guess what we had for lunch??

Afterwards, feeling very satisfied, we walked along the promenade where many Porto locals were enjoying a Saturday afternoon by the sea. 

This moving statue commemorates a maritime disaster in December 1947 when the local fishing fleet was decimated by a storm, with much loss of life. Seventy two widows were left grieving and 152 children.

We will walk past this again tomorrow on our way out of Porto by the coastal route. It will be a long stage as we begin our last phase of walking in Portugal. Tonight we savour our last taste of Porto and the beautiful lights of the city.

By the time the dawn breaks, we will be well on our way, back in the now familiar rhythm of putting one foot in front of the other... 

We leave you with a picture of the street we've been staying in these past two nights.

Bom caminho,

Neil and Sarah