We started walking before daybreak, hugging the cement walls as cars with no room zipped by on their way to work. At the 3/4 mile mark, we reached the boardwalk- the official Camino coastal route.

The wooden plank-ways changed significantly as we passed each town, evidence that they were maintained per each municipality. Yesterday we walked on the westside of the dunes; the ocean on our left and the dunes to our right.

This morning the boardwalk switched to the east side of the dunes, blocking our ocean view.

I wondered, ‘What happens to the dunes after a storm, surely the sand covers the boardwalk?’

Ask and it will be revealed. No sooner did I question the placement of the boardwalk with my knowledge and experience with hurricanes along the panhandle of Florida, did I see the boardwalk smothered in four feet of sand!

As we slogged through sand, I was partially thankful because the boards previously had not been maintained and we were in constant peril of falling through.

When the boardwalk ended the real navigation began. Though we have two phone apps, they don’t always jive, and we found ourselves (me mostly) neglecting to look for the road markers. We took a few wrong turns, though never more than a few yards before some old man appeared out of thin air and pointed us in the right direction with a big smile.

We met a German couple as I sat on a cement pole changing my shoes. Guess who had a blister? It’s way too early in the walk and I’m not happy about it. Anyhow, this super tall woman with a big smile said the coastal route was ‘very famous in Germany,’ thus explaining the plethora of her countrymen. She was very kind and I have to take back my earlier comment about ‘not friendly’ Germans. That’s what happens when I judge or clump peeps into an ‘all or nothing’ category.

Larry and I disagreed on todays manifest. He wanted to cross over to the Central Route and I was 1.) concerned about hiking along the narrow roads for the cross over, and 2.) not sold on the Central Route vs the Coastal Route.

After 8 miles we checked in at the Vila do Conde Visitor Center and spoke to Claudia. She advised against joining the Central Route. Score for Rebecca.

We stopped walking today, early, at the 11.79 mile mark. I needed a mini rest…because tomorrow will be a longer walk.

Our Airbnb host, Rafael was most gracious during the check-in. Though he recommended a seafood restaurant, we weren’t able to get there before it closed. But we did find a top rated seafood place to watch the sunset.

Vinho Verde (green wine) was something I read about…and OMG is it delicious!

Green wine during the green flash of sunset over the ocean. Perfect ending to a wonderful day with my partner in crime (that’s Larry, y’all).

It don’t get better than that.