Camino de Santiago Portuguese Way DAY-4 Barcelos to Vitorino dos Piaes 20.59km

Go! Married Couple Pilgrimage ~My Wife's Pilgrimage Diary~

In the text, Ⓣ is me, and Ⓨ is my wife.

Sunday, October 5, 2025

8:00 Breakfast at the café next to our accommodation. The bread has a delicious wheat flavor. The nata has a crispy, light pastry crust and fluffy cream. It was slightly warm, and I thought it was the best nata I've ever had ❤️

9:00 Departure. Since our laundry didn't dry, we activated 'walking laundry' mode. It's a clear, sunny day. It should dry well.

People heading to church dressed up a bit. There's even a fife and drum corps. A scene typical of a Sunday morning.

Seeing us off, we leave the town that loves the Barcelos Rooster.

Walking through a residential area. You can hear the organ and hymns from the town church.

An old man on the second-floor balcony of a house by the railroad tracks made a gesture. I realized later that he was telling us we could just cross the tracks instead of taking the long way around. I waved back across the tracks, shouting, 'Thank you!'

In Portugal, every town has a proper soccer field. Today, the local team's match is exciting. Soccer is truly popular, isn't it?

11:50 Break on a bench with bread and a banana.

13:50 Break at a café.

14:40 A beautiful stream with an old stone bridge. A pilgrim takes off the T-shirt they were wearing, splashes it around in the river to wash it, and puts it back on. A hot afternoon. I totally get it!

15:20 A water fountain with a sign that says ÁGUA POTÁVEL. According to a mother and daughter who came by car to collect water, high-quality natural water springs up around here. I gave them some Japanese candy, and I was surprised when they replied in Japanese, saying 'Arigato!' Apparently, the mother likes sushi.

I finished my bottled water and filled it up with the freshly drawn water.

A small olive path. Plump, swollen fruits are swaying in the wind.

17:00 I arrived near today's accommodation, Casa Na Quinta Valinhas, but I couldn't find the entrance. I tried calling, but couldn't get through. I wandered around checking Google Maps.

When I went out to the main street and walked for a while, I found a gate that looked like the entrance. When I went in, a young guy appeared from the front. 'I was waiting for you!' Oh, finally arrived! What a relief.

Today's accommodation is a whole house rental with three bedrooms. It even has a pool. The guy shows me around the rooms one by one.

Since today is Sunday, nearby restaurants are closed. There are no supermarkets either. I consulted the guy about what to do for dinner, and he said, 'I'll ask my uncle if he can drive you to a restaurant.' A while later, I got a message saying, 'I'll pick you up at 19:00.' So grateful!

19:00 A kind-looking uncle who resembled Wicky-san appeared. It seems he doesn't speak English, so we communicated using a translation app on our smartphones. He took me to a local restaurant about 10 kilometers away that was popular, delicious, cheap, and had generous portions—the trifecta.

On the way back, the uncle said, 'If you haven't had enough to drink, I can bring some wine from my place.' I declined out of politeness, but I later regretted it, thinking it might have been homemade wine from his own vineyard.

The moon was shining high and beautifully above the vineyards.

(To be continued)