Vilarinho to Barcelos

I woke up in my room in Vila do Conde to the sound of pouring rain. It was really hard to find motivation. I took a taxi back to Vilarinho where I left off yesterday and started my long walk in the rain. The wetter my feet got the more the blister on the bottom of my foot hurt. There were several long stretches of dirt trail which would have been lovely, but were now mud with flowing water running through them.

I hid inside several cafes just to get a break from the rain. I treated myself to a couple of cokes and a candy bar.

Two speedy men from Norway caught up with me and passed me. They probably got to Barcelos before I reached the halfway point.

The rain finally stopped when I reached Pedra Furada where I took another little break to remove rain gear in a little cafe. That place was very pilgrim friendly. They had me sign their guest book and even gave me a street map of Barcelos. While I was eating a funny man dressed as a rooster came in and I got my picture taken with him. The rooster is an important symbol of Portugal and especially Barcelos. Legend says a condemned pilgrim on his way to Santiago insisted on his innocence and told the judge that if he was hanged, the roasted cock on his plate would crow. As the man was being hanged the cock crowed so he was saved just in time and allowed to finish his pilgrimage.

Once the sun came out my mood improved significantly. It felt so good to be warm and dry for a change. A few kilometers before Barcelos I kept hearing some loud music that seemed to be coming from everywhere. I finally decided that it was coming from a church as I passed by. It was really nice to walk to music for a little while. I even made a little video as I walked with the music in the background.

I was happy to reach Barcelos. It's a beautiful town with lots of character. I visited some of the shops and the cathedral. I loved the Templo do Bom Jesus that sits right in the center of town. I found a nice hotel very near it and treated myself to a delicious salmon dinner at the hotel restaurant.

The forecast is for sunshine the next few days. I'm looking forward to that.